In this winter New Year in the 69th year of Ming Qi, there was a heavy snowfall overnight, and the snow was a good year. The people were all beaming and praying for a good harvest in the coming year.
However, this must be a special year for the General's Mansion in the Ding capital.
The second room of the Shen family lost a daughter, and the mistress of the house was crazy. And there seems to be a rift between the most powerful big room and the other two rooms. It is not as close as before, but there is a clear alienation.
The Huang family, who had been engaged to Shen Qing before, was completely enmity with the Shen family because of Shen Qing, because Shen Xin and his wife were not in Dingjing all the year round, so they did not take their anger against him. As for the Wei family who was engaged to Shen Miao, Luo Xueyan also came forward and personally confirmed that it was just a misunderstanding. The Wei family was sincere and did not make it difficult for her. In addition, Shen Xin also promised to help Lord Wei more in the future, so the Wei family was naturally willing to sell this face.
Therefore, for Shen Miao, this new year was quite good. Without Fu Xiu Yi, without Prince Yu, and without Ren Wanyun and Shen Qing, some things were still changing step by step.
However, she is happy, and some people are not very happy.
Inside the Rongjing Hall, Mrs. Shen was sitting in her seat, and Shen Yuanbai was crawling around her, but she was a little impatient. A look of resentment appeared on his dry face.
"The old folks don't take me in their eyes anymore. This year, the prince's money is not at all. The few boxes of treasures that were rewarded in the palace before are all locked in their own yard! What are they? What do you want to do? Are you still paying attention to me!"
Old Shen Furen was angry when she mentioned this, Shen Xin used to send the gifts from the palace to the duke every year, because their husband and wife were not in the Ding capital on weekdays, apart from leaving some favorite gadgets for Shen Miao, more things are useless to them. Old Shen Furen has tasted the sweetness of it a lot. Now that something has changed between Shen Xin and the Shen family, Shen Xin didn't even give away the money. In Shen Shen Furen's eyes, it was simply absurd.
"Don't be angry, old lady, maybe after these days, the eldest master will get rid of his anger, and the things will be delivered." Zhang's mother beside her comforted: "I think I came because the eldest master was dissatisfied with the previous affairs with the fifth young lady, so this is why Refused to bring things over."
"Why do you treat the fifth girl?" Old Shen Furen said angrily, "I have fed her for so many years, and raised her to such a big age, but the old people are still not satisfied? I think he just doesn't want to recognize me as a mother! The white-eyed wolf who can't raise a family! And that Luo Xueyan, now even the fifth girl has become a dead spirit, who knows if there is someone behind it!"
Seeing Old Madam Shen's anger, Mother Zhang was silent for a moment before saying: "The fifth young lady has grown up now, and her mind has become more serious. However, the fifth young lady grew up in front of the old lady, and the fifth young lady also obeyed the old lady's words in the past. It's incredible, it can be seen that she still respects the old lady in her heart. The old lady might as well call the fifth lady in front of her someday to say something nice and coax. They are all little girls, and they will definitely be good at coaxing. The fifth lady is the eldest lady. The lifeblood of her, to hold the Fifth Young Lady, isn't it to hold the eldest master's family?"
Zhang Zhang's mother is also a very scheming master. In fact, the old lady Shen is a woman who speaks out, and there are endless slanderous methods. When it comes to being a mistress of the house, she still has some spare capacity. For so many years, it wasn't that Zhang's mother was around to mention it, and I don't know how big a joke was going to be made.
The old lady Shen sneered: "I still want to coax her? As soon as I saw that girl's film, I thought of that bitch, who has been dead for so many years and still occupies the master's heart. Everything is partial to their big room, and now I have to please. She? I'm sick of seeing her!"
Zhang's mother was a little helpless and wanted to persuade again, but she saw the maid at the door and said, "Second Young Master, you are here."
Shen Yuan strode in.
