The weather is getting colder and colder, and the New Year is getting closer and closer.
It was obviously snowing heavily, and it was icy and snowy outside. There was a lot of noise and excitement everywhere in the capital, and even the cold weather couldn't stop the festive mood of the new year.
The streets are crowded with people, all busy with their annual events.
There are many lecture halls in this New Year's Eve, ranging from entertaining guests, to all kinds of New Year's goods that should be prepared at home. Fortunately, Zhao'er and Xue Tingyan came back from Guangzhou this time, and they also brought a lot of servants.
It's just that the house is smaller.
Now the Xue family still lives in the small house they bought in Jinger Hutong when they entered Beijing at the beginning of the year.
After the Mao family moved out, the house next door recruited them. Zhao'er asked people to open up the two houses, plus the house on the opposite side for Gao Sheng and them to live in, it would be enough for him to live in.
On the previous trip back to Beijing, she had someone buy a big mansion with three entrances in Beijing.
However, the location of this house is not good, it is near the Sansheng Temple in Beicheng. It was too far from the imperial city, and it was inconvenient for Xue Tingxiang to enter the palace, so he could only live here first, and put all the extra servants, carriages and horses in that house.
These days, Zhao'er has been paying attention to the matter of buying a house. Unfortunately, no one is selling it in a good location.
According to Zhao'er's opinion, it is best to buy the house near the gate of the palace, so that Xue Tingxiang can enter and leave the palace more easily, and he doesn't have to get up too early. Xue Tingyan laughed at her, saying that no one would buy a house in such a place, and it was occupied by a group of princes, nobles, and court officials, and no one dared to sell such a place, it was all rewarded by His Majesty.
Only then did Zhao'er stop thinking.
However, a small house has the advantages of a small house, that is, it is lively and warm. You don't have to meet as a family, you have to walk for a long time with nine bends and eighteen bends. You can hear it when you stand in the courtyard and shout. Fortunately, Zhao'er and Xue Tingxiang are not picky.
On this day, Xue Tingxiang came back from outside.
He was wearing a dark blue velvet crane cloak and black suede boots, and as he entered, a burst of cold air followed.
The kang and brazier were burning in the house, and it was warm.
Zhao'er was wearing a small jacket with a rose and purple auspicious pattern on the front and a silver-gray mouseskin skirt under it.
Zhao Di has not been pregnant since she married Shen Ping. She thought that it was not easy to conceive because she was too old, but Shen Ping didn't care about it, and only regarded Brother Wei as her own. Who knew that Xue Tingxiang and the others were pregnant when they left Beijing this year.
Zhao'er was talking to Zhao Di about the child, and she was talking about Xue Tingxiang's return.
She put on her shoes and came down to serve him and take off the crane cloak. Zhao Di also got off the kang and said, "Ting Yan is back, I won't accompany you, go back to sleep."
"Sister, be careful when you walk."
"It's only two steps away, you're still afraid that I won't fall." As Zhao Di said, she opened the cotton curtain and went out. Zhao'er then turned to look at Xue Tingxiang and said, "Look at your ice body, rolling in the snow?"
Xue Tingxiang didn't roll in the snow, but was stopped by someone on the way back.
When it comes to this person, Zhao'er also knows him, but Xue Tingxiang doesn't plan to tell Zhao'er.
"There was a delay on the way. By the way, this is for you."
"what?"
Zhao'er took it and looked at it, and found that it seemed to be a title deed.
As for why it seems to be, it is because Zhao'er is not sure whether it is or not, it is not the same as what she usually sees.
"This is the house of the Sage's Reward. I said it before, but I haven't had time to go to the Ministry of Housing. I went to the Ministry of Household today and took it back by the way."
"A mansion for reward?"
"You didn't say that you wanted to go to the palace gate to get a house. Now you don't have to do it anymore. It's near Donghuamen. I just took a look.
"It's only three entries?" Zhao'er smiled and teased Xue Tingxiang: "Now our Master Xue is getting louder and louder, who said before that even money can't buy a house in this kind of place, and it's all taken by one person. All the princes, nobles, and court officials have been occupied? Now we, Mr. Xue, have become important court officials, but we dislike that the house is too small."
"I speak like you? You are not small, dare to laugh at your master."
Xue Tingxiang went to scratch Zhao'er's itch, Zhao'er was the most ticklish, and smiled and hid. The two went on the kang while frolic, chatting for a while, Xue Tingxiang lay on Zhao'er's body, pecking her Hongyan's small mouth one after another.
