Prequel to the Red Chamber: I Am the Second Wife

Jia Zheng liked to make friends with literati. Although the person in front of him was called Jia Zheng, he was a little bit embarrassed, but Zhen Weiren's bookishness immediately brought Jia Zheng closer to him.Jia Zheng complimented Zhen Weiren, and then changed the topic: "Young son is wronged by Mr.'s great talent. Why don't you wait a few years and ask Mr. to be your teacher."

However, Chang Shi insisted: "Your Excellency is being modest. Since it is the kindness of the prince, please don't let him down. I heard that your son is a very intelligent person. This professor also taught the prince's son to read and write in the palace. Mr. Zhen wrote all the memorials for the prince’s response. Mr. Zhen has a good literary talent, and the emperor said that he has improved in several memorials. Speaking of which, this Mr. Zhen and your lord are still in the same imperial examination.”

When Chang Shiyue said so, Jia Zheng became more and more wary of Zhen Weiren. He guessed in his heart that King Wei must have sent this eyeliner because he saw that Qingniao was no longer needed.This time it will be replaced by this Mr. Zhen. He is a professor of the royal palace appointed by the imperial court, and he is also of high grade. He is still a teacher in front of his eyes.If she really came to the mansion to be a teacher to guide Zhu'er's knowledge, she would not be able to hide anything from the family to the king of Wei.Jia Zheng didn't want to keep Mr. Zhen in his heart, but Chang Shi refused to give in at every step, with an expression of buying and selling by force, and he had to stay or not.Jia Zheng was secretly anxious, and suddenly heard a girl's voice outside: "Mrs. Xian brought her elder brother here."

As soon as the curtain was lifted, a group of girls and women came in, surrounded by the mother and the child.Zili changed into neat clothes, and Jia Zhu also changed into a small robe. With a serious face, he took Zili's hand and followed step by step.Chang Shi hurriedly stood up, saluted Zili and said hello, while Zili turned slightly to avoid Chang Shi's salute and said modestly: "My lord, you are welcome. The gentleman came to the door, and he brought Zhu'er out. I don't know which gentleman the prince recommended." Zili gave Jia Zheng a reassuring look.Seeing Zili come in, Jia Zheng suddenly felt that he had the backbone: "Don't make people laugh at you for being so reckless. The prince kindly recommended a professor from the family to come here. It's just that this Mr. Zhen has an official position, how can he do that?" What about our family's teacher. I appreciate the kindness of the prince, but this matter should be discussed in the long term."

At this time, Zhen Weiren stood up without being humble and bowed deeply to Zili, and introduced himself calmly. Zili smiled, looked at the person in front of him slightly, and said in surprise: "There are really such handsome men in the world. Picturesque applied to him is worthy of the name. This person seems to be quite upright. Although the first emperor did not appoint Wei Wang as the heir apparent, all the officials in his palace were carefully selected. This Zhen Weiren must also be a There are two characters. In the current situation, the best policy is to pretend to be deaf and dumb and hide your strengths and bide your time. No matter what the background of this Mr. Zhen is, he must not offend King Wei anyway."

Zili thought about gently squeezing Jia Zhu's hand, leaned over and said to his son, "You like this gentleman, do you want to study with him?"

Jia Zhu didn't have as many worries as Jia Zheng and Zili. He took a few steps forward to look at Zhen Weiren in front of him, then turned to Jia Zheng and Zili and said, "I want to study with this gentleman, but I won't be able to recite the book for you, sir." Will you hit me?" Jia Zhu said as if Zhen Weiren would immediately take out a ruler and hit him on the palm, with his hands behind his back tightly, he asked Zhen Weiren expectantly and worriedly.

Jia Zhu's innocent appearance made everyone present laugh. Jia Zheng came out with a stern face and the air of an old man: "Nonsense, why are you talking to Mr. like this! It's the rules that your mother taught you." Seeing Zhen Weiren arching his hands apologetically: "Mr., you are laughing. The dog is really uneducable. Don't delay Mr.'s errand."

