My elder brother and I went to a restaurant together, and asked for a private seat on the second floor. Yinping and the guards from the Xu residence were waiting outside.
Xiao Er served the wine, so I picked up the jug and poured two glasses. Just look at the elder brother wearing ordinary clothes and wearing a scarf on his head, he is still dressed similarly to when he was at home. Back then, the last time I met my relatives from the Shen family in Bianzhou was at the funeral of my fifth sister. I stayed in Beijing until I got married, but I didn’t see any relatives from my hometown.
The eldest brother sat across from me, looked at me for a long time, and said in disbelief: "Are you really the fourth brother?"
My appearance now is very different from the boy in the country house back then, fortunately my elder brother can still recognize me. After all, the eldest brother is someone who has seen the world. After careful consideration, he also knows that there is a lot to read here. I just didn't expect that Shen's Mansion in Beijing has been keeping the secret of me marrying into Xu's Mansion as a wife.
"You mean, you married the third son of the Xu family on behalf of Fifth Sister?" The eldest brother was silent for a moment when he heard this, and couldn't help sighing, "Everything in this world is really unexpected. I didn't expect that Fifth Sister died young, and unexpectedly It was you who flew up the branch."
Hearing this, I closed my eyes and said nothing.
"—Don't blame it, don't blame it, my father was promoted again after returning to Bianzhou two years ago." He shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to return to Beijing. Your second brother hasn't been admitted in the past two years. Now Ah, everyone is just worried."
When I heard this, I couldn't help but ask: "Shen's residence in central Beijing...hasn't even revealed a single word to you, where is my whereabouts?"
The eldest brother said: "Back then, my father and I couldn't find you, and then the steward of the Shen family came over and said that you had offended the nobleman—" He was silent suddenly, and I guessed that maybe the people in the Shen family deliberately concealed the truth. Well, assuming that I committed a crime, and I'm a sidekick, this life is not up to them.
The eldest brother must have already guessed pretty well, and sighed: "They only returned one of your blood-stained clothes, and my father went to ask where you were buried, but no one told me, and the Shen mansion The steward urged me, so my father and I had no choice but to give up and go back to Bianzhou."
The reason why the Shen family in Beijing did this was because they looked down on the concubine of the side branch and were worried about causing trouble, so they simply lied to them that I had already been lynched for committing crimes.
I haven't seen him for two years, and my eldest brother seems to have changed his personality a bit. Later, he told me about some things in the family. Now, he has given up his official career, and after breaking up with those gangsters, he has devoted himself to starting a business. He travels all over the year and rarely returns to his hometown.
After all, it is due to the difference in status, I can't stay outside for a long time, the eldest brother also knows this, and doesn't talk to me too much. Before saying goodbye, I still couldn't hold back and asked him: "I don't know, Third Aunt, how are you doing now?"
No, but the eldest brother was taken aback.
At Shen Shi, we returned to Xu Mansion.
I asked Yinping to send the medicinal materials to the third room, she just took two steps, and then turned around and called: "Young Master, Young Master." She called out several times before I suddenly came back to my senses.
Yinping then said: "Young Master, I see that your complexion is not good, tell me, do you want to summon the doctor?"
I watched her lips open and close, but there was a "buzzing" in my ears, and I couldn't hear anything clearly. After a while, I squeezed my cold palms, shook my head in despair and said softly: "No need... just go out."
Yinping didn't say much anymore, turned around and went out.
All day, I was in a state of disorientation and broke several glasses. I didn't use anything at night, so I put on my clothes and lay down.
Everything is silent, I lie on the bed, the candles have been blown out, only sporadic moonlight shines in, like the only firefly in the dark night. Before I knew it, I fell into a dream—
I dreamed of a stalwart man, dressed in bright wedding clothes, holding scissors, and cutting the knots on my summer clothes one by one. I dreamed again, the lonely shadow of the candle, sitting alone in front of the case, obviously extremely tired, but still holding his eyelids. Suddenly, we appeared in the crowd, and he suddenly picked me up by the waist and asked me loudly, whether I could see clearly. Then, it was him again, hugging me from behind through the long night, and said to me, you won't understand.
Gradually, his shadow faded, and another person walked in. He was in high spirits, like a raging fire, no matter where he went, people couldn't look away. He holds a big tube in his hand, swishes ink like a dance, and writes like a god. Sometimes he laughs loudly, sometimes violently, sometimes violently, sometimes affectionately. Suddenly, his figure disappeared, and I heard the sound of Xiaojun in the wind. I hurriedly followed the sound to find him, but when I turned around, I saw him kneeling in front of the mourning hall. When I touched him, his expression changed again, he pushed me, and said, is it because you hate me.