"But it's best not to live in this house now, it's on the cusp of the storm, let's wait until this time is over."
Zhao'er was so overwhelmed that he stretched out his hand to push him: "Why, what has been rumored outside recently?"
All in all, the demons in Beijing are now in full swing.
After Wu Ge was taken into custody, Emperor Jiacheng and the courtiers fought Tai Chi for half a month before assigning the presiding power of the case to Jin Yiwei, and Xue Tingxiang and Dali Temple of the Ministry of Punishment were also sent to jury.
Elder Wu Ge was so angry that he vomited blood that day, and naturally the case could not be tried for the time being, but at the same time, there were various gossips circulating in the capital.
Among them, the most widely spread is the grievances between Xue Tingxiang and Wu Gelao.
Some important officials in the court took a fancy to the young and handsome Zhuangyuan Lang and wanted to recruit him as his son-in-law, but unfortunately Zhuangyuan Lang already had a wife and son, so he strictly refused. How could the high-ranking official be so refuted, and in a rage, he demoted the champion to a land of poor mountains and bad waters. A few years later, when Zhuangyuan Lang returned in good graces, the high-ranking officials became prisoners.
It stands to reason that this is an inspirational story, and the champion is also a positive character.
But combined with the current situation, this is obviously an insinuation. Anyone with more sensitive eyes and ears in Beijing knows what this is insinuating.
Not to mention it in the courtroom, the key is that the common people love to eat this set. I don't know who made it into a story, sang it in the theater, and talked about it in various restaurants, and it became popular in the whole capital.
Who is not talking about this recently, and even dug out the prototype, it is the prince and young Fu Xue Tingyan, who is currently in the limelight, and Wu Ge, an old minister of the two dynasties.
The new nobles treat the old ministers, which is consistent with the dog-blood story of 'winning the champion and being the concubine', which is the most talked about since ancient times. Nowadays, it is circulating in the streets and alleys, and even the tricks have been heard.
In fact, she already knew this matter, but Xue Tingxiang didn't say it, and she didn't ask.
Now, as the original wife in the story who is a scumbag, but the champion cannot bear to abandon her, she is also in the limelight.
When the daughter is the Wang family, when the husband is looking for the Xue Zhuangyuan.
This is the rhetoric most often used by mothers and fathers to teach their daughters.
The so-called layman is busy, and the layman sees the doorway.
The common people just watch it for fun, but this is not the case for the court.
Although Emperor Jiacheng showed his iron and bloody skills, he arrested so many people at once, which really turned all the courtiers into shriveled chickens. But since this play was staged, some people have suggested that Shaofu Xue should avoid suspicion.
However, Xue Tingxiang's remarks to Wu Ge Lao that day were also circulated in the court and the opposition.
It was revealed by Du Jipeng, and it also represented the meaning of Emperor Jiacheng.
All in all, there is no word about this recently, that is, some people are jumping up and down secretly.
Xue Tingxiang rolled over and sat up and said, "Don't worry about this, it will stop in a few days."
"What? Then Wu Ge is cured?"
It's not good, but the criminal officer who escorted Shangjing from Henan will soon arrive in the capital.
Xue Tingxiang only received the news yesterday.
It should have arrived a long time ago, but the heavy snow blocked the road and blocked the road for a few days. It will arrive in two days or so tomorrow.
Until then, the fun will be great.
At the same time, in a hutong near the firewood factory in Xicheng, a man and a woman were walking in tandem.
This is a well-known slum in the capital, not because the people living here are poor, but compared to the other four outer cities, the western city is the most fringe area, and there are not as many temples and flower markets as the east city. It is not convenient to enter the inner city here, so there are not many officials living here, and most of the people living here are ordinary people.
Of course, it is not that there are no officials living here. Most of the people who will live here are poor and sour petty officials, and even among the petty officials, they are at the bottom of the table.
"I'm still a girl from your hometown, what a face. Look, people don't want to pay attention to you at all, they don't even know you! I think your father is helpless, don't call me a son-in-law. Regardless of my husband."
The weather is cold and the place is remote, and the snow removal on the road is entirely up to the residents' voluntariness.
The result of being unwilling to clean up is that the snow on the road was stepped on and turned into a puddle of black water. The key point is that the snow hasn't melted cleanly. If one accidentally steps into the snow nest, it's just one foot of snow water. It will freeze people from head to toe, and the cold air will go straight to the cracks of the bones.
The man was just talking to the woman, and one accidentally stepped into the snow nest. He immediately raised his leg and swayed it, but he was unable to prevent the snow water from seeping into the cotton boots.
