The Jade of the Red Chamber

On April 21st, Lin Zhenyu stood among the tributes who had passed the examination. A group of tributes quietly entered Qinghui Hall from dawn. , and then issue policy questions, hand in papers at dusk.

In the next few days, the reviewers reviewed the papers and read them in turn. The ten papers with the most excellent reviews were selected and presented to the present.

Today, in the Qinghe Hall, the ten are announced and introduced.Outside the hall were waiting for the tribute priests to take part in the palace examination. Although there were more than a hundred people, they were silent. Lin Zhenyu stood among them, bowing her head in a respectful gesture. Although the weather at the end of the month is still very cool, many people have sweated their clothes.

"No. 10, Wang Zhize from the capital city!" A young man in his 20s stood out under the envious eyes of everyone, and entered the hall with the little eunuch. "No.9...No.8..."

"No.5, Lin Zhenyu from Gusu!" Zhenyu's spirit was shaken, and she hurriedly restrained her expression and came out.After a while, five more people entered the hall one after another, ten people stood still, the first three stood in front, and a little eunuch sang "The emperor is here!"

Shui Zhan sat on the throne, looked at the outstanding figures one by one, paused slightly when he saw No. An old man who is over half a century old, the rest are young and middle-aged, and even Lin Zhenyu and No.5's officials have not reached the weak crown. Standing in the team, the two of them are like two nests being eaten off by a wall-suddenly dwarfed.

Shui Zhan nodded in satisfaction, and told them to go down without saying anything. Today is just a brief introduction to the top ten, and the full ranking will be announced tomorrow, called Chuanlu.

The Grand Ceremony of Chuanlu was very grand, princes, ministers, civil and military officials each wore their court clothes and separated to the left and right. When Zhenyu came in, he quickly glanced at it, and sure enough, he saw the second one on the front left looking like a watery one. He felt a little more relaxed, Zhenyu thought to himself There must be acquaintances at such moments!He wanted to find his father, but Lin Ruhai's location was obviously not as clear as Shui Yang's. A group of officials stood together, even if he stared cross-eyed, he couldn't find his father in such a short time.

The officials of Honglu Temple read out the edict, and then the Chuanlu officials sang No. 1 of No. 2... until the last of No. 13, and awarded the official positions of No. [-] and three on the spot.Lin Zhenyu is No. [-] in the second class, a Jinshi background.Both the Lin family and Mr. Ye are very satisfied with this result. Not to mention that Lin Zhenyu has tried his best, even if he is really talented to fight for the No. [-] spot, Lin Ruhai and Ye Qiong will also ask him to "hide his clumsiness". At the age of [-], if it is too eye-catching-the wood is beautiful in the forest, and the wind will destroy it!

Five days later, in order to select the Shuji scholars of the Imperial Academy, the second and third graders took the imperial examination.After the event, Lin Zhenyu entered the Hanlin Academy as a scholar and was appointed editor.

Lin Zhenyu is already a legitimate court official, and her background has been reviewed by the court. Even if Jia's mother claimed that Lin Zhenyu was originally the concubine of the Jia family, Jia Jue, if there is no strong evidence, there is no way to do it, and it may end up being a false accusation. charges.

At this time, the only thing in Jia's mother's hand that can prove Lin Zhenyu's life experience is a letter from Jia Min, but this letter cannot be regarded as evidence. After all, Jia Min has passed away, and only Jia's mother knows about this letter. No one can prove the authenticity of this letter. Besides, it was Jia's mother who ordered Jia Zhen to mark Jia Jue's early death due to illness from the genealogy. At that time, there was another coffin for burial.Therefore, the only thing that Mother Jia can threaten the Lin family is to control Aunt Zhou's life.As long as Aunt Zhou is rescued, the matter will be settled, and Mother Jia can only vomit herself.

Rescuing Aunt Zhou from the Rongguo Mansion is not easy. With Mother Jia's treacherous and cunning temperament, she has long seen that Aunt Zhou is her trump card to contain the Lin family. Naturally, she will not let her go out easily, and even pretends to be Aunt Zhou. The head assigned a woman in charge of sweeping in her yard to Aunt Zhou.

However, Mother Jia looked down on concubines and aunts who came from such a small family as Aunt Zhou. Apart from not letting her go out, she only occasionally invited the old woman to ask a few questions, and didn't really care. No waves can be found under the bottom.

Aunt Zhou has always been good at hiding her clumsiness, and this time is also the same. She has been pretending to be a log for many years, so she will show her feet here!

This woman's surname is Cai, and she is not relied on in Jia Mu's yard. She can't get into Jia Mu's room on weekdays. She has long been envious and jealous of those mothers-in-law who are in power.