"My lord is talented and intelligent. If you don't dislike being late and dull, you can trust me with your lordship. To be honest, you are young now, and you don't have to do too much homework. You just need to build your foundation slowly. Your lord also came from the imperial examination. It is also hoped that the son will be born in the imperial examination. As the saying goes, after ten years of hard work, studies cannot be completed overnight, only a good foundation can be built to build a tall building." Zhen Weiren said that he was well-versed in studying the imperial examination, and Jia Zheng felt happy when he heard it.

Zili watched everyone's expressions from the sidelines, and seeing that Jia Zheng seemed to be loosening up, he hurriedly said, "Although I don't understand it, I think it's good. If that's the case, I'll ask Zhu Er to kowtow to Mr. Zili." After touching Jia Zhu, Jia Zhu smartly ran to Zhen Weiren and knelt down to kowtow.

Zhen Weiren was busy helping Jia Zhu up, and kept saying modestly: "Late students are ignorant, so they dare not talk about lessons, so let's learn from each other." This is all right, Zhen Weiren will give everyone present a word. As a reassurance, he refused to formally become Jia Zhu's master, making Jia Zheng and Zili feel that they could still draw a clear line with King Wei, and that even if something happened in the future, they would not be implicated.Wei Wang Changshi was also able to complete the task, and successfully put the nail beside Jia Zheng. In Jia Zheng's view, Zhen Weiren was an extremely humble person, and he would rather be a generation younger than Jia Zheng's child and call him a brother.This flatterer has every aspect, he is really a crystal heart glass person.

Zili smiled and said, "Teacher is dignified. Although Zhu'er is small, she must be courteous. Mr. Zhen is too modest. But today is indeed too hasty. Since it has already been agreed, let's choose an auspicious day to be a teacher. Let's be polite. I asked my servants to prepare some thin wine, sir, please eat your meal before leaving." Jia Zheng politely left Chang Shi and Zhen Weiren to come down.

Chang Shi understood what Zili meant, so he didn't refuse to thank Jia Zheng and Zili, so they followed the servants to the flower hall for dinner and drinks. Because Jia Zheng wanted to accompany Chang Shi and Zhen Weiren, he gave Zili a reassuring look and said They go together.Seeing that there were no outsiders around, Zili said to Ming Qian: "Do you still have the things I told you to put away? Take them out immediately and I will use them."

"Aniang, do I really want to study with that gentleman in the future?" Jia Zhu held Zili's head and looked up, waiting for her mother's answer.

"Why doesn't Zhu'er like that gentleman?" Zili squatted down and looked at the child at the same level. She suddenly felt that she was a little sorry for the child. Jia Zhu was just four years old and learned to accept things she didn't like because of her parents.

"No, I think that gentleman is quite kind, and he doesn't seem to want to be my husband. I prefer to be with my mother. I can understand the books taught by my mother. Others' books are not as good as my mother's. Good." The child's eyes are the most sincere, and Jia Zhu is keenly aware that everyone is saying things against their will just now.

"Threesomes must have my teacher. From now on, if any gentleman teaches you serious things, you should listen carefully." Zili picked up his son and kissed him, and took him back to the back.

Dai Quan personally handed the box to Zili, and Jia Zheng handed it to Wei Wang Changshi. Chang Shi took the box and looked at the intact golden lock on it, and put down a stone in his heart.Ming Qian said on the side: "Grandma asked me to tell my lord that there are too many people in the palace, so it is not good to go to the imperial concubine in person to pay her respects. This thing was given to our grandma by the imperial concubine as a reward." Your lord can just tell the prince that everything is fine with your concubine, but she is a little short-spirited, and the imperial doctor said that she is too sad and needs to rest."

Chang Shi stared at Ming Qian, as if he wanted to find clues from her face, but Ming's face was calm, his eyelids drooped slightly, and he narrated Zili's words expressionlessly.Chang Shi suddenly asked: "Is the girl serving Mrs. Xian personally? Did the girl follow Mrs. Xian all the time when she entered the palace?"