"Yuan'er." Seeing Shen Yuan coming in, the old lady Shen's attitude softened a lot. Shen Yuanbai, who was on the couch, saw her and looked at her second brother with a smile.
Shen Yuan did not reach out to hug Shen Yuanbai, but just smiled and said, "Come and see grandma."
"I have nothing to look at." Old Shen Furen said angrily, but her face was filled with joy. Among these grandchildren, she loved Shen Yuan the most. Shen Yuan only learned well at a young age, and then entered the official career, everyone praised her, and she gave her a very long face. Naturally, it was most valued by Old Shen Furen.
"I was lucky enough to get a bottle of jade cream, and I brought it to my grandmother. Don't let my grandmother down on her kindness."
Shen Yuan smiled and handed the bottle in his hand to Old Shen Furen.
Mrs. Shen was a little surprised, and then she feigned anger: "How old am I to use these, are you deliberately mad at me?" Even so, there was a look of love on her face.
Old Madam Shen was born as a singer, these rouge gouache powders would not break even if they got old, and Shen Yuan would do whatever she liked, which immediately swept away Old Madam Shen's gloomy mood.
"Grandmother is young, such a good thing is to be used on grandmother." Shen Yuan flattered without changing his face. The two grandfathers and grandchildren said something again, Shen Yuan is a shrewd person, and the old lady Shen liked him, and he deliberately chose something to make the old lady happy to say that the atmosphere in the Rongjing Hall was extremely harmonious. , even Shen Yuanbai on the couch was left out.
After talking for a while, Shen Yuan suddenly remembered something, and said without any intention: "Speaking of grandmother, it seems that my cousin and cousin will be coming in a few days."
Mrs. Shen was stunned for a moment, and then said in a cold tone: "What cousin and cousin, stay for a few days and leave." Mrs. Shen also had a family before she became a singer. Perhaps it was her family who sold her into a brothel. Mrs. Shen Her ancestral home was in Suzhou. Later, Mrs. Shen was brought to Dingjing by General Shen to be the general's wife, so she naturally cut off contact with her family. It's just that this year the family didn't know where to inquire about the news of the old lady Shen, so they let their grandchildren come to Dingjing, saying that they came to see the old lady Shen.
A person like Old Madam Shen who is oblivious to profit and forgetting justice, has not seen each other for so many years, and naturally cannot have any kind of affection for others. Now that Shen Yuan mentions this matter, she is naturally reluctant to talk about it.
Shen Yuan smiled and said, "I have never seen this pair of cousins, and I think they are about the same age as the fifth sister." He sighed, "Speaking of which, when the eldest brother returned to Dingjing this time, I heard that the uncle and aunt were picking for him. The girl you like is probably going to worry about big things for him."
"Shen Qiu wants to pick a daughter-in-law?" Madam Shen sat up straight, "Why don't I know about this, Yuan'er, do you know which girl they picked?"
"I don't know that," Shen Yuan thought for a while, "But given the rank of the uncle and aunt, it is natural to choose the girl from the high-ranking mansion. The icing on the cake is the icing on the cake. The eldest brother has such a future right now, and he wants to have a sister-in-law. The support from the government will only be even more powerful and take it to the next level."
The more Shen Yuan said this, the more ugly Old Shen Furen's expression became. After a long while, he said sourly: "It depends on whether other girls see him or not!"
Shen Yuan just didn't know what to do, and said if he had no intention of saying: "But the most important thing is that the big brother likes it. If the big brother likes it, it doesn't matter if the world is not so popular. If you want me to say, maybe our little cousin will be loved by the big brother. When you see it, it's time to kiss and kiss."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Old Shen Furen frowned, and subconsciously refuted Shen Yuan's words: "What kind of identity is she, how can the old people like her?"
"I just said it casually, grandma doesn't have to worry about it." Shen Yuan laughed again and pulled the conversation away. After saying a few words, he said goodbye. Before leaving, he glanced at Mother Zhang calmly.
