The prime minister's mansion has two gardens, a front garden and a back garden.
The front garden is not as big as the back garden. The two gardens are connected by a lake and are only separated by buildings.
A large area of the back garden was built later, encroaching on the land used for residential buildings. This matter once caused controversy, but later the old lady paid money to buy the land, and the matter was settled.
There is a row of bamboo forest in the back garden. This bamboo forest existed before. The prime minister’s mansion just built a wall to enclose this area, and then built several pavilions in the back garden and a rockery in the lake.
However, few people have come to this back garden in the past few years, because there are poisonous snakes in the bamboo forest. Prime Minister Xia ordered people to control it, but it was never thorough. Over time, few people dared to come.
Madam Linglong came to report just now that Yuan would come here, so the old lady had to move her position. If it were an ordinary day, she would not come to the back garden.
The plot set for today is to let Yuan go out, because she is now blind and she doesn't like to interact with other people, so even if she goes out, she can only sit alone in the pavilion.
She arranged for Chen Er to come forward and argue with Yuan so that people could hear their quarrel. Chen Er would reveal his affair with Yuan in his words, so as to cause an uproar among the people and then carry out the second plan.
However, since Yuan didn't come out, this idea didn't work, so she changed her mind and first said bad things about Yuan in front of Concubine Cui and the old lady, causing the old lady and Concubine Cui to resonate with her. Then she lured away Nanny Yang and let Chen Er sneak in to repeat the trick that didn't work last time.
That way, she could take Concubine Cui and the old lady with her and catch them right away.
Therefore, when Concubine Cui asked her to call Yuan out, she objected, because Yuan would be scolded by the Concubine as soon as she came out, and when Yuan went back to Xiazhi Garden, she would have no excuse to take the Concubine with her.
However, unexpectedly, Madam Linglong came to inform them that Yuan would go to the back garden. It was simply God helping the Prime Minister's Mansion and God wanted to destroy Yuan.
They walked leisurely along the way, looking at the scenery of the lake and the flowers in the yard. Several maids followed them from a distance. Butterflies and bees were playing on the flowers, creating a wonderful sight.
Over there, Madam Linglong, who was good at dancing with her long sleeves, also went to the back garden with a group of noble ladies, saying that she wanted to show everyone the newly planted peonies and chrysanthemums.
Xia Wan'er and Xia Fang'er told their plan in private. Xia Fang'er was very excited. She was a troublemaker and loved to see others make fools of themselves and laugh at others. So, the two of them led those young ladies and gentlemen from noble families to the back garden.
After Prime Minister Xia received King Liang, he revealed in his words that there was a row of bamboo forests in the back garden. Literati and poets loved bamboo forests the most and asked to go and see them. Naturally, Prime Minister Xia was happy to take them there.
Just like this, four groups of people went to the back garden of the prime minister's residence.
Zi'an stood in front of the corridor, looking at these people, a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Chen Liuliu was bored when she saw everyone heading to the back garden. "Those young masters are all surrounding them."
Zian smiled, "You want to play with them?"
"I don't want to, but I won't be able to find a husband if I don't play." Chen Liuliu said dejectedly.
Zi'an looked at her suddenly melancholy eyes and said, "Liuliu, you don't have to believe in fate."
Chen Liuliu looked at her and said, "I don't know. I have always believed it. I don't want to die. The world is so beautiful."
Staying alive also became a problem for Chen Liuliu. Zi'an suddenly realized that many people just wanted to survive. A woman like Chen Liuliu, in order to change what she believed to be her predetermined fate, clearly did not like those young men, but had to socialize with them or marry herself off.
She took a step forward and slowly walked towards the back garden with Chen Liuliu.
The originally noisy courtyard seemed a little quiet due to the departure of a large number of people. Several servants were cleaning up the garbage on the ground and the snacks on the table, and were busy preparing for the lunch banquet.
"Isn't it too risky to believe in your so-called destiny and then marry someone you don't like?" Zi'an was worried about something, so he said to Chen Liuliu in a perfunctory manner.
Chen Liuliu looked at her. The sun shone into her eyes, which sparkled with light. "Look at what you said. A full man really doesn't know the hunger of a hungry man. If you can't even live a good life, how can you find someone you like? Besides, love is not everything in life. Living is the most important thing. If you can live a good life, of course you can talk to me about dreams and love. Try it. If someone has told you since childhood that you will die if you don't get married by the age of nineteen because you don't have a husband to help you through the tribulation, I believe you will be the same as me."
Zi'an's amazing view of Chen Liuliu always gave her a sense of time travel. She felt that Chen Liuliu was the girl who had traveled through time and was more than suitable for Xiao Tuo, at least better than those mediocre girls.
I really don’t know what’s going on in Xiao Tuo’s mind.
"By the way, have you met Xiao Tuo?" Zi'an asked, looking at the person walking further and further away in front of him, and began to estimate the time.
"I have seen him, but he has not seen me."
"Oh?" Zi'an turned his head to look at her.
"My grandmother had a private discussion with the old lady of the Marquis' Mansion and wanted to marry me off, so I secretly went to see Xiao Tuo. However, someone from the Marquis' Mansion later said that Xiao Tuo didn't want to meet me, so I knew he didn't like me."
"He hasn't even met you, how can he say he doesn't like you?"
"I have a bad reputation. I don't know anything a woman should know. I heard Aunt Ayu tell my grandmother that Xiao Tuo likes girls with embroidery needles, not girls with swords."
Zi'an frowned, "I've been with Xiao Tuo before, and I don't think he's the type of girl who likes to hold an embroidery needle."
"Then he must have disliked me and found an excuse to reject me." She said as she walked, and looked around, "By the way, why is your mansion so big? We've been walking for a long time, and we haven't reached the back garden yet?"
"It's quite big." Zi'an knew about the matter of land embezzlement, and the so-called settlement with silver, which was nothing more than the old lady inviting those owners over, using their status to oppress them, and just giving them some silver to let the matter go. Due to the status of the prime minister's mansion, the people dared to be angry but not to speak out.
If we really want to get to the bottom of it, the Prime Minister's Mansion is not at all on the right track.
About half an hour ago, Nanny Yang took Yuan out for a walk in the back garden.
After walking for a while, Yuan said she was tired, so Nanny Yang helped her into the elegant room in the back garden to rest.
The elegant room is just in front of the bamboo forest. Usually, few people come here, especially because there are green bamboo snakes in the bamboo forest. We sprinkled sulfur powder several times but failed to drive them away, and the servants stopped coming here.
After helping Yuan go in to rest, Nanny Yang sat in the pavilion outside the elegant room and took out an oil-paper bag from her arms, which contained pastries. She had not had breakfast yet, so she ate something in the pavilion.
Just after eating a piece of osmanthus cake, I saw Aunt Cuiyu from the old lady's side coming over, "Isn't this Aunt Yang?"
Nanny Yang raised her eyebrows, glanced at Aunt Cuiyu indifferently, and said nothing.
Aunt Cuiyu came up with a basket in her hand. "What are you doing here, Madam? Where is the Madam?"
(End of this chapter)