After finally changing a job, she came to take care of this unfavorable Aunt Zhou. Mrs. Cai said it was unlucky, and she couldn't help pointing at Sang and scolding Huai. Who is Zhou Hui? She is a person who has been trained and can endure a few days without making a sound outside. people!She scolds and let her scold, as long as she pretends to be a wooden person, she will not give any money. This person looks like an extremely greedy type. Giving money will not help but will make her more interested Find your faults and weaknesses so I can handle you!

Sure enough, Mrs. Cai quieted down after a few days of quarreling. She originally thought that the old lady sent her here because there was something wrong with Aunt Zhou this week, and she had made up her mind a long time ago. She won't tell the old lady about the money, isn't Aunt Zhou just her money bag? If Aunt Zhou doesn't have money, then she will use it to ask the old lady for a reward!

But I didn't expect that Aunt Zhou was not only a log, but also a poor ghost!The furnishings in the room are not bad, but I heard the two maids say that these are all rewarded by the second wife, and they can't touch a single thing.Mrs. Cai was anxious and panicked. She could go to the old lady's place to gossip and ask for some rewards, but the old lady told her not to reply if she didn't come to tell her something after hearing it twice.Scratch the old lady Cai's heart and lungs angrily, and all the oil and water are gone!What's even more irritating is that when she was still thinking of a way to return to the old lady's courtyard, a poor woman who was related to Madam Lai filled her vacancy!

The old lady tried several times to enter the old lady's yard, but failed because there were no shortages. This time she seized the opportunity to fill in the old lady Cai's vacancy. Nanny Lai mentioned this relative incidentally while chatting with Jiamu, and the old lady moved the yard. And the garden where the yard is located is handed over to this woman. You must know that the management of the garden is a fat job!Not to mention that you can get a lot of rewards for picking beautiful flowers and sending them to old ladies, wives, and girls. The fruits and seeds that grow in the garden every season are comparable to income. As long as you are careful, no one will Care about this specially.

Mrs. Cai's teeth were itchy when she heard about it, and she decided in her heart that this matter was a trick that the old woman and Nanny Lai wanted to squeeze her out of: it was just a few words to the old lady. Aunt Zhou is a powerless and rich woman. , is the best excuse and target. After the old lady found out, Lai Momo mentioned her a few more words, and the old lady sent her over, and the seat in the old lady's courtyard was vacant!

Mrs. Cai thought that after she figured out the whole thing, she became more and more lazy, gossiping, eating wine, and gambling with some dissatisfied women all day long.Seeing that Aunt Zhou was satisfied regardless of her, she was even more rampant, and sometimes she couldn't see anyone for two days in a row.

Sending Chunfeng to guard the door and window, Zhou Hui took out from her bosom the son's letterhead that had just been passed in, Chuncao laughed in a low voice, "That Mrs. Cai really went to play cards again!" This old woman was dizzy.

However, the presence of Mrs. Cai is a good shield, Shi Taijun should be much more at ease!

This letter was written by Zhenyu to announce the good news to her mother. Although Aunt Zhou knew about it from the servants of Jia's family yesterday, Zhou Hui's heart is sweetened by her son's thoughtfulness.He also said in his heart that he wanted her to get the two loyal maids out of Jia's house first.

Chunfeng Chuncao is nearly [-] years old and has never been away from Aunt Zhou. It is because of the help of these two girls that many things can be done these years. Auntie is the one who looks calm and determined now, and the relationship between them has long been a master and a friend.

A long time ago, Aunt Zhou promised these two girls that she would take them out of the jackal's den of Jia's house, so that they could be flat-headed ladies outside!Because Aunt Zhou was out of power, and the two maids were seldom talkative and diligent, so after all these years, none of the maids who accompanied her came to ask for help. up.

In the letter, Zhenyu asked her to release the two maids on the grounds that they were getting old, and then he would arrange for a "small businessman" from the south to approach Zhou Rui's son-in-law, Leng Zixing, and revealed that he wanted to buy two honest maids as his wife. The idea of ​​a concubine, but also envious of the lintel of the Rongguo Mansion, wanted to beg here.Generally, which girl with some connections would want to leave the rich and rich township of Rongguo Mansion and be assigned to be a concubine outside?When the time comes when Leng Zixing receives the gift, the candidate will naturally fall to Chunfeng and Chuncao who are helpless and even useless as their master.

