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***(edited)
Before dropping the spoon in the yard, Xiangqin returned to Lin's house and told Ren Yaoqi about today's affairs in detail.
Ren Yaoqi couldn't help laughing when he looked at her happy face.
"Miss, you don't know, the maid sent by the Lin family today asked for a purse as soon as Mrs. Fang and Miss Jiu came back. Although Miss Jiu's face was not very good-looking, she still let the maid go down to get it, but of course the purse was missing. I didn't see the expression on the face of the Lin family. Ouch, the slave maid was killed by coke!"
Ren Yaoqi glanced at her with a smile: "Isn't there a reason for this time?"
Xiangqin hurriedly said: "Don't worry, Fifth Miss, there will be no mistake this time. Besides, Mrs. Fang and Miss Jiu have both gone out, this matter is absolutely unknowing. Speaking of which, Young Master Fang is really dumb, even The purse on my body has been changed several times without knowing it." After speaking, Xiang Qin couldn't help but be happy.
"Okay, you've worked hard today, go and rest, and go back tomorrow." Ren Yaoqi smiled.
Xiangqin agreed, her face full of smiles went down, and before she left, she said with a grin: "The fifth miss is different, and I will see if they dare to bully our third young lady in the future!"
At this time, in the Ren's other courtyard, Ren Yaoying was also instructing a room of maids to search for purses. Unfortunately, the room was turned upside down, and in the end, not even a shadow was found.
Ren Yaoying's maid Chun'er looked frustrated: "My slave and maid clearly remembered to keep it in the cabinet, how could it be gone? Is a purse still stolen?" Although the material used for the purse is good, the embroidery is actually so-so, if it wasn't for Miss Lin It was given, and their young lady didn't even bother to accept it, so she directly rewarded people.
Ren Yaoying frowned, and patiently instructed: "Look carefully to see if it is wrapped in clothes."
"The clothes and slaves have opened them one by one and read them..."
Mrs. Fang, who had been sitting silent for a while, suddenly interrupted: "Forget it, don't look for it."
Ren Yaoying looked at Liu's family and said, "Auntie, what does the Lin family mean? Why do you suddenly think of asking me for a purse? It's the first time I've heard of the reason why I still ask for something sent out! What a coincidence, the purse is gone!"
Liu shi lowered his eyes and sighed for a while, "We're afraid we've been tricked."
Ren Yaoying was taken aback: "Auntie, you mean..."
Liu Shi shook his head and was about to speak when a woman beside her walked in and whispered a few words in Liu Shi's ear.
Liu Shi's brows couldn't help but wrinkle, and the wrinkling became tighter, which made her ordinary facial features a bit more severe.
Ren Yaoying got closer, only to hear the last sentence of the old woman: "... Only found these. We brought not many people, and most of them went out today."
Liu Shi, Fang Shuzhou and Ren Yaoying are not in the mansion today, and there are not many people who stay behind to guard the yard.
However, Ren Yaoying recollected her thoughts from these words, and asked suspiciously, "Auntie, is the third sister playing tricks?"
Mrs Liu waved the old woman out, then sighed and looked at Ren Yaoying. Although her tone was gentle, she carried some reproach: "Your mother said before that they are nothing to worry about, but it seems that she has misunderstood. I told you to endure it for a while, and don't fight with her for a moment at this juncture, but you won't listen."
Ren Yaoying bit her lip, feeling a little aggrieved: "I was very careful, and the third sister didn't find any evidence. Besides, they are our deadly enemies, and they wouldn't make us feel better without this incident."
Liu shi glanced at Ren Yaoying and sighed again, but didn't say anything after all.
Before she came to Yunyang City, her husband had urged thousands of times that she must make good plans for her sister-in-law and try to meet their requirements.
She looks ordinary, but fortunately, her husband is not such a superficial person. Seeing that she has devoted herself to running the inner courtyard for him, she has been fortunately dealing with her mother in front of her, and she has never treated her badly over the years. So she has always done her best for what her husband asked her to do.
Good people have already done this, and she naturally didn't want to annoy her niece. After all, she wasn't her own daughter, so she couldn't teach her a lesson by the way.