"The slaves followed me all the time. Our grandma didn't want to go that day. It happened that the queen mother sent a decree to invite our wife and grandma to the palace to watch a play and relax. Unexpectedly, the brother who was meeting the uncle's family was gone. Grandma wanted to avoid it. Mrs. It is said that it is the Queen Mother's order, and the small things at home should not spoil the Queen Mother's interest, so grandma went. The Queen Mother invited a lot of people that day, including several wives from several families, and many princesses and princesses in the capital. The slaves have been serving grandma all the time, and they are all watching. This thing was sent by a lame father-in-law when grandma was resting at the banquet." Ming preface was convincing, and Chang Shi knew it when he heard a lame eunuch He was relieved that he was someone close to Concubine Dong Gui.

After getting what he wanted and the news he wanted to hear, Chang Shi quickly said goodbye and left.Jia Zheng personally sent Chang Shi and Zhen Weiren to the door, and watched them get into the sedan chair before returning.

As soon as Jia Zheng came back, he plunged into the back. Zili had just taken a shower and was lying on the recliner under the window, asking the maids to wipe their hair with towels.Seeing Jia Zheng coming in, Zili pursed her lips and smiled, "Come in in a hurry, don't be hurt by the grape trellis."

Thinking of the embarrassment just now, Jia Zheng's face was a little unnatural: "As long as grandma is happy, I don't care. Now I know that the accumulation of bones has been destroyed. Anyway, my reputation of fear of guilt is gone. You haven't seen Chang Shi His gaze is like watching a joke." Jia Zheng waved his hand and all the maids went out, and he sat beside Zili and fanned her slowly with a fan: "They have already taken their things back, you said the king of Wei would Do you believe it?"

"As long as Mingqian doesn't show his flaws, why should he not believe it? Although you have gained the reputation of being a fear of internal affairs, King Wei will not pay attention to you. I am a woman anyway. What can they do to me? I You haven't been at home for a few days, but are you still quiet?" Zili took the fan from Jia Zheng's hand and played with it.

"I know your painstaking efforts. Don't mention the past again. If I am still confused, you can just punish me casually. There is nothing to do when you are not at home. Mr. Zhou said that King Wei has made a lot of money now. A few days ago, he remitted a large amount of money to a bank in the capital, but he didn't know who it was to. There was no movement from King Zhongyi." Jia Zheng simply lay down next to Zili, and the husband and wife lowered their heads. Talking privately.

"I just don't understand. A few days ago, Emperor Xian's dragon body was not happy. King Wei almost wanted to sharpen his sword. He was waiting for the death of the emperor and he was about to rise up. I was sweating. Who knew that the news of the emperor's death spread Why did he stop playing? These days are very quiet, if Chang Shi didn’t come to the door in person today, I would have thought that King Wei was planning to become a rich prince. Did you hear any news while you were in the capital?” Jia Zheng leaned on Zili's shoulder and asked about the situation in the capital.

"That was a good show. Master Jing of the East Mansion has done a great job." Zili told Jia Zheng all the news he had heard from Wang Ziteng.

Jia Jing has been stepping on two boats. Since he became the commander of the guards, he has become the target of Concubine Dong Gui.Jia Jing took Dong Guifei's money and promised that if the emperor's dragon body changed, he would immediately notify Dong Guifei.But when things came to an end, Jia Jing didn't know how to be blessed, so he suddenly turned the wind and united with the Wang family to join the Taisun. The concubine is still dreaming.

Hearing Zili's words, Jia Zheng couldn't help but sighed, "I usually never found Brother Jing to be that kind of person again, but now he has risen to the top. He has become a supporter." Jia Zheng looked at Jia Jing's boldness. Expressed surprise and envy for Jia Jing's future official career.Thinking about my own qualifications from the bottom of the bitter haha, as for others, they went straight to the sky.People are more popular than people.