He turned into red smoke and dissipated. When I raised my eyes, I saw the bustling long street and the lotus lanterns on the river, and a hand suddenly came to hold it. As soon as I saw him, I saw that his eyes were like water, and his person was like an orchid in an empty valley. He held the lamp in one hand and my palm in the other, and walked with me through the long night. Then, before the bed, his face was pale, his eyes were red, and he said over and over again, I am unwilling, I am really unwilling. Immediately afterwards, those eyes were shining like stars, promising that in the next life, there will only be the two of us.
Their figures slowly disappeared, and many figures appeared in front of them—
"I won't say anything that doesn't please your ears. Mrs. Chen didn't have time to teach you well, and as a mother, I have to put in more thought for my son."
"Fourth brother, where have you read all your books?"
"Man, if you are comfortable serving him, he will love you and love you for a while. But remember, don't put this heart into it, otherwise, you will not be the one who hurts in the future."
"Fourth brother, come quickly and try on this new dress that Auntie made for you—"
"I'm going to die sooner or later anyway, of course you have to let me! Brother, in that case, you might as well give him to me too, don't fight with me, who is short-lived!"
"She has knowledge under the spring, she should be content, she only wronged my fourth brother..."
"One comb is rich and noble. Two combs are free from disease and disaster. Three combs are safe for a hundred years..."
"Bah! She thinks I'm a rarity for her used things!"
"Then no matter what next time, how about you give him to me for a few days?"
"Fourth brother, fourth brother, if it weren't for you, Auntie, I would have jumped into the well too, and it would be over!"
"Today, I intend to send troops to the north this autumn. When the time comes, I will lead the army and march north."
"Fourth brother, when you go to the capital, you must behave yourself, remember to be sweeter, and don't be like a boring gourd all day long, huh?"
"Winter is coming, and the swallows are flying away."
"Auntie has been counting on the fourth brother all her life, you must be good, you know?"
"It turns out that what I thought was a concubine's love and concubine's love is all a joke!"
"Remember what my aunt said, if the fourth brother can stay in the Shen family in Beijing, even if he is a slave or a handmaid, don't come back to me...!"
— don't give me back!
"Drink!" I was shocked and opened my eyes. I realized that I was lying on the cold ground, the surroundings were pitch black, and there was no light coming in. I looked around in a daze, and vaguely heard a sound like a bead falling to the ground.
With the sound of rolling beads, it gradually approached, and finally, it stopped in front of my eyes—
It was a bead as red as blood.
With a "shua", I sat up from the bed. "Huh...huh..." I was sweating hotly, raised my eyes and looked around, only to feel that the place in front of me was very strange. I staggered off the bed, kicked off my shoes, and called softly: "Auntie?"
No one answered me.
"Auntie..." I raised my voice again, calling, "Third Aunt..."
I still didn't get a response, and a kind of fear that I never had before suddenly climbed into my heart. I rushed out the door suddenly, it was dark and late at night, the corridor was endless, and I didn't know why I ran up: "Aunt! Third Aunt!"
I yelled hoarsely along the road, and then I saw the fires lighting up in front of me. I don't know who called out: "Young Master, Young Master, what's the matter with you! Ah!"
I pushed the man away and ran out in horror.
"Come on! Come on!"
I ran all the way, not knowing where I was or where I was going. Suddenly, I stumbled and fell heavily. Panting heavily, I raised my eyes tremblingly and looked around, seeing a piece of darkness in front of me.
At this time, a picture appeared in my mind.
The eldest brother's face changed slightly, and he faltered when he spoke, as if there was something hard to say. In the end, he seemed to understand that it was impossible to hide it, so he said: "Two years ago, San Yiniang took your bloody clothes and thought that you had died in the capital."
"She didn't speak or cry, and the servants didn't notice anything strange."
"Five days later, Third Aunt was found to have jumped into the well, and her hand... was still holding your clothes."
I still remember that the servants in the mansion said that if they could be born as scorpions and marry into a wealthy family, the whole family would be able to ascend to the sky, and they would have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of their lives. In fact, I always thought that Third Aunt only hated me for not being Fifth Sister, for not being able to give her face. I originally thought that after I married into Xu's family, she would finally be able to feel proud, and that she would have a good life for the rest of her life. The reason why I have been enduring all this time is because I understand that even if it is not for myself, I have to think about it, my poor mother...
I stared blankly, gradually seeing the scene in front of me clearly. Dark clouds cover the moon, there is no light, and there is no place to escape.
"Ah!!" I was deep in the mud, with my fingers curled up, I suddenly choked up and screamed, and fell to the ground and cried out.
On August 11th in the tenth year of Ningwu, I escaped from Xu Mansion privately.
Ten days later, at the ferry outside Beijing, I was personally captured by Eldest Young Master Xu, taken back, locked up in the ancestral hall, and interrogated only after the three young masters were all together.
××
Explain, the red bead is Chapter 4,
When Sanxi was in the front hall of Shen's house and was found to be a scorpion, a red bead fell out of the bronze beast's mouth.