After Shen Yuan left, Mrs. Shen kept thinking about what Shen Yuan said before. On the one hand, she knew that what Shen Yuan said was outrageous. . Furthermore, Shen Qiu is not a lecherous person, this matter is simply as difficult as the sky. But on the other hand, Old Madam Shen was moved by what Shen Yuan said. If Shen Qiu found a young lady from a high-class family, wouldn’t her power be on the rise again. Old Madam Shen hated Shen Qiu the most. How could he just watch him become more powerful? If he married his own grandniece, not only would it not be better, but he would be able to pull the Shen family's big house into the water and drag Shen Qiu's hind legs. That would be a good word.
While pounding the shoulders for Madam Shen, Mama Zhang said softly, "Madam, in fact, this old slave also thinks that what the second young master just said makes sense." After a while, she said, "Think about it, if the young master When you get married with Miss Biao, kiss and kiss, Miss Biao is from the old lady's side, so it will be much easier to do." She whispered: "If the marriage is completed, the matter of money will be easy in the future. Isn't the money of the young lady your money?"
As soon as these words came out, Mrs. Shen's eyes lit up, that's right, if Shen Qiu and the family's grand-niece got married, the grand-niece would naturally be from her side. big room.
Zhang's mother continued: "It would be even better if Young Master Biao and Miss Fifth became successful. In the future, all the money and property of the big house will belong to the old lady."
Mrs. Shen's heart moved, and every word of Zhang's mother was pinched at her point, and she was overjoyed by what she said, thinking about stealing the property of the big house, and secretly using all means to make the big house rise. In the chaos, the old lady Shen was extremely happy. But in a flash, he became worried again, and said, "It's easy to say, but my nephews and grandchildren all came from a small family. It's not like the old people have never seen the world, so how can they possibly see them?"
"My old lady," Mama Zhang smiled, "you have forgotten the methods in the past. The matter between men and women is so complicated. With a little use of your brain, nothing is impossible. ."
Her words evoked a little bit of Madam Shen's reverie. After a while, Madam Shen laughed along with her. She probably wanted to smile in a charming manner, but she looked a little weird because she was old and pale. That old-fashioned spring love made her see it. It was extremely ugly, she said, "That's true, men love women's love, that's just such a simple thing." After saying this, she and Zhang's mother looked at each other, and they both saw the deep meaning in each other's eyes, the old lady Shen said: "Come on, go and find the box in my house. My grandniece, it's been a long time, so I should give some greetings."
Outside the house, Shen Yuan looked at Rong Jingtang's low-pitched laughter, a sneer flashed in his eyes, and slowly walked out of the courtyard gate.
…
In the west courtyard, Shen Miao handed ten silver notes to Mo Qing.
"Go to Baoxianglou and find a girl named Liuying. I have already inquired about her. You can buy her for one night for one hundred taels of silver. You take the silver and sit with her for one night, do nothing, and go there every three days. Go back.” Shen Miao said.
Mo Qing's face turned blue when he heard the three words "Baoxianglou", when he heard that Shen Miao asked him to find some Liuying girl, it turned from blue to red, he did not pick up the silver ticket for a long time. Looking at Shen Miao he said, "Little, young lady, you are joking with your subordinates."
“When have you ever seen me joking with others.” Shen Miao’s face was serious and serious, Mo Qing thought about it, he knew Shen Miao till now, Shen Miao has been stern all day, and indeed she has never done any tricks to make fun of others thing.
But... asking him to go to the brothel is too outrageous. Mo Qing shook his head and said with a blushing face, "Miss, this... subordinate... why do you want to go to Baoxianglou?"
Shen Miao looked at him and said that she had been with her for so long in the previous life and she had never seen any involvement between Mo Qing and any girl. After being a boy for so many years, she thought it was because of strict rules in the palace, who knows Mo Qing's temperament, hesitant, does he look like a guard commander
She said: "If you want to go, you can go. If the girl Liuying asks you why you are like this, don't say anything. In short, you can hear it clearly, just be a mute."
