Cheng Lu and Cheng Xu were both in the waterside pavilion.
What was Pan Qing doing there
Zhou Shaojin vaguely felt that this matter might have something to do with Cheng Xu.
But why did she choose today to meet Cheng Xu
Do the people in the third room know about this
She looked towards Cheng Xian.
Cheng Xian was talking to Mrs. Yu with a smile on her face, and she didn't seem to notice that Pan Qing, who had always been by her side, was no longer in the hall.
She looked towards Old Mrs. Li.
Old Mrs. Li listened to Old Mrs. Guo and Old Mrs. Tang talking with a smile on her face, and seemed to pay no attention to the people around her.
Zhou Shaojin looked at Jiang again.
Although Jiang's face was full of smiles, she was not as enthusiastic and proactive as usual. Instead, she stood quietly by the side, listening to others talking, and from time to time, the corner of her eye quickly glanced towards the door leading to the water pavilion in the east.
Zhou Shaojin understood.
It turns out that Pan Qing got the support of the third room, or was it the third room who instructed him to do so
She sneered in her heart, pulled Cheng Ji's sleeve, and whispered: "Pan Qing went to the waterside pavilion, should we go and take a look?"
"Go, of course." Cheng Ji followed Zhou Shaojin out of the flower hall again without hesitation, "What is she doing in the waterside pavilion?"
"I don't know." Zhou Shaojin said, "Let's go take a look first and then make plans."
Cheng Ji nodded.
The two of them walked towards the water pavilion cautiously.
Soon, they saw Pan Qing.
She stood under a big banyan tree outside the water pavilion, looking at it with a conflicted expression, as if she couldn't make up her mind whether to go in or leave.
Cheng Ji immediately jumped up and whispered, "She must be here to look for Brother Xu. Look at her. Even if she loves Brother Xu, can't she be more reserved? Why does she have to chase after him so eagerly? If people see her like this, they will think she can't get married... How can my grandmother, aunt, and mother put their faces? My mother praises her all day long, isn't she slapping my mother in the face? It's so embarrassing..."
Zhou Shaojin was silent for a moment.
Cheng Ji… accidentally said what the Third House was thinking… Pan Qing wanted to marry Cheng Xu, and the Third House really wanted to be closer to the First House…
She thought of what the maids in Jiuru Lane had said all along: "… Don't be fooled by the Third House's hustle and bustle, their business is big, and they are rich. Those are just floating things. As soon as they met the First and Second Houses, they were immediately defeated. Do you know why? Because the Third House has never had anyone become an official - without the First and Second Houses to help them, let alone other things, the taxes on the goods from the Third House's pharmacy from the northwest to Jinling are enough to peel off a layer of skin from the Third House, so what are they talking about doing business."
This is also the reason why Zhou Shaojin did not take these words to heart.
The old man of the third house, Cheng Jin, was also a seed of study. He had a smooth journey and passed the imperial examination with the second old man of the first house, Cheng Shao. Later, Cheng Jin took the initiative to give up the imperial examination and concentrated on managing the business of the third house, making the Yongshoutang medicine shop of the third house the largest drug dealer in Jiangnan. On the other hand, the eldest master of the third house, Cheng Lu, was obedient since childhood and willing to study hard, but he only passed the imperial examination as a scholar. He really had no talent for studying. Logically, Cheng Lu should have given up the imperial examination long ago. But he was still studying, and Cheng Jin did not persuade him. He just supported him, and let his son Cheng Zheng, Cheng Jia's brother, go ahead and passed the imperial examination at a young age...
Thinking of this, Zhou Shaojin's heart skipped a beat.
If she remembered correctly, Cheng Zheng seemed to have passed the imperial examination at the age of sixteen and never took part in the imperial examination since then.
Even if his basic skills were not solid, it was a bit unreasonable for the Cheng family, where there were elders who could guide the younger generations, to have four years pass without him trying.
In his previous life, Cheng Zheng started to drink and became decadent after Cheng Xu got into trouble. He started to take the imperial examination when he had no hope. And with the guidance of Cheng Jing, he soon surpassed Cheng Shi who passed the examination before him, and was admitted to the Academy of Scholars...
Zhou Shaojin found it difficult to breathe.
Could it be, could it be, that the first and second houses have been working together to suppress the third house, preventing it from achieving success in the imperial examinations… So, they took the risk in the marriage of Pan Qing and Cheng Xu… Pan Qing's marriage into the first house, in addition to being a marriage alliance, in a sense, may be more of a signal of reconciliation… Is it because of this that my grandmother was unwilling to act as a matchmaker and revealed to Yuan that Cheng Xian wanted to marry his daughter to Cheng Xu
What exactly happened when the family split up
Zhou Shaojin looked at the magnificent scene before her eyes and felt as if what she saw was all a mirage. There was actually a huge monster squatting in front of her. If they were not careful, he would reveal his true form and devour them all.
"Shaojin, Shaojin." Cheng Ji pushed her gently.
Zhou Shaojin came back to his senses.
Cheng Ji complained, "You can get distracted when I'm talking to you. I really admire you! Didn't you say you had a way to embarrass Pan Qing? What should we do now?"
what to do
In her previous life, even if the Third House did not directly participate in her humiliation by Cheng Xu, they must have been there and handed her the knife.
In this life, she wants to expose the true face of the third room.
At the very least, Madam Guo must be made aware of the Third House's intentions.
What Pan Qing did was not only her own opinion, but also supported by the third room.
