"Madam, with all due respect, your son's words are actually quite reasonable." Xi Fuwei gritted her teeth eagerly and suddenly said, "I am in the age of getting married, and I have a decent life. I don't want to drag down the family. Brother, I could have left the cabinet to make a living, but instead I trekked to your residence to be a female teacher, which really arouses suspicion!"
Both Shang's mother and son were startled when they heard this. Zou Yiang smiled with a very frivolous smile and raised his eyebrows: "Mother, it seems that this person has been prepared for a long time and is determined to enter our house!"
Xi Fuwei ignored him, only looked at Mr. Shang, and said sincerely: "A man like Mr. Zou must not understand this move. However, Madam and I are both female, so maybe we can understand: When my parents were alive, , I am only a daughter, so I will not be treated poorly by the dowry! If I leave the court at that time, even if I marry into a wealthy family, I will have someone to rely on, and I will not be looked down upon!"
"But after my parents passed away, the clan took over the family property and kicked me out. I am now penniless!"
"The reason why I don't want to stay with my clan brother for a long time is not only to avoid suspicion between men and women, but also because I am worried that my clan brother is kind-hearted and raises a dowry for me, which will delay his own marriage!"
"So I heard that your house wanted to hire a tutor for the ladies, so I came here boldly, not only because I was interested in the female teacher's remuneration, but also because I wanted to get a foothold in your house's reputation and trust you to be loyal!"
When she said the last sentence, she bowed her head in compliance with the trend of the time, and her cheeks were raised.
Mr. Shang narrowed his eyes, thoughtfully.
Everyone else in the room was silent. Only Zou Yiang chuckled and said, "Mother, this seems to be frank, but in fact, it is not an admission. She came to our house not to teach our sisters sincerely, but just to treat our family as our family." Springboard, marry a good one?"
"Young master, what you said is wrong." Xi Fuwei secretly scolded him for looking for trouble, and quickly retorted, "Since I have the idea of taking advantage of your family, how can I not carefully teach the young ladies to gain fame? Otherwise, I will just be alone. Girl, even if you know some words and some colors, what does it matter? You must know that the Zou family's reputation for benevolence is known to everyone in Yanzhou! Mr. Zou is the legitimate son of the family, and the young master of the Zou family must be open-minded. For the first time today, When you see me, you suspect that I have ulterior motives, let alone others? It’s difficult for a daughter in this world, and her family without the support of her parents and brothers is even more difficult! "
"Being helpless can lead to a certain color. If I'm like this, if I'm not careful, I'll be doomed!"
"Since I know these truths, how could I do something wrong and give others a chance to gossip?! After all, after my parents passed away, even if I had the support of my elder brothers, it was not easy for me to get to where I am today in an innocent manner!"
He showed a hint of arrogance and said, "Although I am a female, I was raised as a boy by my father since I was a child. I have also read some books about sages! I dare not say how glorious and glorious I am, but I will definitely not fall into depravity. Parental reputation!”
"Okay!" Mr. Shang was a kind person. When he saw that Xi Fuwei even brought up the reputation of his parents, he frowned. Zou Yiang stopped what he wanted to say and said with a pleasant face, "Mr. Shen has experienced hardships at a young age. It is really shocking. Sorry! My family is such a scumbag, so poorly disciplined, please forgive me for any collisions!"
He then escorted Zou Yiang to compensate for the gift, and then asked him to see off the guests again.
Xi Fuwei couldn't say anything else this time, so she had to say goodbye without being humble or arrogant.
After leaving home, she went to stay at her "brother's" house.
Shen Tiaolan currently lives in a remote alley not far from Zou Mansion. Walking along the narrow and deep alley to the end, a pair of worn-out lanterns feebly illuminated one of the lanterns that had fallen off. Painted door.
Although the facade is poor, the place inside is not small. There were just a few things planted in a mess in the spacious courtyard. There was no decoration. The view was unobstructed, and there was no scenery at all.
Of course, Shen Diolan wants to play the role of a kind-hearted but limited relative in front of the Zou family. Living in such a big courtyard is already a bit inappropriate. If the courtyard is more exquisite, he will really think that the Zou family is a fool.
