The ladies around fell silent, and the atmosphere became stiff and weird. The eldest son and the imperial concubine have been married for several years and have no heirs yet, and there are no concubines in the house. Mrs. Fang Sitai's words are clearly aimed at the imperial concubine.
Recalling the scene in the living room just now, it seems that the relationship between the Fang family and the Crown Princess is really tense!
All eyes could not help but fall on Nangong Yue.
Sitting with Mrs. Fang Sitai, Fang Ziman's ears were pricked up, with a hint of expectation.
Nan Gongyue smiled slightly, and said calmly: "There is an old saying: setting up the emperor will not make the princes suspicious; setting up the princes will not make the officials suspicious; setting up a son-in-law will not make the evildoers suspicious. Doubt will lead to disputes, and disputes will lead to chaos. That's why the world will be in chaos if the princes lose their positions, the court will be in chaos if the officials are not equal, the family will be in chaos if the wives and concubines are not separated, and the clan will be in chaos if the concubine and concubine are not separated." At this point, she paused deliberately, and asked instead, "Fang Fourth wife, what do you think?"
Mrs. Fang Sitai choked for a moment and was speechless.
What a saying that "if there is no distinction between wives and concubines, the family will be in chaos, and if the concubines are the same, the clan will be in chaos"!
If she retorts, it is denying the natural status of the eldest son, which is tantamount to confronting all the wives present, and even making an enemy of the entire code of ethics. Even the Fang family can't protect her for such a rebellious act; , then she was slapping herself in the face. Just now, Lao Huai pointed at the talented concubine and concubine on the stage and praised with emotion...
Nangong Yue's eyes swept over Mrs. Fang Sitai, and said: "This concubine thought that the third wife of the Fang family favored his wife and killed his concubines, and that there was no distinction between the concubine and the concubine. It's just that the third wife was not versed in etiquette and acted recklessly. Looking at it now Come on, could it be that the upper beam is not straight and the lower beam is crooked?"
The wives around took a breath of air. The words of Shi Zifei offended the entire Fang family. After all, the Fang family is the mother's family of the eldest son, and it is impossible for the imperial concubine to ignore the eldest son. Could it be the eldest son's wish to fall out with the Fang family? Thinking of this, the way they looked at Mrs. Fang Sitai couldn't help but become a little subtle.
Mrs. Tian glanced at her mother-in-law, saw her chin slightly, she chuckled lightly, and said, "You are right, Shi Zifei. Since the old man was poisoned by his heir more than ten years ago, the Fang family Isn't it just a matter of following the example, ignoring the rules and etiquette, and becoming more and more arrogant."
There was a moment of silence.
Immediately, a lady thought of something and sighed: "So, I remembered one thing. I heard that a concubine from the sixth room of the Fang family married into the Gong family as the second wife the year before last. Within two months of Lin'er, a pair of sons-in-law left behind by the original spouse drowned in the lake..." The lady began to think carefully, her heart skipping a beat.
"Didn't the eldest grandson of the fourth room of the Fang family die in two of the principal wives? I heard that he was pissed to death by the concubine in the house, but I still don't believe it. How could this dignified wife be pissed to death by the humble concubine? Now Come to think of it, could it be true?" The other lady said, looking at Mrs. Fang Sitai thoughtfully, as if wondering if the other party turned a blind eye on purpose and allowed her grandson's concubine to be killed Grandson daughter-in-law.
The eyes of the surrounding women were all focused on Mrs. Fang Sitai, her old face was flushed, and she almost vomited a mouthful of blood. She was about to angrily reprimand the other party for talking nonsense, when another familiar voice sounded.
"There is such a thing?!" A lady in a lake-colored trousers blurted out in shock, feeling a twinge of fear in her heart. Originally, her parents and daughter were discussing marriage with the eldest grandson of the fourth room of the Fang family, but luckily they hadn't exchanged sex notes yet, and there was still time to regret it...
"Mrs. Li, this is a rumor, you can't believe it." Mrs. Fang Sitai tried to defend her eldest grandson, but no one wanted to listen to her. The female relatives were all whispering and whispering.
