[Red Mansions] The Road to Empress Dowager

At night, Xing Xiuyan didn't go back to the bedroom immediately after getting up at night, and brought Qingxuan and Su Qing, who were on duty at night, to go to the warehouse to have a look.And Li Dequan in the ear room was also on duty at night, so he woke up and went with her.

When she woke up at night, Tu Yuanyi was in a daze, but she hadn't returned for a long time, and he woke up suddenly. There was no one by his side, and the quilt was a little cold.

He couldn't help being startled, put on his clothes, Li Rong brought the little eunuch into the palace, when he asked Concubine Chen, even Li Rong reported in embarrassment: "Your Majesty has gone to the warehouse and stayed in it for more than a quarter of an hour gone."

Tu Yuanyi scolded secretly: What about treating money like dung?

When Tu Yuanyi was wearing a cloak and chasing after him to the warehouse, someone was still dividing things with high spirits, and several court ladies were already yawning, but they were also checking or recording with the ledger.

Xing Xiuyan squatted, lit the treasures in the box, and murmured: "This is for mother, this is for Daiyu, this is for sister Fu'er, this is for Hui'er...well, they are all good treasures, I feel so distressed, Qingxuan ..."

Qingxuan yawned back.

Xing Xiuyan added: "You won't be jealous that I'm a nouveau riche, right? Come on, when you get married, besides a dowry, I allow you to pick one in my warehouse and use it as a family heirloom."

Qingxuan was unmoved, and only reminded her: "Your Majesty, it's five o'clock."

But Xing Xiuyan took out the pocket watch in the pocket of the cloak, looked at it and said, "It's four o'clock, I'll go back after looking at two more boxes..."

Tu Yuanyi stood at the door of the warehouse, turned his head to see that the crescent moon was sinking, his wife really needed to be disciplined.

Without saying a word, Qingxuan and other court ladies and Su Qing and other eunuchs knelt on the ground, but he didn't call out.

"Saint, you can't sleep either? Let's watch together!"

Tu Yuanyi decided to take back the evaluation that "she is actually very smart, elegant, indifferent, and beautiful", and she wanted to be so stupid that she could throw all her IQ and temperament into Gong Fang.

Then, Tu Yuanyi approached with a calm and handsome face, picked him up, and treated him like "the king of the mountain captured Mrs. Yazhai" when he first met, instead of "hug by a gentle princess".

After returning to the bedroom, he angrily pressed her down and spanked her a few times, scolding: "Don't dare to sneak outside in the middle of the night and try!"

Xing Xiuyan wanted to resist, but he had too much strength, so he had to defend himself: "I didn't go outside, I just went to the warehouse."

"No matter how shallow the eyelids are, they will disappear next year. I will give all the good things to the queen!" Haven't you seen enough during the day?I was so excited that I couldn't sleep at night.

"At any rate, give me some."

"If you do this, you have nothing."

Xing Xiuyan begged for mercy again, but Tu Yuanyi let her go.It turned out that he had just had a dream, as if returning to the place where he was a ghost.After he finished practicing, he went to see her, who was still tied to her feet with a rope, and found that she was gone, and he woke up in a panic.

Xing Xiuyan looked at him suspiciously, thinking to himself that the emperor who is so good at piling up money has the nerve to dislike her for being vulgar.

But thinking about it, apart from him, no one in this world would give her so many treasures.In the past, she always believed that women should support themselves by their own labor. Working ability is the most basic criterion for measuring a person's value. She only worships the strong at work.

However, for a woman who believes in independence, it still feels strange that someone suddenly comes to give everything. If she can't sleep thinking about her baby at night, she might as well count her baby.

She had made up her mind to gamble with sincerity, but she still didn't expect the result to be that good. She had to come out to look for it tonight, and she didn't think about where she could go in the deep palace.

This man is also a fool.

As for the emperor, if this kind of love experience is placed in modern times, I am afraid that she will be deceived by a woman. Fortunately, she has a little tricks in her daily life, but it is not considered to be a lie to him. She really likes him.