Mo Qing: "…"
Seeing that Mo Qing still had a reluctant expression on his face, Shen Miao said sternly, "Have you not even listened to my words?"
"My subordinates dare not!" Mo Qing said quickly. As soon as the words came out, he felt a little depressed, he was a dignified eight-footed man and he was considered to have few rivals under Shen Qiu's command, how could Shen Miao feel flustered after being yelled at like this, it is reasonable to say that he is protecting Shen Miao's safety now, but he is not. It was Shen Qiu's subordinate who did not treat Shen Qiu so carefully, could it be that he followed Shen Miao and now his servility has become so strong
She was puzzled but she heard Shen Miao continue: "I heard that this girl Liu Ying is charming and talented, there are countless people who bowed down under her pomegranate skirt, although it is not the signboard of Baoxianglou, she is also very talented. She is a popular girl. I chose you because I know that you are a decent gentleman, and you are firm-willed. If you sit for one night, you will sit for one night, but don’t take the opportunity to do anything. If you mess it up, you You don't have to stay in the Shen family army anymore."
Mo Qing's face was blushing and blushing, he felt that he had never been so embarrassed for a moment, what Shen Miao said was so blatant, but she swept his whole body with scrutiny eyes, and even was still somewhere around his waist After a pause, if Shen Miao was not the master, then Mo Qing would be able to walk away in a huff. He wanted to cry but had no tears, and did not know how Shen Miao developed such a temperament, looking at him so lazily, Mo Qing felt that she was like pork on a chopping board.
Seeing that Mo Qing's face turned purple, Shen Miao let him go and waved, "Go. Remember what I said."
Mo Qing ran out in a flash. Jing Zhe was returning from the outside, when he saw this, he said in unison, "What's wrong with Guard Mo? It looks like it's very painful, is something wrong?" Mo Qing has always done things calmly, but this is the first time he's seen him so embarrassed.
“It’s nothing, just being shy.” Shen Miao said, “How about the inquiries?”
Jing Zhe was wondering what Shen Miao meant by shyness, and after hearing that, she said, "I have made inquiries, the old lady's maiden's young lady and young master will arrive in two days."
“Really?” Shen Miao smiled lightly, “That young lady of the table, can her boudoir name be Jing Chuchu?”
"How did the girl know?" Jing Zhe was surprised.
Shen Miao did not speak and lowered her head to hide the killing intent in her eyes. Naturally, she knew that in her previous life... sister-in-law.
…
Two days later, the sky cleared and Shen Miao got up early and went out to watch Shen Qiu and Shen Xin compare swords in the yard. It was a cold day and the two of them were sweating profusely. The surrounding guards also applauded secretly. When I was in high spirits, I saw Xi'er, the maid next to Old Shen Furen, running over, only to say that Old Shen Furen asked everyone to go to Rongjingtang quickly, and Miss Biao and Young Master Biao from her parents' family were here.
Shen Qiu scratched his head and said strangely, "Which Young Master Biao? How come I don't know."
Luo Xueyan quickly understood: "It's a relative from the old lady's family, I haven't heard of it before, but I don't know why it came over suddenly."
Shen Xin didn't react. Old Madam Shen was his stepmother, but Old Madam Shen's background meant that she would not be able to stand on the stage. For so many years, there was no news of that mother's family, except that they were from Suzhou. However, after traveling thousands of miles to Dingjing, they were also juniors, and Old Shen Furen liked it so much, so they had to go and make a show of it.
Shen Qiu put down his sword and went back with Shen Xin to change clothes, but when he turned around, he saw Shen Miao standing at the door with a cold expression. He couldn't help but came over and asked, "Why is my sister suddenly unhappy? Wasn't it okay just now?"
Shen Miao regained her senses, glanced at Shen Qiu and smiled, "It's nothing."
