Dinner is served in the flower hall of Jinhuatang.
Except for Shen Yiyao, who was an elder, the others were all juniors. The oldest, Luo Huaiyuan, was only twelve this year, so he didn't pay much attention to the defense of men and women.
There is a large table of dishes, which are very rich. There are exquisite dishes made by the chef, and there are also good dishes made by Mrs. Ma.
Now that Mrs. Ma has moved to another place, she has moved to the kitchen in Anyuan, where she is responsible for the meals of the masters. The wages have doubled, and the people are decent.
Her son has long reached the age to marry. Some people with daughters think that her orphan and widow mother's family is poor, and some better people are reluctant to marry their daughter into her family. Now that I'm on duty in the lady's kitchen, there are more people asking. These days, Mrs. Ma is smiling and she serves her wholeheartedly. She has exhausted her thoughts to let the lady, the girl and the young master eat well.
Usually when I was in the Hou Mansion, the house was big and everything was easy. If you wanted something to eat, you could go to the big kitchen and ask for it. Later, Ningxiang Pavilion set up a small kitchen, and Yan Yan rarely stayed in Jinseyuan for meals. After arriving at Zhuangzishang, due to conditions, there were only two cooks in the kitchen, and most of the time, the three of them served meals together.
Every time the three of them sit together to eat, the atmosphere is very low. It is because he eats and sleeps without saying a word, and he really has nothing to say. Shen Yiyao is stupid, she wanted to say something to her daughter, but looking at her daughter's smiling face, she could only swallow her words. As for Yan Yan, there was always such a knot in her heart, which prevented her from being able to treat Shen Yiyao's smile.
With Shen Qi and Luo Huaiyuan present today, the atmosphere at the table was quite lively.
Shen Qi is a foodie, and the dishes on this table suit his taste, which is like flying chopsticks. Luo Huaiyuan was a lively person, and he could see the clue when he came in the afternoon, and now he naturally spared no effort to gag in the middle.
Speaking of the situation where they drew cards together in the afternoon, Shen Yiyao listened very seriously, and when she heard that Yan Mo had a small note on her face, she turned her eyes to look at her son. Yan Yan also thought of the fun at that time, and looked at her younger brother sitting next to her with a smile. The two of them looked at Yan Mo very embarrassed, her little face was red and her eyes were full of love.
Yan Yan picked up the chopsticks and put the duck with marinated sauce into her brother's bowl. When she raised her eyes, she accidentally bumped into Shen Yiyao's eyes. Both of them were stunned for a moment, and Yan Yan withdrew her eyes lightly.
Although it was a flash, the mixture of ingratiating, apprehensive, anticipation, and anxiety in Shen Yiyao's eyes still left a faint trace in her mind.
Seeing this scene, Luo Huaiyuan's eyes moved slightly, but he didn't speak.
After the meal, Shen Qi shouted that he would go to Lincangju to draw cards. He was miserably pitted against Yan Yan by Luo Huaiyuan in the afternoon, and now he is eager to take revenge. At this time, the sky outside seemed to be dark, but in fact it was still early, and it was not long after the Youshi. There were fine snowflakes floating outside, and a layer of white fell on the eaves on the ground.
Cuiqiao rubbed her hands together and walked in from the outside, "It's snowing outside again, the slave girl asked the little girl to prepare a few more oil-paper umbrellas."
Seeing this, Luo Huaiyuan opened his mouth and said, "Since it's snowing outside, don't move the place. Little aunt, you feel sorry for us, so why don't you move out and play with us for a while?"
Naturally, Shen Yiyao would not have any objections, saying that they should go to the Xinuan Pavilion to play. With a little girl holding an oil umbrella, she went to Lincangju to get playing cards, and a few people went to Xinuan Pavilion. Luo Huaiyuan took advantage of the situation and asked Shen Yiyao to watch the battle to supervise, lest Shen Qi lose and cheat.
This is a crime to be added, and Shen Qi was so angry that he retorted that Luo Huaiyuan was the one who cheated. While laughing, Shen Yiyao went with a few children.