Mrs. Fang Sitai was so angry that the corners of her eyes twitched, her hands clenched tightly in her sleeves.
She made a mistake!
I thought I could use "The Story of the Jade Pillow" to win over the concubine, but I didn't expect that the concubine didn't care about the face of the Fang family, she simply didn't take the concubine seriously.
It's so defiant!
Mrs. Fang Sitai really wanted to shoot the case at this moment, but she held back thinking of the scene in the open hall. The Fang family has lost face today, and I am afraid that even King Zhennan will be dissatisfied with the Fang family. If I leave in anger at his birthday banquet, I am afraid that the relationship between the Fang family and the Wangfu will only get worse in the future.
"Grandmother." Fang Ziman whispered to Mrs. Fang Sitai worriedly, stroking her chest to comfort her. Afterwards, she glanced at Nangong Yue timidly, mist formed in her beautiful eyes, as if she was saying: How could you treat an old man like this.
Mrs. Fang Sitai patted her granddaughter's hand reassuringly, and said flexibly and flexibly: "The concubine is right, doting on wives and destroying concubines, and not distinguishing between concubines and concubines is really the root of chaos in the family."
Nangong Yue said with a look of relief: "It's good that Mrs. Fang Sitai understands."
Mrs. Fang Sitai clenched her hands even tighter.
The Fang family was squeezed to such an extent today, she couldn't believe that her uncle didn't care. The uncle is the eldest son's maternal grandfather at any rate, and it is much safer for him to come forward than his own family. This time, the uncle will definitely understand their well-intentioned efforts to marry Sister Man into the palace. No matter what, the eldest son and concubine must not be allowed to dominate! Otherwise, the Fang family's position in southern Xinjiang will be in jeopardy in the future!
This is a major event that concerns the entire Fang clan!
Even for the Fang family, for the sake of the son, the uncle will definitely help them!
Thinking of this, Mrs. Fang Sitai calmed down. She pretended not to hear the whispers around her, and bowed her head to watch the play seriously, but her mind had already drifted to the sky.
Several actors on the stage had already left the stage, and soon the gongs and drums sounded again, and "Mulan Joins the Army" was sung on the stage again, but this time it was the last twist of the play.
At this time, a little girl in a blue dress hurried upstairs, and no one paid attention to her because the drums and drums in front of the stage were beating happily.
"Sister Baihui..." The little maid whispered a few words in Baihui's ear, even though she was as calm as Baihui, her complexion could not help but change slightly.
Baihui walked up to Nangong Yue, and said concisely in a barely audible voice: "Concubine Shizi, the second son has just bumped into Miss Zhou in Dingyuan General's Mansion."
Nangong Yue's hand holding the teacup paused in mid-air, but now she was not in the mood to drink tea, she put the teacup back on the desk, got up and left the table.
Nangong Yue didn't need to say anything, Baihui and the little maid followed immediately.
After leaving the theatre, the little servant girl went to the front to lead the way: "Concubine Shizi, please come with your maidservant."
The three of them walked along a bluestone slab path to a quiet bamboo forest. The sound of gongs and drums behind them became farther and farther away, getting weaker and weaker, until finally they couldn't hear it at all...
Seeing no one around, Nangong Yue asked the little maid: "What's going on? Why did the second son bump into Miss Zhou's family?"
The little maid continued to lead the way, while explaining: "Concubine Shizi, Miss Zhou lost the ring pendant she used to press the corner of her skirt. When sister Bai Zhou accompanied her out to look for it, she found the ring pendant hanging on the On a sycamore tree outside the second gate. Sister Baizhou couldn't climb trees, so she went to find her mother-in-law to get a ladder... But at that time, the wind was strong, and the branches swayed violently. The ring was swaying in the wind and almost fell off. Miss Zhou was worried, so she went to climb a tree and almost fell off. Fortunately, the second son happened to pass by and caught Miss Zhou... "
Nangong Yue didn't say anything, she said that Xiao Luan "bumped" Zhou Roujia, so that's what happened. Speaking of which, Xiao Luan was somewhat wronged.