I can only go to the Lin Mansion tomorrow and apologize to Mrs. Lin San and Miss Lin in person.
On the morning of the second day, Ren Yaoqi was playing with Brother Ceng in Ren Shijia's house, when the concierge outside reported that Mrs. Fang, Mrs. Liu, was here again.
Mrs. Liu came to see Mrs. Lin San today.
Ren Shijia has a soft temperament, and in the end, he couldn't help but take Liu to Mrs. Lin San's yard. This time, Ren Yaoqi didn't go with him, but Ren Shijia came back not long after.
Mrs. Lin San was sick today and was reluctant to see guests.
Ren Yaoqi was surprised: "Why did the third wife suddenly get sick? We didn't hear about it in the mansion."
Ren Shijia cleaned his hands, took Brother Cen from the nanny, and kissed his tender little face softly, Lin Cen yawned delicately, watching her mother happy, Ren Shijia My heart was so soft that I smirked at my son.
The old lady Ren found another wet nurse for Brother Ceng, and she no longer needed Ren Shijia to feed herself, but Ren Shijia did not want her son to sleep with the wet nurse at night, but prepared a small bed in front of her bed to settle her son , If Lin Cen was hungry in the middle of the night, Ren Shijia would feed it himself.
After going through those things, Ren Shijia didn't want her baby son to take a step away from her sight. Lin Kun has always been good-natured towards his wife and children, and has no objection. Sometimes he even helps change his son's diaper. He was so careful and considerate that even Ren Yaoqi couldn't find him at all bad.
"I saw that the third sister-in-law was not sick, but I just didn't want to see my cousin. Just after I sent my cousin away, the third sister-in-law reprimanded the maid next to her and told me to let me take Brother Ceng over there when I had time. Playing with Sister Ling. This is a hint to me not to bring outsiders there in the future."
Ren Shijia teased Lin Cen and said nonchalantly, "I don't want to get involved in their affairs either. This is the best time to be clean."
Ren Yaoqi smiled when he heard the words, and sat next to Ren Shijia to poke Lin Cen's bubble with her, and stopped talking about Liu's affairs.
In the afternoon, Ren Yaoqi went to Yanbei Wangfu by appointment.
Xiao Jinglin was still waiting for Ren Yaoqi outside, and when she saw her, she said, "I thought you weren't here today."
Ren Yaoqi smiled and went up to hold Xiao Jinglin's arm, followed her to the Princess' Nine Sun Palace, whispering in her ear: "Of course I want to come, otherwise the county master will be lazy when playing the piano again. Yesterday, I would like to thank the princess for your help."
Yesterday, Mrs. Fang and Ren Yaoying did not go to Su's house but came to the Yanbei Palace, because Ren Yaoqi sent a letter to Xiao Jinglin and asked her to do her a favor. However, Mrs. Fang waited for a long time, and finally did not see the princess.
Xiao Jinglin shook her head. She didn't care about what happened yesterday, she just said, "I'm not being lazy. My teacher said that my piano skills have improved a lot.
Xiao Jinglin's expression was serious.
Ren Yaoqi laughed and gave her a playful look: "That's right, I haven't heard you play the piano for a day, let's see if there is a thousand miles difference."
The two were talking and laughing as they walked towards the Nine Sun Palace, but they were stopped by a maid halfway, and Xiao Jinglin frowned when she looked at the maid.
"The county master, the old princess invites you to visit the Shou'an Hall."
"What did grandma say to me?" Xiao Jinglin returned to her expressionless expression, and her fresh expression just seemed to be someone else's illusion.
The maid bowed her head and said, "I don't know, the servant girl, the old princess just asked the servant girl to invite the princess."
Xiao Jinglin said no more, turned her head to Ren Yaoqi and said, "I'll come when I go, you go to Jiuyang Hall and wait for me first."
Ren Yaoqi was about to agree, but he didn't want to be a maid, but said, "Old Wang Fei invites Miss Ren to go with the princess."
Xiao Jinglin glanced at the maid, then at Ren Yaoqi, frowning.
Ren Yaoqi hurriedly smiled and said, "I haven't had a chance to see the old princess. I'll go with the county master."
