37 years old, I became a harem concubine

"I called you... you guys to come here... I want to tell you about me... a hundred years later..."

"Chen Ping..."

When his name was called, Chen Ping walked up on his knees and knelt in front of Chen Fangyue's bed.

His eldest son, Chen Fangyue, was the child who made Chen Fangyue a father for the first time, but Chen Fangyue had no affection for his original partner, and he was devoted to the imperial examination, so there was not much father-son affection for him.

Looking at him, Chen Fangyue said: "You are the eldest son of the Chen family, and the future... Chen family... will be decided by you."

"A hundred years from now... you will treat the old lady... as your own mother..."

"Treat him...just like me...don't be perfunctory..."

"My son knows that he will live up to his father's great trust. He will take good care of the Chen residence and honor the old lady." Chen Ping lowered his head and knelt obediently. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Shen Huan's skirt sitting on the round stool. Posing and toe-toed feet.

He suddenly had a wonderful feeling in his heart. The mountain that had been pressing on his head for a long time was finally removed, and his breathing became much smoother.

After saying these few words, Chen Fangyue's breathing became heavier, his chest heaving violently was like a bellows with a hole in it, and every sound of panting hit everyone's ears.

After talking to Chen Ping, Chen Fangyue didn't call Chen Shi and Chen Zhan anymore, but looked at Shen Huan: "After I die... you will still live in Minghui Hall, and the old servant Lu An by my side is the most loyal... He'll take good care of you..."

"Cough cough cough-"

He suddenly coughed up a big mouthful of blood, which sprayed on the quilt and Shen Huan's skirt.

And his face was as pale as paper, his mouth was opened wide, and his chest no longer rose or fell.

The room suddenly exploded, and all men, women and children knelt down, crying loudly.

People like them, when they reach middle age, have already prepared their own coffins, which are carried out every year to be painted and dried.

Lu An took care of Chen Fangyue personally, and knew his body better than others. As soon as Chen Fangyue left, he immediately sent someone to fetch the shroud he bought. Ask people to build a coffin.

In the blink of an eye, all the maids and servants in the mansion changed into bright clothes, all dressed in plain colors, and some servants ran to attend the funeral for acquaintances.

Shen Huan seemed to be standing in a revolving lantern, with a haze in front of her eyes, like a play on the stage, watching many figures dangling in front of her eyes.

Suddenly, a hand supported him and spoke in his ear.

He snapped back to his senses, and withdrew his hand from Chen Ping's hand: "What did you just say?"

Chen Pingdao: "My wife is not in good health, do you want to go back to Minghui Hall to rest?"

Shen Huan felt that Chen Ping's back was much straighter than before, and something seemed different.

But he didn't study it carefully. He glanced at the wood that had been carried to the yard and was about to start building the bier: "How can I rest if your father is lying there? I'm afraid my relatives will come to the funeral tomorrow, so I have to prepare everything that needs to be prepared." Get up, don't let people say that the Chen family doesn't know how to behave, and that they have lost face to the Chen family."

"My son knows."

"I'm going to change clothes, and I'll be back in a while." Shen Huan said a few words to him, and hurried back to Minghui Hall with Wu Shiqingzi.

Shen Huan is the wife of Chen Fangyue, and she should pay more attention to her dressing. Mrs. Wu took out the white stand-up collar gown and white horse-face skirt that were pressed at the bottom of the box: "Qingzi, go to Gongzhong to get two pieces of white cloth, and sew them neatly." Bai Phi."

Then Mrs. Wu changed Shen Huan's clothes, took off all the hairpins and jewelry from her head, and took off the jade bracelets on her hands.

The waist-length hair is combed into a bun, fastened with a long and thin white silk, and then changed into a long shirt with a stand collar and a horse-faced skirt.

They had just finished dressing when Haruko, who had gone to get the white cloth, came back. She had no time to sit on a chair and stood there, using scissors to cut a piece of white cloth in half, folded them together, and sewed one side together with a needle and thread.

Haruko handed it to Shen Huan: "Try it, madam, do you want to cut it by two inches?"

There is a three-cornered hat on top of the white cloak, and a long white cloth is dragged underneath, which can almost cover the whole person when worn on the head.

When Shen's father and Shen's mother passed away, Shen Huan wore it and knelt for many days, and took it over and put it on her head very familiarly: "It's short and long, and it will be burned after the ceremony. It's not a problem."

After the past few days, Qingzi, who is simple-minded, already knows that the house is not peaceful. Both Jia Shi and Lu Shi are fighting with the old lady. Because of the master, their arrogance is suppressed by the wife.

But now that the master is dead, there is no family to help behind him, and the wife who has no sons and daughters under her knees is instantly at a disadvantage.

With Jia's temperament, he would definitely take advantage of their illness and kill them.

Not to mention that Baocui Building and Nishang Pavilion are still in their hands, in the days to come...

The more Haruko thought about it, the more uncomfortable she became, and she suddenly hugged Shen Huan: "Madam, shall we still live in Minghuitang?"

"Are you used to living here? Don't want to go to other places?"

Qingzi sniffled: "I'm used to it, but my wife is not here, and my servants don't stay here. I will go wherever my wife goes. Even if I die, I will die with my wife."

Shen Huan, who was hugged by her, listened to her words: "It's not that time yet."

"I'm going to change clothes with the nanny, we have to go there quickly, and we can't let people get caught up in the conversation."