After Xi Fuwei knocked on the door, Shen Diaolan's mute servant opened the door and led her to the study.
Shen Taolan changed into a washed and faded indigo robe and sat behind the desk looking at some official documents. Seeing Xi Fuwei come in, she nodded slightly, pointed to the seat not far away, and continued to immerse herself in reviewing. .
Xi Fuwei waited for a while and saw that he stopped writing, then gave a rough description of what happened in Zou Mansion and said: "If Zou Yiang didn't continue to target me after I left, I think Mrs. Shang would hire me. .”
"Even if he wants to continue to find fault, Mrs. Shang will probably ignore it." Shen Diaolan put down her purple hair, leaned back and said, "In fact, the Zou family just hired a female music teacher two days ago. You seem to be about your age, and your appearance is not bad. Therefore, Mrs. Shang is not afraid of hiring young and beautiful women. The reason why she hesitates is probably to test you. Your answer closely follows the question that Mrs. Shang is most concerned about, which is you Will you teach the ladies of the Zou family carefully?"
"As long as Mrs. Shang believes in your reliability on this point, everything else is trivial."
"This is not the kind of unreasonable matron. She won't mind if the teacher has some small calculations without harming the interests of the Zou family. After all, to put it bluntly... If the teacher of the Zou family marries well, he will also belong to the Zou family. The connections can also show the benefits of working for the Zou family. How could Mrs. Shang refuse such a thing that kills two birds with one stone?"
"The Zou family hired a female teacher about my age two days ago?" Xi Fuwei was a little surprised and looked at him strangely, but hesitated to speak.
"They're not mine." Shen Tiaolan understood what she meant and shook his head, "They're not from the eunuchs either... As for whether they have anything to do with the officials who opposed the move of the capital, we're still investigating. Well, it's up to you to investigate. It's up to you to find out. Come and tell me. In short, after you enter the Zou Mansion, be careful. If the details of other people’s families are not found out, you will be in trouble first! Because I heard that the Zou family will arrange for the female masters to live in the same courtyard, and they will not see each other when they look up. He is a shrewd and powerful person, and if he shows a slight flaw, he will be out of the game!"
Xi Fuwei said: "I will be careful."
After pondering for a while, he asked about Xi Jiao's situation.
Shen Tiaolan wrote lightly: "He is very good. He is just a child. I don't bother to embarrass him for no reason. I have arranged for him to go to school with children of the same age."
Xi Fuwei understood what he meant, and he would not embarrass Xi Jiao for no reason.
But if you don't run your errands for him, that's a big deal.
She felt very uncomfortable, but she suppressed it and said calmly: "Do you have any other instructions, sir? If not, I will leave first?"
"Change your title." Shen Taolan said without raising his head, "so that he won't make a mistake in the future and arouse suspicion."
Xi Fuwei choked and said reluctantly: "Yes, brother!"
Seeing that Shen Tiaolan had nothing else to say, he left sadly.
After she left, a boy in Tsing Yi quietly came in from the back door to serve the pen and ink, and said softly: "Master, this Miss Xi family seems to be aware of current affairs, but judging from her past words and deeds, there is something cunning about it. Although the Wen family is She was a little more utilitarian, and Xi Fucui was still very kind to her, but she was always wary... This would be fine if she had to deal with someone who had been in high and low officialdom for many years. Given her age and experience, it was obvious that she was naturally suspicious! But I don’t know if he will do something clever and ruin our affairs?”
"What she said just now was meant for Mrs. Shang as well as for me." Shen Tiaolan said calmly, "The question now is not whether she will work for us, but that besides relying on us, she also Is there any other way to go? If not, then her suspicion and shrewdness will encourage her to work harder. Just like what she told Mrs. Shang, in order to gain the glory of the Zou family, she must teach Zou well. The ladies of the family, so that the Zou family can make her famous."
The boy thought thoughtfully and said, "If this Miss Xi family really makes a great contribution... then what about the Wen family?"