The floor covering of red sandalwood is hung with a crystal curtain. Going inside, there is a large kang next to the north wall. The kang is covered with a scarlet money python mattress, a dark green woven gold pillow, and a black lacquered snail flower and bird kang table in the center. There are four square chairs carved from sour pear wood next to the kang, separated by two carved sour pear wood tables. A jade gall bottle is placed on the long table by the window, and a blooming red plum is inserted.
A few people took off their shoes and sat on the kang, Shen Qi and Luo Huaiyuan sat cross-legged on one side, one of them occupied a corner of the kang table, Yan Yan and Yan Mo sat opposite them, Yan Yan was on the outside, Yan Mo was in the middle, and Shen Yiyao was slanted. He pulled the pillow inside and watched them play with a smile.
This time Yan Yan did not play, but let Yan Mo play. In the afternoon, my younger brother showed great interest, and he was overwhelmed with instructions after being posted with a small note all over his face. Naturally, he had to be entertained. The girls cut out thin strips of paper and put a small bowl of rice cereal on the small table.
The poker game begins.
Shen Qi lost the first one, and was stuck with two small notes on his face. Shen Yiyao had never seen this kind of gameplay before, and her face was full of uncontrollable smiles.
The second Yan Mo took a good hand and turned him to be the landlord again. He was very nervous, he squeezed the cards tightly, frowned, carefully studied the cards in his hand, and considered whether or not he should be a landlord.
This is not a game of chess, and there is nothing to say without watching chess. Those who sat on the side and watched liked to give orders blindly, Yan Yan said, "Do it, the cards are not bad."
The support of her sister made Xiao Amo confident and picked up the three cards below.
Yan Mo's cards were very smooth, and he played all the cards without giving the other two room for a backhand. There was a 'bomb' on this plate, and according to the rules, two notes were attached to Luo Huaiyuan and Shen Qi.
Yan Mo took a small note, dipped it in the rice paste bowl, pursed his lips and smiled and stuck it to the two of them's faces. After posting, she turned her head back and smiled at her sister, Yan Yan smiled and touched his head.
'Fighting the Landlord' is a game suitable for all ages, and it is easy to learn. Shen Yiyao can watch it beside her son for a while. When Yan Mo hesitated again and didn't know how to play the cards, she would give two suggestions. Yan Yan is the same, otherwise there is a saying that "the emperor is not in a hurry for the eunuch", the people watching the battle are always more active than the parties involved.
There are many people and opinions will be different. Sometimes Shen Yiyao will say this one, but Yan Yan thinks the other one is better. You come and go, and before you know it, the two of them talked a lot. When the cards are sometimes tangled, the two will fight for two sentences.
Because of their concentration, everyone didn't notice this clue, except Luo Huaiyuan and Cui Qiao and Cui Ping who were standing beside them.
It was not until Hai Shi was played that the field was dismantled, and everyone was a little unsure.
Shen Yiyao instructed the maid to send the girls and young masters back, and told them not to let the rain and snow get wet. Back in the bedroom, under the service of Cui Qiao and Cui Ping, they changed clothes and washed and got on the bed.
In this big winter, the quilt has to be dried once a day, and a smoked cage is set up under the quilt, dried hot and soft, and then put back on the bed. Before going to bed, put two soup wives in it, so that you will never feel cold again.
Cui Qiao helped Shen Yiyao tuck the quilt, and said with a smile: "Madam is very happy today, then Young Master Luo is really a wonderful person, and he actually found such a fun. The doctor said that if you keep Madam in a happy mood, the disease will be cured quickly. , it will be fine in the future.”
Glancing at the smile on Shen Yiyao's face, she put aside the lotus-blue tent embroidered with flowers and birds: "My servant is very happy to see the fourth young master today, and there are three girls. The servant said something arrogant, but the three girls are actually very concerned. Yours is just a stubborn person, and you can't express it. Someday, if the lady is more active, it can always be improved. "
Shen Yiyao was a little stunned, and said after a while, "A Yan is still angry with me."
"How could it be? How could there be any overnight feud between mother and daughter, the three girls are just tough and don't know how to pretend. But you see, this has happened several times, and when is it not the three girls who have stood up? Without the three girls, the lady should devoured by life.”
Cui Qiao was in a hurry, and when she said the words, she realized that these words were not what she should have said. She murmured, "Madam, this servant has overstepped."