It's just that this matter is full of strangeness.
After Miss Zhou came to the palace, it is easy to find out where she has been. How did her jade ring hang on the tree in the front yard, unless someone did it on purpose
The question is, who did it? Did Miss Zhou compose and sing this song herself, or was someone deliberately trying to frame her? Whether it's the former or the latter, this person has done so many small tricks in the palace, so he really doesn't care about the palace!
Nangong Yue's eyes sank, and she didn't think about it any more. Following the little maid, she walked around from the west side to the front of Guipu Hall. At a glance, she could see Xiao Luan, Zhou Roujia and Bai Zhou standing two feet away. Under the high wall not far from the door, a few sycamore trees protruded from the wall with dense branches and leaves.
Xiao Luan seemed a little careless, but seeing him looking at the sky for a while, the tree for a while, and the front yard for a while, his demeanor revealed obvious depression.
And Zhou Roujia was standing two or three feet away from Xiao Luan, she seemed embarrassed, she kept her head half down, unable to see her expression.
Nangong Yue's gaze paused on Zhou Roujia. In her impression, Miss Zhou didn't seem to be wearing this outfit... Wait, this beanie seems to belong to Xiao Fei, right? ! It seemed that the autumn clothes had just been made a few days ago.
Xiao Luan and the others also noticed Nangong Yue's arrival, and when she came close, several people saluted her one after another.
Nangong Yue didn't say much to them, and said directly: "Let's find a place to talk."
A group of people followed Nangong Yue to the Guipu Hall, which consisted of five main rooms and side rooms on both sides. Nangong Yue led them into the westernmost wing of Guipu Hall.
After everyone sat down in order of priority, there was silence in the wing room, and Baihui stood guard outside the door.
"Second Brother," Nangong Yue said to Xiao Luan first, "Aren't you supposed to be in Xingsu Building?"
Xiao Luan murmured: "Mr. Tang San and Mr. Zhang Wu felt bored watching the play, so we wanted to go to my study for a chat. When we passed by outside, we happened to see Miss Zhou climbing on a tree, which was very dangerous, so I ran away. Come here, I happened to save Miss Zhou..."
Nangong Yue didn't care what Xiao Luan and the two sons wanted to do in the study, the point of the question was that the sons of the Tang family and Zhang family were there just now? Then this incident is not something that Xiao Zhou and his family can pretend that it never happened...
Nangong Yue's heart sank again.
Nangong Yue asked again: "Where are the third son Tang and the fifth son Zhang?"
Xiao Luan replied: "They have returned to Xingsu Building." After a pause, he added flatteringly, "Sister-in-law, I told them not to talk nonsense."
Nangong Yue didn't take it seriously. The palace can control the mouths of servants in the palace, but it can't control the mouths of outsiders. There are so many visitors in the palace today, it is inevitable that it will be passed on to ten, ten to hundreds... This matter is related to the reputation of the girl's family. It's okay for Xiao Luan to be a man, at most, his reputation will be damaged a bit, this Miss Zhou probably wants the Qingdeng Ancient Buddha.
Nangong Yue asked Xiao Luan just now to confirm whether someone was plotting against him.
If not, then it can be ruled out that Miss Zhou did it on purpose, and thinking of the jade pendant hanging on the tree inexplicably, Miss Zhou might be the one who was plotted against.
A sharp light flashed in Nangong Yue's eyes. At this moment, Que'er quickly walked into the wing room, and nodded slightly to Nangong Yue as soon as she entered the door.
Que'er stepped forward, and after blessing Nangong Yue, he whispered back: "Concubine Shizi, there is a woman who saw Miss Zhou's maid went there before, and she looked sneaky. Didn't wait for the woman Asking questions, she ran away in despair..."
Nangong Yue lowered her eyes and remained silent. After pondering for a moment, she ordered Bai Zhou to go back to the theater building, then stood up and said, "Miss Zhou, please follow me to the ear room to talk."