It was cold and slaughtered, and the man couldn't help but take his anger out.
"Look at what's the use of me marrying you. You are a good woman, a woman from another family. You can't cook, you can't wash your clothes, and you can even make a pair of shoes. No wonder my mother doesn't want to see you."
The woman who was being trained was emaciated and wore a long ginger coat.
This padded jacket doesn't seem to be hers. The body is too loose, the sleeves are a bit short, neither shape nor shape, and the color is old-fashioned. Her brows and eyes are not bad, but unfortunately, she is dragged down by the deep folds between her brows and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes. Coupled with the old-fashioned dressing, he is obviously in his thirties, but he is more than ten years old.
Facing the man's reprimand at this time, she didn't say anything, just lowered her head.
When the man saw her like this, he was discouraged, and when he just arrived at the door, he pushed open the door and went in, ignoring the woman at all.
The woman stood for a while before reaching out to push the door and walked in. As expected, she heard the man complaining to his mother in the room.
"When I asked you to marry Osmanthus, you were good, but I disliked your cousin's background and was not worthy of you. I thought that if you were admitted to the jinshi, our family would have hope, but you can see how your life went. The master of the Hanlin Academy sounds like It's beautiful, but unfortunately, the money is only a few taels, and another woman like this is brought in! Oh my God, let the mother say, you can stay in the Hanlin Academy for so long, you can't even get out, you are just by this woman tiring."
"Mother, don't mention it, okay. Then what do you say now?"
"Let me leave her alone! Which family has a daughter-in-law, is it not a blessing to be a mother-in-law? I'm better, I have been serving my son all day long, and I have to serve my daughter-in-law. Let her cook a meal, either by smashing the bowl or throwing the plate, Our family is not a rich family, it can withstand her smashing, how much salary do you have enough for her to smash it."
The man's voice was lowered, and it was heard intermittently.
"... Her family is not an ordinary person after all, besides... It's not usually sent by someone, and those things are not all your mother keeps... "
"What's unusual? The girl from Ge's hometown is unusual? I don't think you're a son-in-law, and you haven't gotten any light from your husband. Now her father is in prison, and he may be beheaded at some point. The old man who was beheaded, you have a light on your face, don't you?"
The mother and son were talking in the room, one high and the other low, and the woman also stood in the yard and listened.
Her face was haggard, as if it wasn't her, she was calm. But remembering the previous situation, she couldn't help but a wave of waves appeared in her eyes.
Even Wu Wanqiong didn't expect that she would see Xue Tingxiang goodbye.
…
After that incident, Wu Wanqiong completely fell out of favor at home.
Wu Ge always ignored her, and the people below treated her lightly, because Anbo was also punished for the matter in Zhejiang and was sent to Jiangxi to manage the business there. Wu Wanqiong naturally lost his care.
In the back house, Auntie Feng is in charge. Aunt Feng has long seen that this big girl is not pleasing to the eye, and naturally she will wear small shoes for her.
If it's been a year, Wu Wanqiong still looks like a daughter, not even a normal girl.
After a long time, Aunt Feng became tired of seeing her.
With such a thing at home, she still has to worry about superficial work. He simply told Wu Ge to marry Wu Wanqiong. After this reminder, Wu Ge remembered this daughter.
After all, it is her own daughter, even if Wu Ge has hatred, it will fade away long ago. In addition, his situation in those days was not very good, so he didn't have the heart to worry about these matters of the back house, so he handed it over to Concubine Feng.
Feng Yiniang also did her best, and she chose Tao Yitong, who was once Wu Ge's plan to be his son-in-law.
After this incident, Tao Yitong completely became a role that no one cared about in the Hanlin Academy. Usually, there are many runs, and life is not very satisfactory.
In addition, as a person who had almost married the daughter of an elder, Tao Yitong kept holding his breath in his heart.
But after the previous appearance, even if someone took a fancy to him, he didn't dare or didn't want to pick up the things that the Wu family didn't want. Therefore, he has never been married. He is a lot of age, and he is still a bachelor.
Now it's better, going around in circles, the man is unmarried and the woman is unmarried.
The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are a match made in heaven.
After listening to it, Wu Ge didn't say anything. Since it was selected by him, it would not be much worse.
He didn't know that there were too many bitter marriages in those bright appearances. Aunt Feng chose Tao Yitong for Wu Wanqiong, not for her to enjoy happiness.
In fact, if Wu Wanqiong's status in the Wu family remains unchanged, this marriage is not bad.