Shen Yiyao showed a wry smile and did not speak, signaling Cui Qiao to turn off the lights and take a break.
**
When Shen Qi arrived in Anyuan, he played off. He was supposed to send someone home to deliver the letter, but he didn't think of it until the next day.
He hurriedly told Shen Yiyao and asked her to send someone to help deliver the letter home.
As everyone knows, the Zhenguo Gongfu has been frying the pot long ago.
On the first night, Shen Ding wanted to beat his son, but was stopped by Mrs. Shen. After shaking a shadow in the morning, Shen Qi ran away, and Mrs. Shen thought that Pi Hou did not dare to show up for fear of being beaten. It wasn't until Xu Shi at night that there was still no sign of her son, and Mrs. Shen was panicked. Not only did they send people to Qingshan Academy to look for it, but they also searched everywhere in the house.
If Duke Zhen Guo said that there was someone secretly guarding him, it must have been because of the rush of snow outside, and Mrs. Shen might have done something.
Even so, after returning home, he didn't lose his anger at Shen Ding, complaining that he shouldn't treat his son like this, even forcing him to know he didn't like studying. What is there to read about that book? I have already read the eldest son so much that he does not return home all day long, so it is hard to read the younger one and run away from home.
Second Mrs. Shen didn't sleep a night, until she received a letter from Shen Yiyao, and she was relieved.
"This little brat, he can run!" Shen Ding scolded with a smile.
Mrs. Zhen Guogong also breathed a sigh of relief, "It's definitely going to look for A Yan." When she mentioned her granddaughter, she thought of her daughter, glanced at the old man, and whispered: "I don't know what happened to Yaoer, she said I'm sick, and I don't know if I'm getting better or not."
How could Duke Zhen not understand the meaning of the old lady? He raised his eyes and glanced at her, "Don't worry about the injustice, the children and grandchildren will have their own children and grandchildren." Then he said to Shen Ding, "Come to the study with me."
Father and son went out of Ninghui Hall, and Mrs. Zhenguo pouted and said to Xu's mother, "Damn old man, it's not sincere, when I don't know that he worries more than me."
At that time, I got news that Shen Yiyao was in a coma and hadn't woken up, and Duke Zhen Guo was covered in low air pressure, and everyone in the house avoided him eight feet away. Several times I wanted to send someone to take the post to ask an imperial doctor to come back, but I endured it. Fortunately, Shen Yiyao woke up after that. The granddaughter sent someone back to deliver the letter, and the whole family was relieved.
Mother Xu smiled and said, "Since the grandpa doesn't like you to worry, you should worry less. The grandfather has discretion in his heart."
Of course Duke Zhen understands this truth, but understanding and rest assured are two different things.
"I know, I'm worried about Yao'er, that damned Yan Ting, who treats my precious daughter like that. My Yao'er, what kind of sin is this? To put on such a person, it's my fault that I didn't persuade me in the first place. with her..."
As she spoke, Mrs. Zhenguo became unstoppably sad.
…
in the study
"Then what happened to Yan Ting recently?"
Shen Ding, who was sitting at the bottom, put down the tea cup in his hand, "It's like a headless fly. But these days, I see him and Liu Xi of Wuding Hou's family walking around more diligently, and it seems that he wants to take advantage of Liu Xi and his uncle. Get on the line."
Duke Zheng snorted disdainfully, "He knows how to go to camp."
"Maybe it might be a camp for him. The Xu family has no foundation, so they can't wait to gather more people." Shen Ding made a gesture, "The two over there are not too young, but it's not the time to move. ."
That's true, it's a bit too far to mention this.
A selection a few years ago made Xu Guifei, who was originally from the market, leap to the branch. At that time, it was not Xu Guifei's changing clothes, and I felt pity for her beautiful appearance, and Emperor Xi loved him very much.
Xu Changyi's voice was cold, but he was kind and understanding, and his belly was full of vigour. He gave birth to two princes at once, and was favored by Emperor Xi. He went all the way from the last changing clothes to the position of the noble concubine of the sixth palace. He was so favored that even Empress Xiao dared not take his edge.
As the saying goes, when one person attains the Tao, the rooster and dog ascend to heaven, and the Xu family naturally develops along with the scenery. Concubine Xu's father was a butcher who slaughtered pigs. He took off his greasy shirt and turned into Marquis Chengen.