She has been coming to Yanbei Wangfu almost every day recently, sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon, and every time she is in the Jiuyang Palace. I have never seen the old princess, nor the Mrs. Yun Tai. Neither the princess nor Xiao Jinglin wanted her to greet the old princess, and she naturally wouldn't be too busy.
Xiao Jinglin didn't say anything else, and took Ren Yaoqi around Jiuyang Hall and walked towards Shou'an Hall.
When approaching the Shou'an Palace, Xiao Jinglin whispered in Ren Yaoqi's ear: "I will meet my grandmother later, you should try to talk less and make fewer mistakes. If you have a bad answer, don't be afraid, I will help you."
Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but feel a warm feeling in his heart, looking at Xiao Jinglin nodded and smiled.
Xiao Jinglin squeezed Ren Yaoqi's hand and immediately released it.
The scale of Shou'an Hall is smaller than that of Jiuyang Hall, but it is still very imposing, and it is also located on the central axis of the palace.
When Ren Yaoqi followed Xiao Jinglin in, there were already a few people sitting in the hall.
The old princess was sitting on the head, wearing a long sleeved jacket with 4,000 characters on a mud-gold background and embroidered with a hundred birds facing the phoenix pattern. Although she was old, her skin was well maintained, very fair, but she had a temperament. Some majesty, it seems difficult to get close.
Sitting at her start is a woman with a face that is somewhat similar to the old princess. She is about 30 years old. She is dressed in bright red and ten kinds of brocade makeup. The bright colors complement her appearance and momentum. . Whether in appearance or gestures, she is somewhat similar to the old princess, which makes people have to believe that in another twenty years, she will be a lively old princess again.
The girl in a purple dress sitting next to the old princess was Wu Yiyu, who had fought with Xiao Jinglin before. At this time, she looked at Xiao Jinglin with a smile that was not a smile.
Ren Yaoqi followed Xiao Jinglin to salute. The woman was the only daughter of the old princess and the wife of Wu Xiaohe, the general soldier of Ningxia.
"I heard that Lin'er is practicing the piano recently? How's it going?" Mrs. Wu looked at Xiao Jinglin and asked with a smile.
Even though Mrs. Wu's smile has deliberately expressed her closeness, she still has a taste of condescension.
Xiao Jinglin said in a low voice, "I'm still practicing, I can't play well."
Mrs. Wu looked at the old princess and smiled: "I said it's been so long since I came back, and I haven't seen Lin'er a few times, so I miss her."
The old princess glanced at Xiao Jinglin: "Don't say you haven't seen her a few times, it's hard for me to see her. Every time I have to ask her three times."
Mrs. Wu smiled aside: "Mother concubine is joking, I see that Lin'er is filial. The day before yesterday, Yiyu also saw her at Mrs. Yuntai."
Ren Yaoqi glanced at Xiao Jinglin and saw her standing there without changing her face, when she didn't hear these words with a gun and a stick.
The old princess sneered and turned to drink tea.
Mrs. Wu's gaze turned to Ren Yaoqi's face, and smiled: "Oh, this girl looks like a water spirit. But... how does she look familiar? Is it possible that I have seen it before?"
The old concubine also looked at Ren Yaoqi and said thoughtfully: "She is younger than Yu'er, how have you seen her before? It's just that the face is somewhat similar to the person you've met. You are Wang Xian Wang. granddaughter?" The last sentence was directed at Ren Yaoqi.
Ren Yaoqi lowered his head slightly: "Yes, old princess."
The old princess nodded Mrs. Wu and said, "When you were young, I took you to the capital to celebrate the emperor's birthday. You were still young at that time, so you probably don't remember it."
Mrs. Wu thought about it for a while, and then suddenly realized: "If you don't say your daughter, you forgot." Her eyes turned around Ren Yaoqi, and she said, "It really looks like that person. Woolen cloth."
Although Ren Yaoqi stood there pretending to be dumb, his heart was like a mirror.
The person who the mother and daughter are talking about should be King Xian's biological mother, her great-grandmother, Concubine Wan.
The old concubine was the daughter of the previous emperor, and she and her grandfather Xianwang were siblings. Naturally, they had met Concubine Wan.
In the last life in Kyoto, some people said that she was somewhat similar to the late Concubine Wan.