Zhou Roujia raised her slightly pale face, but still straightened her back, feeling uneasy: she made such a big mistake when she came to the palace for a banquet for the first time, which made her almost ashamed to go back to face her mother.
Thinking about it, her lips trembled slightly. Would the concubine Shi Zi think that she was that kind of frivolous and ignorant girl? Do you think she is plotting against Second Young Master Xiao...
The two of them drew the curtain and entered the side room, while the maids were left in the wing room outside.
"Miss Zhou," Nangong Yue asked straight to the point, with a very gentle attitude, "When did you drop your ring pendant?"
Zhou Roujia, who thought she would be blamed, was stunned for a moment, then she took a deep breath, and first briefly said that she was accompanied by Bai Zhou to change because she was splashed with soup when she was eating noodles. , Then continued: "Concubine Shizi, I thought about it later, before I changed my clothes, my ring was gone." But she remembered that she stroked the skirt when she got off the carriage, and the ring was still there. , After that, the memory is a little fuzzy and cannot be confirmed.
Zhou Roujia's green beige really belonged to Xiao Fei. Nangong Yue raised her brows slightly, and immediately grasped the point, and asked again: "Miss Zhou, how did your clothes get splashed with soup?"
"..." Zhou Roujia was a little hesitant. Her father was also the second wife, so the relationship between her and the two younger sisters was a bit delicate. But no matter what, they are all sisters. As a sister, how can she tell outsiders about her sister.
Nangong Yue naturally saw it, and she had a little more affection for this Miss Zhou in her eyes, but she said sharply: "But Miss Zhou?"
Zhou Roujia was startled, and frowned slightly, feeling a little strange. Thinking about it carefully, the fact that the second sister spilled soup and splashed her dress was also seen by many people at the banquet, and it is not surprising that the Crown Princess knew about it. But if the concubine had known about it long ago, why bother to ask? Could it be that the Crown Princess guessed based on some basis
A picture suddenly flashed in Zhou Roujia's mind. The second sister's maid was kneeling beside her, wiping the soup off her skirt with a handkerchief...
Zhou Roujia understood something in an instant, her pupils shrank sharply, and her body trembled slightly.
So it is!
It was the second younger sister who wanted to frame her. She knew that the ring pendant was a dowry left to her mother by her deceased grandfather. She knew how important it was to her. She knew it was her personal belongings, so she deliberately threw it in the front yard. , what is the idea...
The more Zhou Roujia thought about it, the more frightened she became.
Regardless of the reason, it is an indisputable fact that one's boudoir reputation has been damaged. Zhou Rouhui finally got her wish!
Seeing that Zhou Roujia had figured it out, Nangong Yue stopped asking.
She sighed secretly, thought for a moment, took off a jade bracelet on her left wrist, then pulled Zhou Roujia's left hand to put it on for her, and said: "Second uncle bumped into the girl, I, the sister-in-law, will give it to him first." Why don't you..."
During the words, the bracelet had already been put on Zhou Roujia's wrist, and she had no time to refuse.
The jade bracelet is delicate and pure, green and clear, like a pool of spring water, but in Zhou Roujia's eyes, it is like a shackle, locking her tightly.
She moved her lips, wanting to speak, but she couldn't utter a word through her parched throat. She only heard Shi Zifei order the servant girl to send her back to the theatre.
Zhou Roujia retreated stiffly.
She bit her lower lip anxiously. The Zhou family can only be regarded as an upstart in southern Xinjiang, far from being a famous family. In terms of family status, it is not worthy of Zhennan Wangfu. Compared with the second house, the eldest house is even weaker. No real brothers, and lost her boudoir reputation... For the rest of her life, besides Qingdeng Gufo, she will only enter the palace as a concubine.
She could imagine that if the palace asked her to enter the palace as a concubine, in order to protect the reputation of the sisters and to please the palace, her father would agree.
But-
She is really not reconciled!