After a few people arrived at Rongjingtang, they could hear Old Shen Furen's laughter from far away. Since Shen Qing's accident, Old Madam Shen has been sullen every day. How could she have been so happy? Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan were a little surprised. They stepped into the Rongjing Hall and saw that Chen Rouqiu's room and Shen Gui's room were both empty. Right now, there is a man and a woman standing in front of Mrs. Shen. Seeing that Shen Xin and the others are coming, Mrs. Shen said to the two people in front of her, "This is your uncle's family." She said to Shen Xin, "This is me. Brother's grandson and granddaughter, Guan Sheng and Chu Chu."
Jing Guansheng, Jing Chuchu.
When the two heard the words, they quickly turned around and saluted Shen Xin and the others.
Shen Miao stood still and looked at the two in front of her calmly.
Jing Guansheng is eighteen this year, and Jing Chuchu is sixteen this year, both of whom are young. Jing Guansheng is ordinary, a little fat, but better than the white skin, quite a bit of style, wearing a brown long gown, the fabric is already good, and the tailoring is also generous and decent, but there is something in the eyes. With some shrewd light, that idea was completely lost.
This Jing Chuchu was born very well. Maybe Mrs. Shen's family is naturally good-looking, but Jing Chuchu's birth is somewhat similar to Mrs. Shen's outline, the appearance of Xiaojiabiyu, but compared to the sharpness of Mrs. Shen when she was young It is much more restrained. The primrose-colored fragrant silk pomegranate skirt and the autumn-colored lotus-colored gown are also extremely delicate, with beautiful and moon-like appearance, but they seem extremely shy and shy, timidly speaking and saluting, but their eyes are staring straight. On the ground, dare not look up at people.
When greeting Shen Miao, Shen Miao smiled and said, “Cousin sister only looks at the underground? There is no shadow of me underground.”
Jing Chuchu was startled, looked up, looked at her at a loss, and then looked at Mrs. Shen again. Madam Shen frowned immediately and said, "Chu Chu was a little afraid of life when she first came here, fifth girl, be more polite."
Old Shen Furen guarded her shortcomings without any scruples, and immediately changed the expressions of Shen Xin and others, they would not make Shen Miao wronged for a relative who was not related by blood, and their attitude towards Jing Chuchu immediately became a little cold. down.
Old Shen Furen was unaware, but Shen Yuan frowned and looked at Shen Miao calmly.
Shen Miao said with a smile, "I'm afraid of life, it's fine, I don't need to be afraid if I stay for a few more days. Here, they will eventually get to know each other."
Her kind words seem to be somewhat warm, but in the ears of those who are interested, they always feel that it is not the case. Jing Chuchu smiled shyly at Shen Miao, then lowered her head and twisted the veil in her hands. It seemed that his face would turn red if he looked at it too much. On the other hand, Jing Guansheng smiled at Shen Miao in a gentle manner.
Shen Miao's eyes did not fall on Jing Guansheng at all, she stared at Jing Chuchu but could hear her teeth grinding.
Jing Chuchu is always like this, shy and shy. She has no scheming and always bows her head timidly, as if everyone can bully her. Therefore, when the incident happened, seeing her and Shen Qiu lying on the same bed after drinking, everyone would insult Shen Qiu as a beast. But who would have thought that such a pure girl like a blank piece of paper would end up wearing a green hat on Shen Qiu and put Shen Qiu in jail for accidentally killing an adulterer. Those military affairs that often went wrong after marrying in, Shen Qiu's broken leg from the horse, probably all had something to do with Jing Chuchu. In the end, Shen Qiu's body was found from the pond, but Jing Chuchu took the money from the Shen family's big room and fled.
The most poisonous woman's heart, Shen Miao felt that the meek face of a rabbit in front of her was more venomous than a snake. After all, although Shen Qiu didn't like it, after marrying Jing Chuchu, he still treated each other sincerely. With Shen Qiu's sincere temperament, he would definitely not let Jing Chuchu suffer.
But Jing Chuchu is an out-and-out white-eyed wolf.