Wu Yiyu sat on the old princess and said suspiciously, "Grandmother, mother, who are you talking about? Who does she look like?"
The old princess patted her head, her eyes softened a lot, and she smiled: "You don't even recognize me. When my grandmother brought your mother back to Beijing, she was just as old as you."
Wu Yiyu pouted, the strong and aggressive girl outside looked a little coquettish at the moment: "Then when will you take me to Kyoto to play?"
Mrs. Wu laughed and scolded: "What are you going to do in Kyoto? When my mother went to Kyoto, she still obeyed the emperor's edict." Her tone was somewhat arrogant.
The old princess said to Madam Wu, "Okay, don't you have something to ask Lin'er?"
Mrs. Wu remembered the business and stopped joking with her daughter. She turned to look at Xiao Jinglin, and said to the old princess, "Mother, you see the child is still standing."
The old princess waved her hand and asked Xiao Jinglin to sit down with Ren Yaoqi, and Ren Yaoqi sat down with Xiao Jinglin until she started.
"It's been a while since Lin'er came back. Will she live in Yunyang City in the future?" Mrs. Wu thought for a while and asked with a smile.
Xiao Jinglin glanced at her and said softly, "Jinglin will obey her father's arrangements."
Mrs. Wu took a sip of tea, and her smile became more genial: "Speaking of Lin'er is not too young, and she is a girl, it is better to stay by her parents' side. Border gates are all rough men, when you were young It's okay, I still go there when I'm old, what will happen to my reputation in the future?"
Xiao Jinglin didn't change her face when she heard the words, she nodded after thinking about it, "Thank you aunt for worrying about it. Speaking of rough men... not only in Jiajing Pass, but also in many places like Ningxia. Aunt and cousin were able to stay in Ningxia for so long. After a few years and a good reputation, Jinglin naturally won't be afraid."
"Presumptuous!" The old princess scolded with a cold face, "How did you talk to the elders!"
Mrs. Wu's face was also ugly. Wu Yiyu's eyes shot at Xiao Jinglin's face like knives, and her face was gloomy.
Xiao Jinglin glanced at the three of them and curved the corners of her mouth: "I'm sorry, aunt. I grew up in the border gate since I was a child, and I speak quite straight. Don't bother with my junior. But I think you should understand what I said and tell you. There is no malice in it.”
Mrs. Wu took a deep breath and forced a smile on her face: "You understand that your aunt is well-intentioned." She also didn't want to entangle with Xiao Jinglin on this issue. Xiao Jinglin usually seemed to be silent and opened her mouth But it is really powerful, it is the same as not barking a dog that bites.
"Lin'er, aunt came back to Yanbei this time because the prince sent a letter to your uncle before, have you heard of it?"
Xiao Jinglin shook her head: "I don't know, my father never mentioned it to me."
Mrs. Wu smiled and said: "Oh? I heard that the prince trusts your daughter very much, and allows you to enter and leave the study like your second brother. You also know that the prince is far away in the capital, and your father is the only one next to your second brother. Son, but his body is... "
Xiao Jinglin frowned and said directly, "Auntie may ask what she wants to ask. You can go around in a circle, I'm afraid I won't understand."
She hated this kind of temptation, and she couldn't come up with an idea for a long time. If it wasn't for her elders here, she would have left long ago.
Mrs. Wu's face twitched, and she held back her temper: "The lord said in the letter that he will go to Ningxia in the near future. Since there is no specific date in the letter, he asked me to come back and ask, and I will do it as soon as I go back. arrange."
In fact, what Mrs. Wu wanted to ask was that King Yanbei had intended to incorporate part of Yanbei's army into Ningxia, but for so long, there was no movement from Yanbei's side. So Mrs. Wu came back to her mother's house this time to find out the news. She wanted a letter from King Yanbei, so that she could communicate with her husband's family when she went back.
Xiao Jinglin looked puzzled: "Father is going to Ningxia? Why didn't I know?"
Mrs. Wu took a deep breath: "Your father did not go to Ningxia alone, think about it, have you heard him mention it?"
Xiao Jinglin was surprised: "Why didn't my aunt directly ask my father?"