She once swore secretly: It doesn't matter even if she is close to someone, she wants to marry a man decently and be a decent lady, she doesn't want to be in such an embarrassing situation like her mother... She has looked at her mother since she was a child Weeping secretly in no one's place, seeing my mother being forced by the second aunt to live in secluded places...
It's not that she looks down on her mother, she really loves her mother.
Her grandfather was originally a subordinate of grandfather Zhou. Her grandfather died on the battlefield to save her grandfather, leaving only her mother as an orphan. She was adopted by her grandfather and grew up in Zhou's family. One of the dowries I saved for my mother.
Originally, when my mother was fifteen years old, Mrs. Zhou would marry her off with honor, but at that time, the uncle of the eldest family was killed in battle, and Mrs. Zhou was so sad that he let his father marry both of his parents. Under the begging of the grandmother Mrs. Zhou, the mother could only agree to marry the father for the sake of nurturing...
Zhou Roujia showed a trace of bitterness on her face, and tightly squeezed the handkerchief in her hand.
Her personal servant girl looked at her girl with worried eyes, and could only sigh silently in her heart. Saying anything now is superfluous, and she blamed herself for not stopping the girl from climbing the tree... It's too late now!
Zhou Roujia was awakened suddenly by the sound of gongs and drums coming from ahead. She looked up and found that the theater building had appeared at the end of the road.
The gongs and drums are getting louder...
Zhou Roujia took a deep breath, and tried her best to return to her usual appearance, gentle and elegant.
At this moment, "Ancient City Meeting" was being sung in the theater building, and the red-faced, green-robed and golden-armored Guan Erye rushed onto the stage holding a whip.
Que'er sent Zhou Roujia to the theater building and then left. Zhou Roujia and the maid went up the stairs leading to the second floor by themselves.
Her two younger sisters were still sitting in the original seats, but Zhou Roujia deliberately didn't look at them, she was afraid that her emotions would collapse if she was not careful, and she was afraid that looking at them, she couldn't help but speculate about her second sister. What is the younger sister's intention in doing this, and what role does her third younger sister play in it!
Zhou Roujia met Xiao Fei's concerned eyes, and Bai Zhou was standing behind Xiao Fei. Obviously, Xiao Fei already knew what happened, but there was no trace of contempt in her eyes. Zhou Roujia felt a warm current rushing through her heart, which was almost riddled with holes, and seemed to have strength again, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel ironic. Sisters who grew up together are sometimes not as good as a person who met once...
Zhou Roujia smiled at Xiao Fei, indicating that she was fine.
She firmly walked up the last step of the stairs. At the same time, on the stage, Zhang Fei, in black robes and silver armor, with a black face, appeared with a long spear. Guan Yu was full of joy, thinking that his brothers were reunited after the robbery, but Zhang Fei was furious. , mistakenly believed that Guan Yu was a traitor and wanted to seize the ancient city.
Just as Zhou Roujia was about to sit down, she heard Zhou Rouhui's voice next to her ear: "Big sister, are you back?"
Don't make people laugh, Zhou Roujia said to herself in her heart, while sitting down, she smiled and turned to look at Zhou Rouhui, nodded: "Second sister."
"Big sister," the girl asked with concern on Wednesday, "Why have you been out for so long? Are you okay?" There was a trace of inquiry in her eyes, and she carefully observed her words.
Zhou Roujia felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on her head, her heart felt chilly, she knew it. It turned out that the two sisters conspired in this matter!
Why
Why do you want to do this? !
Zhou Roujia suppressed the anger in her heart, and said meaningfully: "Second sister, third sister, after watching the play for a long time, I felt a little noisy, so I went outside for a walk."
The three sisters of the Zhou family on the second floor spoke in seemingly calm waters, but beneath it was a turbulent undercurrent; while on the stage on the first floor, Zhang Fei was berating Guan Yu to surrender to Cao's enemy, and he stabbed him with his gun. Guan Yu could only raise his knife in self-defense. Brothers, you come and go, swords and guns dance...
The drums are booming!