The nobles with a little background naturally despise this upstart who started with nepotism. . There are even some families who have the same thought, wishing to send their good-looking daughter to the palace as well, hoping that there will be a great concubine in the family.
Not to mention, the Xu family came from a humble background and had a shallow foundation. Now that the princes have grown up, the second prince and the third prince are all born out of Xu Guifei's belly, so it is normal for Xu Guifei to have any thoughts.
This Xu Xiangrong is the younger brother of Xu Guifei, married to the daughter of the Hou family of Wuding, and Liu Xi is his brother-in-law. An elder brother-in-law and a younger brother-in-law, the two of them are all the way, they are the kind of playboys who eat, drink, and have fun, and why Yan Ting would catch up there is self-evident.
"He's quite ambitious." Duke Zhen pondered for a while: "Look first, keep an eye on people. Where is the Pei family?"
Shen Ding grinned, "We don't need to do anything, the Pei family is finished this time."
When spring comes, the capital is the busiest time, and this year's spring and February, the capital will be more lively.
The origin of the incident cannot be tested.
This has to be said from before. After the closing of the Spring Festival, the players from all over the country will not return to their hometowns immediately, but will all wait in Beijing for the announcement. Han Chuang has been studying hard for dozens of years, and whether he can leap to the Dragon Gate in one go depends on this time.
In these days waiting for the list to be released, it is natural for all the people to meet to drink, eat, tea and play in the spring. If you feel that you have done well in the exam, you will naturally have high ambitions and rewards. If you feel that you have not done well in the exam, you will have to walk around to plan for another exam in the future, or to climb up a powerful person or something.
It was at this time that someone in the quiz said that this time they would try to leak the question. There is more than one person who said it, but several people from different places who live in the same inn.
After I asked for the details, I learned that it turned out that there was a Zhuzi surnamed Chen living in this inn. This Chen surnamed Juzi is kind and generous, and has a forthright personality. Others who arrived in the capital ahead of time were all concentrating on studying hard and cramming for a while, hoping to reach the top spot. Only after he arrived in the capital, he always met like-minded people to drink and have fun at the Qinlou Chu Pavilion.
One time, Chen surnamed Juzi participated in a poetry party, and met a friend at the poetry party. After that, a few days later, when Juzi Chen was on his way back to the inn at night, he saw a person drunk on the side of the road, and found that it was the unknown friend, so he took him back to the inn.
After that, the man had a fever in the middle of the night, and Juzi Chen gave him ginger soup again, and was busy looking for a doctor. When the man woke up the next day, he knew that it was Juzi Chen who saved him, and he was very grateful. You must know that in this big winter, if this person is allowed to sleep on the side of the road for one night, he will either freeze to death or become seriously ill, and the subsequent meeting will definitely be missed.
The man pondered for a while, then took out a small paper envelope from his sleeve and handed it to Juzi surnamed Chen.
Then the man left without saying goodbye.
Chen surnamed Juzi opened the paper seal and looked at it, and found that there were several test questions.
At that time, there were several other Juzi in the room, all of whom knew that Chen Juzi saved the person, and the person came to comfort him without saying goodbye. Seeing the strange expression of Chen's surnamed Juzi, someone came over to take a look. Some good people joked that this is the question of this meeting
As soon as this statement came out, the people present had different thoughts. Some people thought it was a joke, and even sneered, while others were moved. Most of the people in the same inn knew about this.
Press not to mention, when the test was held that day, the examiner revealed the title. The people present that day were all terrified, and those who moved their minds were fully prepared, if there was divine help. Those who feel that the drama is troubled, and they have not even performed half of their usual level.
That's how commotion came out.
In fact, it is conceivable. Once there was an opportunity to put it in front of me, but unfortunately I didn't cherish it, but regarded it as a mess. Of course, in real life, you will never be given another chance, so red-eye jealousy is an inevitable emotion. Some people even scolded them righteously. This kind of behavior is an act of deceiving the world and stealing one's name, and a man like me will definitely not join forces.
What are the facts? Only God knows.
When the list was revealed, there were dozens of people on the list of the inn, and it was a big deal. Rumors swept the entire capital at an extremely fast speed, and some even went to the gate of the Ministry of Rites to protest.