She didn't want Mrs. Wu to get angry when Xiao Jinglin mentioned this, so soon after she returned to her mother, King Yanbei left and never returned to the mansion. She inquired for a long time and didn't know where King Yanbei went, so she could only wait at her parents' house.
Mrs. Wu also wanted to get information from Xiao Jingxi, but who is Xiao Jingxi? It's no wonder that Mrs. Wu can take advantage of him.
In the end, there was really no other way but to turn his attention to this niece.
But now it seems that Xiao Jinglin is not a fuel-efficient lamp.
At this time, the old princess interjected with a cold face: "Lin'er, it's your aunt who asked you what she asked you. Just answer honestly what she asks you. Family, what are you guarding against? Don't let outsiders see it. It's a joke."
Xiao Jinglin nodded and said in a low voice, "Yes, grandmother, my granddaughter got it." She had a good attitude.
After thinking about it, Xiao Jinglin answered her aunt's last question: "My father didn't mention to me about going to Ningxia, nor did he say anyone else was going to Ningxia. Did my aunt have the wrong idea?"
"Would you be wrong?" Mrs. Wu grasped Xiao Jinglin's key words and couldn't help but said, "The army also..."
Xiao Jinglin interrupted immediately: "Aunt, you are my aunt, I will answer whatever you ask, but it is limited to family affairs. The affairs of the military are considered state affairs, and if I open up my mouth, it will not be as simple as being laughed at by others. You have always been reasonable, and you must understand the difficulties of your niece."
But when Mrs. Wu said the word "in the army", Ren Yaoqi understood what Mrs. Wu secretly wanted to inquire about.
In the last life, in order to cope with the reduction of the Yanbei Army by the imperial court, the Yanbei Palace transferred part of the Yanbei Army to Ningxia. At that time, the Dangxiang clan fought several battles with the Ningxia army in order to compete with the residents on the border of Ningxia for pasture resources and horses, so it was logical for the Yanbei army to enter Ningxia.
But in this life, because she gave Xiao Jingxi an idea, part of the Yanbei army was dispersed and raised in the temple. The last time I heard what Zhu Ruomei said, it was almost arranged, so there would be nothing to do with Ningxia. .
But obviously, Ningxia didn't want to "stay where it's cool", so Xiao Wei went back to her parents' house to find out the truth.
Xiao Wei was robbed by Xiao Jinglin, and her face was very ugly. Wu Yiyu raised her chin and sneered: "Xiao Jinglin, what is the major general's profile you put in front of us? You take the set of rules in the army to suppress my mother, you think I will not enter. Passing the barracks? Everyone else is coming to the house, so you are not allowed to talk about it?"
Xiao Jinglin glanced at Wu Yiyu: "Why did someone call the door?"
Wu Yiyu glanced at Xiao Jinglin with contempt: "I don't believe you didn't receive the news. The Dangxiang clan robbed us of several horse farms a few days ago!"
"Yu'er!" Xiao Wei interrupted her daughter's words with a frown. After thinking about it, she looked at Ren Yaoqi, "Miss Ren, let's go out first."
Xiao Jinglin glanced at Ren Yaoqi and got up: "I'm going back first."
"I'm letting you go?" the old princess said coldly.
Xiao Jinglin stood there and didn't move. After a long time, she turned her head to Ren Yaoqi and said softly, "You go to Jiuyang Palace and wait for me, I'll go in a while."
Ren Yaoqi nodded and left without a word of nonsense.
While walking, I thought, what did the old princess, mother and daughter, ask her to follow? To simply satisfy curiosity, and then come to a conclusion that she looks similar to Concubine Wan
Can be really idle.
But just now Wu Yiyu mentioned the fact that the Dangxiang clan competed for the horse farm... She had always thought that the last life was when the Yanbei palace and the Wu family had negotiated, and came to attract the wolf into the house, so as to give the Yanbei army an excuse to move west. Now it seems that the Yanbei Palace may not be involved in this matter.
However, she would not believe it if it was purely a coincidence that the Dangxiang clansmen were understanding.
Then it is possible that the Wu family unilaterally resorted to cheating and begging for troops
And what role did the Su family, who owned several large racecourses in Ningxia, play in this matter