……

On the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, Tu Yuanyi has already sealed the imperial pen, and all the yamen have also been on vacation, preparing for the new year.

The palace sent eunuchs to give rewards to the ministers, relatives of the emperor, and relatives in the harem.

Naturally, the Xing family and the Lin family received a lot of rewards, and the Shi family's gifts were not insignificant.

After the master and servant of Shi Bai's family knelt outside the main hall to receive the royal reward, the chief eunuch, Wang Fu, was about to leave before he had time to drink tea. I folded my hands and left.

There are six boxes and two boxes of rewards from the saint and the empress, and two boxes and one box are specially given by the empress to "Jun Hemin County".

The Shi family has not seen what it is today since Taifu Shi, even if it is a noble family, everyone can't help being beaming.It is said that the rewards of saints will be somewhat lower than the filial piety of the emperor's relatives and ministers. This is also the habit of lower officials in the officialdom to send Shangguan ice charcoal respect and three festivals.But when Shi Zhang saw the gift list, he couldn't help sighing: "The emperor's grace is mighty."

Shi Cong had just passed the Qiuwei exam in Fujian, and since he came to Beijing at the end of autumn, he has been studying hard at home. Also studying hard in Shifu is his cousin Shi Li, Shi Rui, Shi Cong, and Shi Hui.

Although Shi Li won the exam, his ranking was lower, and he was 31 years old, his first wife had died, and he brought his daughter Shi Wan'er, who was eleven years old, to Beijing to join Shi Bai.Shi Li's father, Shi Song, has been promoted to the prefect of Qiongzhou, but he has no property in the capital and has to rely on his brothers.During Shi Li's several years in Fujian, Shi Wan'er followed Shi Feng's wife, Shi Zhao, and Shi Feng's eldest daughter-in-law, Shi Lin, so she naturally followed Shi Zhang when she came to Beijing.

After all, Shi Zhang's family has the name of imperial concubine and adoptive mother, and was born in a noble family. With her upbringing, Shi Wan'er's marriage will naturally go to a higher level in the future.

And Shi Bai was an official in Beijing, and his two elder brothers, one in Qiongzhou and the other in Fuzhou, were also horns with him, and the Shi family was also prosperous and the other was damaged. This is the concept of a big family handed down from generation to generation.

Shi Zhang's saying "the emperor's grace is mighty" is not an exaggeration, but the things bestowed by the royal family are two or three points thicker than usual, and they hardly take advantage of the filial piety of the Shi family. Silk, utensils, and tea are all extraordinary.

And the imperial concubine also rewarded generous gifts. Shi Bai got a set of palace kiln decorations and a fan; , Shi Cong got the precious tribute of the Four Treasures of the Study; for Shi Hui, they were boxed and gifted separately.

The imperial concubine is really the eldest sister who dotes on her sisters endlessly, and the parents and brothers of the Shi family didn't care if they even made a separate gift list when they saw her.

However, Shi Wan'er couldn't help being jealous because her uncle's family received a royal reward, and her little aunt was not a few years older than her, so she got a generous gift from the imperial concubine alone.

Shi Wan'er asked: "Little aunt, what did the imperial concubine and empress reward you? Can you open it and have a look?"

Shi Li scolded: "Wan'er, don't be rude!"

Shi Hui smiled slightly, and said: "It's just for the daughter's family, and it's all loved by the imperial concubine."

Saying that, Shi Hui opened the box that was only given to her, and she saw two horses of Qian Xiangluo, she took one out and gave it to Shi Wan'er.

"Let's make a pomegranate dress for Wan'er with this piece of material."

Shi Wan'er saw that Qian Xiangluo was bright in color and soft and smooth, she had never seen such a material before, and thought that only the palace had it, so she was overjoyed and took it away.

Shi Li frowned, but he was so focused on the imperial examination that he really didn't have the energy to teach his daughter, and felt that he owed her to some extent, and couldn't bear to reprimand her.As a father, when he sees things that other people's daughters have, he naturally wants his own daughter to have them. Sister Hui has so many things, and it's not too much to give a piece of cloth to her daughter. I think it's always a girl of the same clan.