He was specially sent by the Shen family to assist Shen Tiaolan. Although he was a slave, his vision and mind were not comparable to those of ordinary people. Naturally, he knew that the mere Wen family, let alone Shen Tiaolan and Jin Yiwei, were not enough to look up to in front of a servant like him. of.
The question is, "It is said that Xing'an Bo has already been to Yanzhou incognito and is personally inspecting the Huitong River in Dongchang Prefecture... It seems that because Xing'an Bo is the apple of his eye, the Wen family's eldest son is now accompanying Xing'an Bo?"
"Then it depends on how much contribution she has made and whether it is worth the trouble I have to ask Chen Shibo for." Shen Tiaolan said nonchalantly, "These are small things. From Chen Shibo's perspective, even if the Wen family has to spend a while , they will definitely not really take it to heart. If Xi Fuwei is really hardworking and meritorious, granting her wish is not a big deal... The key is to do this job well. "
He thought for a while and then asked, "By the way, over there at Yingtian Mansion... How is King Han doing lately? Where is the East Palace? Is there any movement?"
"The King of Han has been in and out of the palace a lot more recently. As you know, His Majesty has always doted on him." The servant sighed, "All the ministers in the court objected on the grounds that His Highness the Crown Prince is the eldest son of his original wife and has no fault. ... However, the King of Han refused to give up. As for Your Majesty..."
He lowered his voice and said, "His Royal Highness the King of Han also made great contributions when the army marched south. Although it cannot be compared with His Highness the Crown Prince's contribution of sitting at the rear so that His Majesty has no worries, but after all, it is His Majesty's beloved son... His Majesty is also in a dilemma. Of course. Someone is taking care of these things, you just need to take care of this."
Shen Taolan nodded slowly: "I can take care of myself."
He also reminded, "However, at that time, His Majesty was the imperial commander personally on the expedition, and most of the capable ministers and generals under his command were at his side. They got along day and night with His Majesty the King of Han who accompanied His Majesty on the expedition, and there was some affection. However, His Majesty the Crown Prince suffered the disadvantage of guarding the rear and did not cultivate feelings with His Majesty. opportunity... I’m afraid the generals won’t say it, but are they still partial to His Highness the King of Han?”
The boy said: "However, they are military generals and they dare not express their opinions rashly."
After all, the current Emperor Yongle came to power by killing the emperor's nephew with force. The king of Han, his son, was already brave and good at fighting. If he continued to flirt with the generals... he might be suspected. He tried to follow the path of Emperor Yongle and wanted to kill his father and usurp the throne.
Not to mention what happens to the King of Han when the time comes, these military generals will definitely not end well... They have followed Emperor Yongle to this day and they are still not doing anything. Their favorable impression of the King of Han is not strong enough to be willing to rebel for him, or to rebel against Emperor Yongle. , how could you not know how to avoid suspicion
... Xi Fuwei didn't know about these discussions between Shen Tiaolan's master and his servant. Even if she knew, she didn't have the ability or mind to pay attention to the intrigue between such high-level officials.
What she was most concerned about at the moment was whether she could be hired by Mrs. Shang.
Regardless, her and Shen Tiaolan's judgments were correct. Two days later, the Zou family sent a steward to come to invite him.
Because the supervisor was very polite, Xi Fuwei just said that she had passed the test, and this time she came to Zou Mansion to discuss the specific obligations and benefits of being a female teacher.
Who knew that when they entered the backyard of Zou Mansion, they were told: "After the girl left that day, the old lady personally inquired about the matter. It is also the old lady's intention to invite the girl to come this time!"
Xi Fuwei frowned when he heard this: The Xi family are just ordinary gentry. The only difference is that they gave birth to Xi Fucui, who was a scholar. He left before he could succeed. He was not like the Wen family and the Zou family. When the family status is equal.
Therefore, before she came to Jining, she knew nothing about the Zou family.
But I also heard from Shen Tiaolan that the head of the Zou family these years has been the mistress Shang. As for the old lady Zhuang, she has been out of business for a long time.
Now he actually sent someone to invite her over. Is it because Jingji was thinking of doing it at will, or there are other reasons and inside stories... This can't help but make Xi Fuwei suspicious.