Shen Miao kept staring at Jing Chuchu, even a careless Shen Qiu noticed something was wrong and asked doubtfully, “Sister?”
Jing Guansheng also said: "Why does the fifth sister keep staring at Chu Chu?"
Jing Chuchu took a step back and turned his body nervously to let Jing Guansheng block Shen Miao's eyes for him, as if very scared. Shen Miao smiled slightly, "Cousin sister was born so beautiful, she accidentally overlooked her."
Shen Yue bit her lip, now Shen Miao's complexion has grown longer and she has won a lot of limelight, and now there is another Jing Chuchu, she felt extremely uncomfortable.
Jing Chuchu blushed and whispered to Shen Miao, "Sister is the beauty of life."
Shen Miao smiled and was noncommittal.
The old lady Shen coughed twice and said, "Since Chu Chu and Guan Sheng have arrived, the guests in our house are all a family, five girls, eldest brother, you usually take them around."
There were obviously Shen Yuan and Shen Yue, and no matter how bad it was, there was still Shen Dongling, and the Shen residence was not the only two grandsons, Shen Miao and Shen Qiu, but they came over to warn them both. The corners of Shen Miao's lips twitched slightly and she glanced at Jing Chuchu who had her head lowered, with a very gentle smile: "I will naturally take good care of my elder sister."
She used to have a beautiful face on weekdays, but in this house of children, she has a particularly calm bearing, and the slow smile that just bloomed has an indescribable charm. Jing Chuchu is okay, but Jing Guansheng is not. Some are crazy.
Seeing Shen Miao like this, Old Shen Furen was also extremely satisfied. He smiled and said, "Since that's the case, then you all go down. I still have something to say to this girl, Chu Chu. I haven't seen each other for so many years, and I don't know if my family is okay." Old Shen Furen's loving appearance fell into Chen Rouqiu's eyes. , suddenly moved. However, she just responded respectfully and left Rongjingtang with everyone.
Outside the Rongjing Hall, Jing Guansheng said to Shen Miao, "What does Fifth Younger Sister like to do at home on weekdays?"
Shen Xin and Luo Xueyan walked in the front and they did not hear these words, but Shen Qiu, who heard the words, walked to Shen Miao vigilantly and watched Jing Guansheng not speak.
Shen Miao smiled slightly: "It's nothing, just read the book."
"It just so happens that I also like to read in the mansion." Jing Guansheng smiled and said, "You can probably ask my cousin for some advice."
Shen Miao glanced at her, and even Shen Qiu was aware of the contempt in her eyes, she was a little surprised why Shen Miao was so unfriendly to a person she met for the first time, she just listened to Shen Miao, "Forget it, my cousin is in the palace. I don’t think there are many books in my collection, why don’t you ask me for advice… Let’s go back and send some books to my cousin, they are all unique.”
It was an undisguised disdain for the other party's cold background, and Jing Guansheng's face froze all of a sudden.
Inside the Rongjing Hall, Mrs. Shen was holding Jing Chuchu's hand and said kindly, "You are so smart at such a young age. I don't know if you have kissed me at this age?"
Jing Chuchu whispered: "Hui old lady, not yet."
"Never," Old Shen's smile deepened: "If you can be the granddaughter-in-law of my Shen family with your looks and personality."
Jing Chuchu lowered his head, his face turned even redder, but his hands gradually tightened. Their Jing family were just ordinary traders. They heard that their grandfather had a sister who had developed in Dingjing, so they sent their nephews and grandchildren to Dingjing, hoping that the other party would be able to help. As early as when he arrived at the Shen residence, Jing Chuchu was already dazzled by the wealth of the Shen residence. If she could marry into the general's residence, she would still be the wife of a wealthy family, even if she could marry into the general's residence. Exciting. Just can't show it on the face.
Old Shen Furen clapped her hand and said with a smile, "You are a good match for Qiu'er of the old people at your age. Our Qiu'er is also a lieutenant now. What's better is that he is not yet married."