As for the relationship between Lin Zhenyu and Zhou Hui after the two good girls left, there is no need to worry about it. There are people left behind by Jia Min in the outer courtyard, and Mrs. Tan, the doorkeeper in the inner courtyard, just married her only daughter a while ago. A small butler in a shop was married off.Good guy!That dowry is eye-watering!Come to think of it, it's normal for Mrs. Tan to gossip with Mrs. Cai from time to time...

Aunt Zhou felt at ease. She never worried that she would not be able to leave this Jia mansion. Anyway, her son has been promising now. Even if he really couldn’t leave it, it’s okay. He’s been here for so many years. ?Of course, she knows her son's character well, and knows that Zhenyu will definitely take her out of the house. Besides, she, Zhou Hui, is not someone who can be manipulated by others, so why would she stay here and bring hidden dangers to her son? !

From the beginning to the end, what she was worried about was if one day she left Jia's mansion, what would happen to the two maids around her?After following her for so many years, it must be Chunfeng Chuncao who was the first to be interrogated by Jia's mother!If the two implicated girls lose their lives, she will have a restless conscience and feel guilty for the rest of her life!Therefore, what she often thinks about most is how to take the two of them together, but it is too difficult. Zhou Hui carefully burns all the letters to ashes, and sighs in relief. She is the one who got into a dead end. , Spring grass to send out first!

A few days later, when serving Mrs. Wang for dinner, Aunt Zhou deliberately let Chunfeng Chuncao walk in front of Mrs. Wang. Chunfeng and Chuncao are nearly twenty years old, so they are naturally more exquisite and charming than those little girls. For Mrs. Wang, who saw the enchanting appearance of the second master's new maid every day, it was extremely dazzling!

Sure enough, Mrs. Wang asked coldly who it was, and Aunt Zhou hurriedly replied that it was her girl.

Mrs. Wang frowned, and asked Zhou Rui's family: "These two girls are so old, why haven't they been released from the mansion to be married?!"

Zhou Rui's family was a little embarrassed, these two girls were really too honest and inconspicuous, they were forgotten when they were let out a few years ago, and they were not even written in that corner of the register.

Fortunately, Mrs. Wang saw that although these two girls had some stature, they were dull like Aunt Zhou, and their appearance was just ordinary, so she didn't care and said, "Let me take them back and marry them by themselves!"

Aunt Zhou said dully: "The spring breeze and spring grass are bought, and they don't have parents."

Mrs. Wang said impatiently: "Then leave it to their godmothers! Zhou Rui's family can figure it out!" After speaking, she waved them out.

Zhou Rui's family is a bit embarrassed, these two don't even have godmothers!While worrying, she suddenly remembered that when her son and daughter came, she said that a small businessman from the south wanted to ask two maids from the mansion to be concubines. At that time, she still thought that this man was a toad who wanted to eat swan meat, wishful thinking!How dare a small businessman ask their girl to be a concubine?No one wants to be a lady!The daughter also complained that it was a pity that it was a waste of 100 taels of thanks.

Zhou Rui's family slapped his thigh, isn't this a pillow given away when he fell asleep!The two girls are settled, and half of the 100 taels promised by her son-in-law has been done!

In Aunt Zhou's room, the spring breeze and spring grass filled her eyes with tears, and she couldn't bear to part with Zhou Hui. Zhou Hui patted the two and whispered, "Don't worry, we will see each other sooner or later!"...

In the Lin Mansion, Mao Song (Brother Aloe, shopkeeper of Yunxiu Pavilion in Yangzhou) who plays the role of a small businessman from the south has two deep marks between his eyebrows. After a while, he said with a smile: "The food cooked by my sister is still delicious!"

Aloe took a look at her elder brother: "Isn't sister-in-law's cooking delicious? My elder brother is half fatter than last year!"

Mao Song looked at his sister carefully, saw that Aloe's complexion was very good, and also saw that the hairpin, bracelet, pendant, and ring she was wearing were all good, so he knew that the housekeeper, Uncle Ma's family, did not treat his sister badly, so he reassured: "It seems Big and small didn't bully my sister."

"Brother! What are you talking about!"

Aloe changed the subject with a blushing face: "Brother, why did the uncle tell you to dress like this?" He was dressed like a rich man, and he wore seven gold rings on his ten fingers, one of which was obviously gilt Yes, coupled with my brother's fat face, it's really... horrible!

Mao Song shook his head, and said helplessly: "It turned out that my brother was lucky enough to come to the capital to deliver the goods at this time, just to do a little favor for the uncle, but this clothes... oh, and that person... It's just too much. Wordy! Talk too much! Whoever is unlucky to be his neighbor or master, you can tell you all about the family affairs! There is no such thing as rules and taboos!"