"In addition, these days, you don't need to handle anything except what I ordered. If you really can't evade it, just pretend to be sick and faint."

"Madam is worried that someone will use the master's death as a raft?" Mrs. Wu couldn't believe it. Chen Fangyue was the old master of the Chen family and a first-rank minister of the imperial court. Who would be so restrained, even for this little time.

Shen Huan nodded: "Don't be afraid of ten thousand, just in case, there is nothing wrong with being careful."

When Wu Shi thought about it, it was indeed the truth.

Now, no more than in the past, they will be afraid of Chen Fangyue, who has a high position and weight. Once he is caught by Yutou, it will be even more difficult to get out.

Wu hurriedly called Qingzi, changed her clothes, and followed Shen Huan to the main courtyard.

Most of the mourning shed has been set up, and the mage invited overnight is painting the mourning flags. There are three mourning flags in total, the middle one is the tallest, with a pole length of three feet six, wrapped in white cloth, and the hanging mourning flag is seven feet wide and one foot four. , a small one on each side.

This is called Xiama Banner. Anyone who comes here to express condolences must tidy up his appearance, take off the sword he wears, and then take the veil smoked with green incense to wipe his hands before offering sacrifices to the dead.

If it is a female guest who comes, they will cry when they see this banner, and the female relatives of the host's house will cry back.

If it takes a long time to stop the spirit, the eyes of the crying women will be blinded from crying.

-

"—"

Shen Huan, who was sitting on the stool, woke up suddenly, subconsciously supported the side with her hand, but pressed it on the arm of Chen Fangyue, who had already put on the coffin but had not yet put on the coffin.

After one night, his body was already stiff, as if pressed on a stone.

Shen Huan withdrew her hands, looked at the people walking around outside the coffin shed, and breathed on her hands.

The charcoal basin is not allowed in the coffin, the only fire is the candles and the burning green incense that can only be extinguished on the day of burial.

Shen Huan's breath was cold, and she almost lost feeling in her fingers and toes.

If he knew this was the case, he had to add a few thick clothes inside.

As soon as I came here last night, I sat here according to the rules and burned paper for Chen Fangyue, not even knowing when I was squinting.

Looking at the sky outside the coffin shed, Shen Huan reckoned that it was almost dawn, so she licked her lips and whispered to Wu Shi who was outside: "Nurse."

Wu Shi, who had been standing all night, blinked her sleepy eyes vigorously: "Madam, the servant is here."

"Is the mansion ready to eat? I'm a little hungry after staying up all night."

"No, I don't know who did it, and no one will support me."

"The servant hid a piece of cake, the wife stuffed her stomach first, and let Qingzi go and see what's going on."

As Wu said, she stuffed the two-finger-wide cake in her sleeve into Shen Huan's hand through the gap in the white cloth. Shen Huan saw that it was the dessert for the three masters and servants last night. Yes, the embossing on it is a little fuzzy.

But Shen Huan was really hungry, so she took it and put it in her mouth. After eating, she found it a little strange, and then remembered that he ate it from Chen Fangyue's body, so she turned her back.

Just as he stuffed his last mouthful, there was a sudden sound in the yard.

Shen Huan hurriedly sat upright on the stool, and pulled off the white cape on her head. In an instant, half of her face was covered, only her chin and lips were exposed.

Three brothers Chen Ping, Chen Shi, and Chen Zhan came in dressed in sackcloth and filial piety, and knelt on both sides to burn paper money. After a while, people who came to express their condolences came.

It was a couple who came. The man wore a blue round-neck robe, had a beautiful beard, a square face with narrow eyes, and was dignified.The woman wore a yellow chestnut quilted beige with fine silver squirrel fur rolled around the collar and cuffs of the beanie.

The two took off the ermine hats they were wearing before dismounting from the horse flag, and took the handkerchief handed over by the boy to wipe their hands.

The man solemnly took three sticks of incense and lit them, bowing once, bowing twice, bowing three times.

His wife sat on the empty stool next to Shen Huan, covering her face with her handkerchief and weeping.

When she cried, Shen Huan cried too.

Shen Huan lived in seclusion and kept quiet, except for going to the palace once every three or five years to pay her respects to the Queen Mother, she seldom went out.

Cao Jing has never met Shen Huan face to face, but only heard the ladies in the circle say that Xu Xian, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, Chen Fangyue, is a rare beauty, so she couldn't help but look at him quietly.

The chin exposed under the white cloak is not the pointed shape of the melon-seeded face, but rather handsome and smooth lines, the nose is gentle and tall, and the lips are thin and affectionate.

Even if she couldn't see the upper half of her face, Cao Jing knew that Chen Fangyue Xuxian's beauty was not in vain.

Cao Jing didn't realize that her crying stopped unconsciously, Shen Huan looked at her curiously from under the white cloak, and met her eyes.

Cao Jing was short of breath.

There are many beauties in the world, whether they are dignified, enchanting or pure, but Shen Huan is not among them.

He seems to have grown up according to the most primitive and most unrevealable desire in the heart of the heart, and every part of his body is calling for people to love him and pity him.

But he happened to have such a pair of extremely clear eyes.

Pure as a childish deer, charming and pitiful.

What's more wonderful, Cao Jing felt that Shen Huan was different from most women, he had the handsomeness of a young man.

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