"Don't be envious of Big Brother Jing over there. He's earning a fortune and he's clearly ruined his own future, and he's going to implicate our family. He was favored by the first emperor, but he colluded with Concubine Dong Gui. Concubine Dong Gui’s money and benefits betrayed her. What should the emperor think of him? Do you think what happened to Brother Jing in Jinling? He was entrusted with a heavy responsibility after entering the capital. We all misunderstood him on weekdays, and I am afraid that even the master was deceived by him. Brother Jing hid so deeply, and in the end he still failed the trust of the late emperor. How can he be tolerated today. Now he refuses to reveal it just because of the merits of his betrayal, but the emperor has already planted seeds of doubt in his heart, which will germinate when the time is right." Zili gave Jia Zheng a glance.This old gentleman is a bit pedantic, but the advantage is that he can listen to others.

"Ashamed, ashamed. Grandma still has a long-term vision. I just don't know what happened to my father? I can't write a letter to ask directly. The letter from my father's family only said that I should feel at ease to run errands for the emperor and be loyal to the court. You go back We’re home, but did you hear what your father and wife said?” Jia Zheng asked about Jia Daishan’s situation, and he disappeared before he was warmed up by the Ministry of Rites.Jia Daishan was getting old, and he was not liked by the new emperor. Compared with Ningguo Mansion, the situation of Rongguo Mansion was a bit worse.Jia Zheng is now the only person in the Rongguo Mansion with an official position.It's just that it's not very useful. In a place like the capital, a magistrate is just a small role.

Mentioning Jia Daishan, Zili could only sigh: "I don't know what happened to my father, maybe we are young and don't understand those profound ways of life. When the late emperor passed away, my father actually told the grandson to invite princes to come in." Condolences in Beijing! In the end, you wanted to go by yourself. I heard from my father that the face of the current emperor has become very ugly. I didn’t dare to ask when I went home. I just pretended not to know.” Said very puzzling.Could it be that Jia Daishan had a short-circuited brain for a while, and said such idiotic words, Jia Daishan is the real scheming man alive, he has long seen that there will definitely be a battle between the new king and the king of Wei, in order to avoid being implicated, he used a Zhaojin super shell?So that the whole family can stay out of it?If that's the case, Jia Daishan really hurt Jia Zheng enough, and he avoided it by himself, leaving his son at the forefront of the confrontation between the emperor and the king of Wei.This is simply cheating son.

What Zili thought of, Jia Zheng also thought of it. Jia Zheng was silent for a while and sighed: "I am not only a subject of the emperor, but also my father's son. If the king wants the minister to die, the minister must die. If the father wants the son to die, the son has to die." I just want to have a clear conscience. I don’t care about that right now, as long as you can give birth safely and Zhu’er can grow up healthily, that’s my wish.”

Hearing the disappointment in Jia Zheng's tone, Zili hastily changed the subject: "Don't think too much about it, brother-in-law Lin went to Suzhou to be an official, and my wife said she was worried. Third sister asked us to take care of him from time to time. Although the Dragon Boat Festival has passed , but you also communicate with brother-in-law Lin by letter. Firstly, we are relatives, and we should have walked around each other, secondly, my wife misses my third sister the most, and she will be married for a while, so it’s better if she has no children."

Jia Zheng held Zili in his arms and patted her on the back: "Am I such a fool? Before the Dragon Boat Festival, I asked someone to send a gift to the Lin family. It was my third sister who was at home that day. How did you treat her, the Dragon Boat Festival is a married girl Gui Ning, she is fine, it’s fine if Lu Yuan can’t come. You didn’t even say hello. You still think about her! It’s your generosity.”