On Shi Zhang's gift list, there is still a list of Shi Hui's individual gifts. You can tell what it is at a glance. She is also from a noble family, so she couldn't help laughing: "They all say 'Dongling daughter Qianxiang skirt', this Qian Xiangluo was a tribute from Qianxiang Kingdom, owned by the Queen of Qianxiang Kingdom, but it is rare. The imperial concubine gave two horses so much, I am afraid that other empresses in the palace may not have them. This summer, I cut a skirt and wore a fragrant scarf. No sweat stains, which is the best."

Shi Wan'er liked it even more, but Shi Li was taken aback because the piece of cloth was a tribute from Fanbang.Shi Wan'er looked at the box given to Shi Hui by the imperial concubine again, thinking that there was something good inside that she hadn't seen before.Of course, there are jewelry and valuables in the box. Shi Wan'er is young and likes beautiful jewelry, so she can't help feeling hot, and her eyes are even more greedy.

Seeing Shi Wan'er's expression, Shi Zhang could not help but hold her hand, and said: "It's almost New Year's Eve, Wan'er's hair is a little more clean, and my uncle and grandma have a good look. Wan'er goes over to have a look. It’s also festive to wear during the Chinese New Year.”

Shi Wan'er is happy now, Shi Wan'er is greedy by nature, but there are some who know that the imperial concubine gave the reward to the little aunt, the little aunt may not be willing to give it to her again, it is better to follow the uncle to get a new look.

Shi Cong knew early on that this niece was not generous enough, and she always looked at the things of her aunts and sisters.When she was in Fujian, the sisters and nieces of her second uncle's family did not like her. She came to Beijing with Shi Li, and the sisters and nieces all sent her off from the bottom of their hearts.

Shi Wan'er is greedy and feels a little bit self-conscious "I don't have a mother, I feel sorry for you. If you don't give me good things, you are bullying me for not having a mother", which makes the daughter-in-law of Shi Feng, the second son of the Shi family in Fuzhou, speechless.

And Shi Li is 31 years old. After his cousin Shi Rui took the lead in becoming a Jinshi, he also immersed himself in studying hard. He didn't care about continuous matters. There were only two maids around him.

And Shi Song and his wife, who were far away in Qiongzhou, were also people who were crowned with fresh clothes and angry horses in Jinghua. They were well-versed in affairs, and they had always wooed their brothers in Fuzhou and Beijing.

What Shi Rui likes in his heart is a straightforward and generous daughter like his younger sister, or a calm and unrestrained daughter like Xing Xiuyan who was shocked at the beginning, and a niece like Yu Shi Waner also frowned.

……

Shi Hui will reach the age of Ji next year. When she was in Gusu, she lived alone in a yard, and Mrs. Shi Zhang asked her to take care of her own yard to practice handicrafts.Now in Kyoto, she is also in charge of her own yard, and the wives carry the boxes back to the yard.

Zi Ling received the gift list to be registered and made an album, Xue Juan took off Shi Hui's cloak, Jin Sha hurriedly poured tea for Shi Hui, and after the ladies went down, Qing Wen opened the box.

The four maidservants waited on Shi Hui with a division of labor, showing the air of a great lady. Although Shi Hui is not like Daiyu, she has a nanny who is a court lady by her side, but she has a lot of style as a young lady from a noble family. The point is that even if she doesn't have such a style, she can still be calm.

Looking at the box full of good things, Zi Ling sighed: "There were two horses of Qian Xiangluo. They not only made a skirt, but they took one for Miss Wan."

Shi Hui smiled and said, "You're so stingy."

Xuejuan put away the cloak and came over, saying: "Not only is Zi Ling stingy, but the servants are also reluctant, it is the empress's affection for the young lady. Is the thing sent by the empress so vulgar? It is hard to find it in other places. Hold on to Miss and Second Miss."