The matter could no longer be covered, and when he heard it, Emperor Xi was furious and ordered a thorough investigation.
Those involved were all imprisoned and interrogated one by one, and the first few were the key interrogation targets.
By this time, it was too late to regret. What's more, when this matter develops to the end, it is no longer the problem of the angry words at the beginning. The people of Ji Di resented being wronged by others. In the heart of Ji Di, he was afraid that he would still pretend to be righteous. In the end, it was all on the head of the surname Chen Juzi. Without him, there would not be so much right and wrong. With the ability, try high and low.
But Juzi Chen is also very wronged. If he had known about the current situation, he would have been more careful not to be known by outsiders. And the person who was rescued did not pursue his actions first, but they were also kind, and the life-saving grace should be reciprocated. They shared their hard-earned things with the benefactor, how could they know that so many incidents would happen.
In the end, I didn't find out who leaked the question this time. The person who was probably also the one who leaked the question has disappeared from the world.
If you can't find that person, you can't find it.
Press not to mention.
In order to quell public anger, all the results of Chunwei were invalidated this time. And several examiners who presided over the general examination were also checked one by one, including the officials in charge of the Ministry of Rites who were also held accountable.
Pei Nan, the right servant of the Ministry of Rites, felt very wronged.
But it is useless to be wronged. Every imperial examination is a major event of the Ministry of Rites, and it is not the first time that the question has been leaked, but it is the first time that it will cause trouble. The outsiders don’t know the situation, but the insiders all know it in their hearts. If there is no one in the family, or if someone in power asks for the door, they have to give face even if they don’t give it. But everyone knows each other very well. It can come out of your mouth and into my ears. It must not be known to others. Who would have encountered such an unreasonable player this time.
The one who had access to this test question was the Minister of Rites, except for him, the right servant who was in charge of this spring festival. Pei Nan couldn't even wash himself, so how could he dare to bite his boss.
After that, Shilang Pei was dismissed from office and exiled.
He knew that this was the best outcome, if someone secretly protected him, he might have lost his life.
Of course, that's something that comes later.
**
What happened to the Pei family could not be concealed from the old lady.
When the incident happened that day, someone from Pei's family came to the old lady, begging her to let her daughter-in-law go back to her parents' house and ask Duke Zhen Guo to hold her hand. But Shen Yiyao lives in Zhuangzi now, and there have been so many quarrels before, how could the old lady have the face to ask her daughter-in-law to ask the government of the town for help.
But Pei's family didn't know the specifics, and thought that the old lady was unwilling to reach out. During the days when Shi Lang Pei was imprisoned, Mrs. Pei came to the door several times. First it is soft words, then it is kind words, and then it is evil words.
Madam Pei was forced to do nothing, and sat in the Rong'an Hall with her great-grandson crying. Crying for her husband, for her deceased parents-in-law, for her poor son and grandson, and crying so much that the old lady was devastated.
The old lady didn't dare to hide it anymore, and told a part of the previous quarrel, the general meaning was that her daughter-in-law and her in-laws were offended badly, and there was nothing she could do.
Madam Pei didn't believe it, she really found out that Shen Yiyao was no longer in the mansion, so she went back half-believingly.
The sister-in-law is gone, the old lady's heart is not stable.
Pei Shilang was detained and held accountable. No one dared to say what the outcome would be if the incident was so big this time. This is her own brother, and the Pei family is her natal family, so how could she be indifferent.
She found her son and asked Yan Ting to think of a way. If only Yan Ting could come up with a solution, she would go out for a few days and come back and say that this matter really can't be managed. The old lady didn't give up, she tossed and turned for a few days and couldn't sleep well, so she saved face not to send Mama Zhao to Zhuangzi to invite Shen Yiyao back, who knew that Mama Zhao didn't see Shen Yiyao's people, and the servant said that the lady fell ill after coming to Zhuangzi, and is now bedridden I can't afford it.
After Zhao's mother came back, the old lady also fell ill. This time she was really sick.
Fortunately, there was good news later, Pei Nan was only dismissed from office and exiled, and his family was not involved. After a few years, he would be able to return, and the old lady slowly improved.