"Let's go back to the flower hall." Zhou Shaojin said, "We can't let the people in the water pavilion find Pan Qing."
In her previous life, a big reason why Yuan hated her was because her appearance destroyed the marriage between the Cheng and Min families and ruined Cheng Xu's future.
Pan Qing's family was no better than hers, and marrying Pan Qing to Cheng Xu also prevented Cheng Xu from marrying into a more prominent family. Cheng Zheng and Cheng Shi were both beneficiaries.
In the waterside there are Cheng Zheng, Pan Zhuo, and Cheng Shi, who is watching the fire from the other side and is ready to add fuel to the fire at any time. Their interests are the same at this moment. With their help, Pan Qing will not be able to catch any handle on the third room.
Zhou Shaojin took Cheng Ji and went to the flower hall.
Cheng Ji was caught off guard and stumbled as she pulled him. He said angrily, "What are you doing? How did you suddenly become so strong..."
Zhou Shaojin didn't have time to explain to her - even if he did, he couldn't explain clearly, so he just grabbed the housekeeper who was serving in the hall and started talking about Pan Qinglai: "... He has been out for such a long time and he hasn't come back. We just went to the official room and didn't see him either. Send someone to look for him."
Guanfang is an elegant word referring to the toilet, a substitute for a toilet.
Her voice was not loud, but not small either. It was gentle and full of care.
Many people looked over and found that Pan Qing was not in the flower hall.
Old Madam Li seemed a little uncomfortable and said, "I don't know where this child has gone." Seeing Cheng Ju and Zhou Shaojin together, she asked again, "Ji girl, weren't you with your cousin? Do you know where she went?"
This is really a lie with blatant eyes.
It was obvious that Cheng Ji had always been with her, but Old Lady Li insisted that Cheng Ji had always been with Pan Qing.
Zhou Shaojin saw Jiang's brows frowned slightly, and wanted to say something, but Cheng Ji interrupted him: "No! I have been with Shaojin the whole time. If you don't believe me, you can ask Shaojin. We just came back from the official room together."
She looked so confused and didn't react at all, which made Mrs. Li speechless and silent for a long time.
Zhou Shaojin almost laughed out loud.
Pan Qing and a little maid hurried in from outside.
Seeing that everyone was looking at her, she blushed and said with an embarrassed expression, "What happened?" Then she explained, trying to cover up her mistake, "I just went to the official residence. When I came out, I saw a few orchids next to the flower hall were in full bloom, so I went to take a look. What's the matter?"
"What could it be?" Jiang immediately smiled and said, "It's your cousin Shaojin. She didn't see you and was a little worried about you, so she asked us to look for you..."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the atmosphere in the hall immediately became lively and festive again. Everyone continued to talk and do their own things.
Pan Qingze smiled and walked forward to thank Zhou Shaojin for her concern.
However, Zhou Shaojin noticed that the maidservant beside Pan Qing was not the one she usually used, but the maidservant who had whispered to her in front of the water pavilion just now.
She didn't say anything and just smiled at Pan Qing.
However, Pan Qing glanced at Cheng Ji coldly.
Cheng Jia is incomprehensible.
However, Zhou Shaojin knew that Pan Qing had misunderstood Cheng Ji. She thought that Cheng Ji was always paying attention to her and started yelling when she was not around.
Cheng Jia... Sometimes it's really unfair...
Zhou Shaojin lowered his eyelids.
Cheng Ji was extremely angry and was about to say something when Jiang called him over.
Zhou Shaojin thought for a moment, and saw Madam Miao talking to someone in the south corner of the flower hall. He walked over with a smile and said softly, "When I went out just now, I found someone in the waterside pavilion. After asking the maids in charge, I found out that it was my cousin who was enjoying the cool air there. What do you think, should we send someone to serve over there? There is still an hour before the birthday celebration!"
Mrs. Miao nodded repeatedly, and told a maid in charge to do it. She smiled and praised her: "Shaojin is really careful, otherwise I would not know about this!"
Several women nearby also praised her upon hearing her words.
Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but blush. He muttered a few words in response before turning around to look for Cheng Ji.
The maid beside Jiang watched Cheng Ji and did not allow her to move around freely.
Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Ji sat in a corner where Jiang Shi could see them, and they talked about Pan Qing in a low voice with a common hatred for the enemy.
The sun gradually rose.
Almost all the guests have arrived.
The flower hall was filled with laughter and became even more lively.
Pan Qing, who was originally sitting in the corner with Cheng Xian, disappeared.
She remained calm and continued talking to Cheng Ji.
After a while, the little maid who was staring at Pan Qing winked at her.
Zhou Shaojin sat for a while and said to Cheng Ji, "I'm going to the official room. Do you want to go?"
"Go!" Cheng Ji had been sitting there for a long time with a lot of resentment in his heart and wanted to walk around.
A little maid ran to tell Jiang.
Jiang nodded.
The maid from the third room accompanied Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Ji out of the flower hall.
Zhou Shaojin motioned the woman to stand further away, and then whispered to Cheng Ji: "Do you dare to go to the waterside pavilion with me?"
Cheng Ji's big eyes, with distinct black and white, blinked.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and nodded.
"Run!" Cheng Ji pulled Zhou Shaojin's hand and ran towards the waterside pavilion. "What's the big deal? At worst, I'll get spanked by my mother when I get back! I'd rather be spanked by my mother than see Pan Qing's hypocritical look!"
※
Today's update, sisters.
I realize I need to add more tomorrow.
Then let’s keep it at the old time.
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)