Although the Tao family's family background is a little worse, but with the help of the Wu family, Wu Wanqiong is the old only daughter of Wu Ge, and the Tao family can marry Wu Wanqiong back.
It's a pity that Wu Wanqiong's father doesn't love her mother or mother, and she is regarded as a disaster star by her own father. Without the help of the Wu family, she has undoubtedly rolled from one bitter water nest to another.
Tao Yi has no father and is a widow. The widow's mother was originally in Shandong, but she couldn't be separated from her son forever, so she moved to the capital.
The Tao family was poor, and it was not easy to live in the capital. Before Tao Yitong had been renting a house, the house he lives in now is Wu Wanqiong's dowry.
At the beginning, Aunt Feng prepared a dowry for Wu Wanqiong, but Wu Ge didn't care about it. Anyway, he couldn't see it on the spot.
It's just that the house is a little broken, a little off, and a little smaller.
As for the silver, I did not give a cent, but all the furniture and cloth that I could not eat or drink. It seems that there is a lot of dowry, but in fact, whoever lives will know.
All these Wu Wanqiong had endured. After that incident, she was heartbroken. Marry or not, who to marry, how to live, she doesn't care.
But when she lived it, she realized how hard it was.
Widow Tao is a formidable person, and she shuns people and ghosts with her anger.
Wu Wanqiong is a talented woman, but also has a brain, but the gentleman's way of doing things is on par with a shrew, and this shrew is her mother-in-law in name, so she will only end in a crushing defeat.
Widow Tao originally disliked Wu Wanqiong for being a widow, and seeing that her son married a girl from Ge's hometown, she couldn't change the situation at home, and even more disliked her daughter-in-law.
Tao Yitong originally protected Wu Wanqiong, but later learned that Wu Wanqiong was rejected by the Wu family, and his dissatisfaction was blamed on the other party.
After a few years, its central acid does not need to be described in detail. Unexpectedly, it was Wu Ge's turn to be unlucky this time. The Wu family is now being watched by Jin Yiwei's people, and Wu Ge was imprisoned in the Beizhen Fusi. Wu Wanqiong, a daughter, usually nobody cares about her, but if something really happened, she wouldn't be able to escape even if she was a married woman.
In particular, Tao Yi is also an official, and if he is an official, he is afraid of being implicated.
No, I don't know what he thought, but he dragged Wu Wanqiong to stop Xue Tingxiang's car.
Saying that Xue Tingxiang is the chief judge, let Xue Tingxiang not look at the monk's face and look at the Buddha's face.
It was in this situation that Wu Wanqiong met Xue Tingxiang.
Before going there, Tao Yitong didn't tell her, but instead coaxed her to say that he bought her cloth for the new year to make clothes for her. Who would have thought that it was actually blocking Xue Tingxiang's car.
…
"I don't know this... girl, if there is nothing wrong, you should retreat quickly and don't block my way."
Xue Tingxiang stood beside the car with his hands behind his back, wearing a dark blue velvet crane cloak, which made him look extraordinarily tall and majestic.
Beneath the cyan color was inadvertently exposed vermilion, and the complicated golden embroidered python pattern was particularly dazzling, adding a touch of dignity to his handsome face.
He is also in his thirties, and men of this age are undoubtedly the most attractive.
Gentle, elegant, handsome and restrained, with light-hearted eyebrows, that is a kind of leisurely bearing, representing the importance of power.
When Wu Wanqiong was young, she had seen this kind of bearing in her father. She turned her head to look at the man beside her with a red and white face, her vulgar clothes, haggard face, a kind of self-abasement and filth overwhelmed her.
Tao Yitong was still talking: "At the time, the two of us were also colleagues of the Hanlin Academy. I didn't expect that now Master Xue is rich, but he looks down on the same department..."
Some people can stand on the cloud, and some people can only look up, in fact, it is not unreasonable.
…
"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, are you okay?"
A female voice rang in Wu Wanqiong's ear, causing her to shiver.
She looked back and saw a somewhat unfamiliar but familiar face: "Are you... Osmanthus?"
Osmanthus nodded shyly and timidly. Her delicate face was a little dark. Although she wasn't beautiful, she wasn't ugly either.
"How did you come?"
"My, my man died, and my aunt felt bad that I had nowhere to go, so she had someone pick me up to serve her in Beijing. Sister-in-law, go in quickly, it's cold outside."
As he was talking, a high female voice came from the room: "Anyway, if you don't do it, you have to do it, she can't even give birth to a child, what are you planning to do in the end? Anyway, I have already picked up the sweet-scented osmanthus, and I will be there next year. Hold the grandson!"