Qingwen was also troubled, and said: "Miss is also in trouble, but what can I do? Miss Wan has been here for two months, how many things have you taken from Miss? The hairpins and bracelets will not be the same, last time I just thought about it I want Miss's red gold and treasured peony necklace, which was specially made by the empress for Miss, because Miss was born in May. How can I give it to her?"

Shi Hui was also a little helpless, but after all she was brought up by everyone, her eyelids should not be shallow, and said: "I think my mother will still teach her the truth carefully. After all, she is a girl of the same clan. If she is not good, how can I be good?"

Shi Hui sighed, and opened the box given by the concubine and elder sister. As soon as she opened it, the four servant girls couldn't help being dazzled.

I saw a string of thumb-sized South Sea pearl necklaces in the box, shining brightly, a set of gold bracelets full of precious stones, the kind that connects wrists and fingers like the Zixia fairy in the movie, and a set of peonies The delicate head face and earrings of flowers.

Zi Ling had seen good things before, so she couldn't help sighing: "Miss, these are really valuable, how can you get these without tens of thousands of taels of silver. Let's say this Nanzhu, the old man is in Qiongzhou, and every year he pays ceremonies. It's not that our family has never seen it before. But such a large and even string is really rare. Only the imperial concubine in the palace can get it."

Shi Hui also sighed: "Sister Guifei's gift is too generous."

Goodbye, the materials, utensils, incense beads, and fans in the box are all made with extraordinary care, and I can't help feeling grateful for the sincere affection Xing Xiuyan has treated her since he met her.Regardless of poverty or wealth, she always treats her the same, the rarest person in the world is such a person.Shi Hui also decided to repay the eldest sister of the noble concubine well and love her for the rest of her life.

……

The rewards received by the Lin family were higher than those of the Shi family. Of course, this was because Lin Ruhai, as a first-rank official, had to be sent to the palace to honor his status.The emperor relied heavily on him, and the gifts in the palace were generous, plus he was a noble concubine and adoptive father, which made Daiyu receive the same things as Shi Hui, without going into details.

The rewards for saints received by Rongguo Mansion will be much thinner, and it will not be until the 28th of the twelfth lunar month.

When the rewarding eunuchs came to the mansion, all the masters and masters crowded into the main hall of Rongxi Hall to thank them for their rewards.After all, Jia Amnesty was the head of the family, so of course he took the lead and knelt in front of him. Jia Zheng had to take half a step back at this time.

As honorable beings, many masters and servants got up respectfully after being rewarded by the sage on New Year's Day.

At this time, a little yellow door asked: "Which one is the first-class general's wife?"

Mrs. Xing blessed her body and said: "This is the minister's wife."

The little yellow gate arched its hands towards the north and said: "The imperial concubine and empress Yizhi!"

Everyone knelt down again, and Xiao Huangmen said: "The imperial concubine ordained to give fifteen bolts of palace satin, fifteen strings of pearls, fifteen sets of palace-made head masks, fifteen palace fans, and 15 yuan of soap to the female family members of the first-class general's family. , [-] silver mirrors, [-] boxes of rouge, and [-] sachets. The first-class general’s wife will assign all the female relatives to celebrate the New Year, hereby!"

Mrs. Xing couldn't hide her joy. All the masters and servants kowtowed again and said: "Thank you for your kindness! Your mother is a thousand years old!"

Jia Amnesty led the rest of the Jia family to stand up, only to see that Dafang's family was even more joyful than before.

Mrs. Xing is now a proud person, and said to the eunuchs: "The imperial concubine is a great kindness, the mansion is really smashed to pieces, and it is difficult to repay one or two."

Yuanyang was supporting Jia's mother, feeling that the old ancestor's body was trembling a little, and hated the imperial concubine's insolent behavior in her heart, and she used this to support Madam Xing blatantly.It wasn't just Mrs. Wang's face that was hit, it was her face.

But the eunuch Huangmen asked again: "May I ask who is the wife of the second master Lian?"

Wang Xifeng was looking at this, mourning for her good aunt in her heart, thinking that it was fortunate that Second Master Lian had sent Sister Lin back to the south, had discussed with her about the succession of the title in the mansion, and had argued with her again, making the situation clear. In the future, he will also have the backing of the Shi family uncle, and he will be called grandpa if he doesn't follow a slave in the future.Wang Xifeng was skeptical at the time, but in order to inherit the power, he will act and see. He will not be tight to his aunt in everything, and he will not belittle Mrs. Xing.Even when Mrs. Xing was in a difficult and embarrassing situation in the mansion, she turned around once or twice, never after her monthly routine.Otherwise, at this time, it would be difficult for her to be proud.

Wang Xifeng stepped forward and said with a smile, "Elder-in-law, do you have something to teach me?"

The Huangmen said: "The sage rewarded the imperial concubine with a few cloaks made of leather that were paid tribute from outside the pass. One of them was made of fox fur. I'm afraid I need several fox furs from outside the pass. But the imperial concubine said that she knew Among the ones who got it, Lian's Second Mistress is the most suitable one, so I asked the miscellaneous family to bring it to you."

Speaking of which, a little eunuch brought a big burden to Wang Xifeng, Wang Xifeng was overjoyed, and said: "This is really a great grace, it's hard for the imperial concubine to remember me as a person."

After the eunuch rewarded him, he left. Jia Lian hurriedly stepped forward to take 50 taels of silver notes and secretly stuffed them into the hands of the leading eunuch who announced the reward, and sent them out with a smile.

Mrs. Xing saw that Wang Xifeng also had this face, so she didn't dare to despise her.

But Xing Xiuyan remembers the plot in the original book where she was so poor that her parents left the original owner to live in Jia's mansion.Xing Xiuyan guessed that Xing Zhong's wife probably didn't ignore Xing Xiuyan, otherwise why they didn't live in the mansion and sent her into the mansion, they also wanted their daughter to have a better life and not suffer with them.

It should be said that there are parents who keep their daughter at home to work and prevent her from marrying early, and there are also those who sell their daughters for glory and money, but the original book does not mention that Xing Xiuyan had such an experience.No matter whether Mrs. Xing gave her a lot of money or not, Xing Xiuyan was able to live in Jia's mansion because of her relationship, and the pairing between Xue Biao and her was the Xue family's win over Mrs. Xing.Because of this relationship, Mrs. Xing supports Xue Baochai in her heart, and it can also be analyzed that Mrs. Xing at least has someone like Xing Xiuyan in her eyes, and treats her as her own. Otherwise, why give Xing Xiuyan a favor to win over Mrs. Xing?

Coupled with the kindness of the Xing family's uncle in nurturing Xing Zhong, as long as Mrs. Xing is not bold, Xing Xiuyan can borrow the imperial power to give her face, but it is just a matter of effort.

But for Wang Xifeng, there are two aspects. First, as a former reader, Xin Xiuxin likes Wang Xifeng with a distinctive personality, and makes her, who is also a woman, applaud her for setting up a lovesick game against the wretched Jia Rui; second, it is the original book. Zhongxing Xiuyan didn't have winter clothes to keep out the cold, and only Sister Feng found it pityful. This was "returning" a winter coat to her.

Baochai is also a beautiful person, although she doesn't like Wang Xifeng and doesn't know a few words, but she also knows where the limelight is coming from. She was also the one who thought of asking Wang Xifeng to secretly give gifts to Xing Xiuyan.

Baochai smiled first and said: "Sister Feng is a sister-in-law everywhere. The sisters at home are nothing more than sisters. This sister-in-law is now in front of the empress. It's cold in winter, and the maiden has given off her big cloak and cloak. I'm still worried about my sister-in-law." Frozen? Only 'Lian's second sister-in-law' has this face."

Tanchun is also a shrewd person, and recently he has gradually become fond of Jia Lian and his wife. When he was making shoes for Baoyu, he also made a pair for Jia Lian and a pair for Jia Huan. Baoyu and Jia Lian are meticulous, making shoes is also a time-consuming and labor-intensive task.

Tanchun laughed and said, "Sister-in-law, why don't you show me the good things that your mother rewarded you alone with our ignorant girls?"