Zili looked up at Jia Zheng in surprise. In her impression, Jia Zheng still favored Jia Min.Why did Jia Min suddenly complain to his face? "What's the matter with you? Brother, don't worry about that. How can the mother-in-law above the third sister think whatever she wants? She is going back to her mother's house, and you are her second brother. The wife and master are still in the capital. She A young daughter-in-law, what can she do? I think the third sister has a lot of things, but one thing is that she has no children. When she was in the capital, she was worried. Make wishes, donate, and distribute food to the poor every year. But the third sister is still silent. Can she not worry?" Zili thought that although Jia Min said in the letter to Jia Mu that everything is fine, don't worry, but marrying a single heir of several generations Her husband has been married for several years and has no children, which is a lot of pressure for any woman.In particular, Lin Ruhai's grandmother is not an ordinary person. To be honest, she is even more troublesome than Jia's mother. Jia Min's princess-like nature, which was pampered by Jia's mother, must have suffered a lot from Lin's family.Even if you have the life of a princess, don't suffer from princess disease.

"You don't have to worry about other people. Children are destined by God. My brother-in-law and sister are still young, so there will always be children. By the way, your birth looks like a daughter to me. If this is the case, we can be regarded as both sons and daughters. Although Zhu Er is smart, boys are too noisy, if he is a girl like you, it will be our blessing." Jia Zheng put his arms around Zili and described the happy life in the future.

The child in her stomach seemed to know that her parents were talking about her, so she turned over inside Zili's belly and touched her stomach, but Zili began to worry about the future of Jia Zhu and the child in her stomach.Jia Zhu is smart and lively, but the cuter the child is, the more Zili is worried that something will happen to Jia Zhu. "Pearl is still young. I mean, although you want your child to become a dragon, you can't force him to study all day long, so that the child will lose his childishness. The child is growing up, and a good foundation is better than anything else. I want to wait If Zhu'er formally invites her husband to study at the age of seven or eight, he doesn't need to get married too early to avoid distraction. What do you think?"

Jia Zheng didn't know the shadow in Zili's heart, he just thought it was his wife who cared about the child: "Look, a loving mother has many losers. You will start to feel sorry for your son now. Forget it, even though Zhen Weiren is a good scholar, you should pay attention to it. Just Just follow what you said. It's just that I will teach my son a lesson in the future, and you can't protect him. "

"Don't worry, as long as Zhu'er does something wrong, I won't protect him." Zili and Jia Zheng were gossiping, and gradually tired, they both fell asleep.

Zhen Weiren came to teach Jia Zhu the next day, Zili treated him with courtesy, and personally brought the child out to greet Zhen Weiren, and please, please, Zhen Weiren don't have any scruples to teach with all his heart.Zhen Weiren agreed, and Zili had already asked someone to clean up a quiet courtyard in the backyard, where Zhen Weiren taught Jia Zhu a lesson.

Time flies, and it is the end of the year in a blink of an eye. Seeing that the end of the year is approaching, everyone is busy with the year, Zili's belly is getting bigger and bigger, Dong's sister-in-law and a few stable women are counting on their fingers. "Grandma's baby was not born at the end of the year, but at the beginning of the year. This winter was not bad. It snowed a few times in a row, but it was not particularly cold. It is not uncomfortable to be confinement. The young man in the stomach is also blessed The mother-in-law who delivered the baby said flattering words in front of Zili: "Don't worry, grandma, I have delivered hundreds of children. Grandma's baby is stable, and it's not the first baby. It will definitely be a smooth delivery. Everything is ready, and the mother-in-law also made an offering, and asked for a signature. Grandma just rest assured that everything will be fine. At the end of the year, everyone celebrates the holidays. At this time, grandma has a young master, which is also a double blessing."

Zili leaned on the warm kang with her stomach upright and said that she was stable, although it was mostly a compliment, but it was the truth, so she smiled and said: "By your auspicious words, please stay here for a few days. I don't care if I have anything." I would like to invite you to come here anytime. But it will delay your Chinese New Year, I have already asked someone to prepare the New Year’s goods and send them to your homes. You can use these pieces of satin to make new clothes, and I am very happy." The girls said. He took some satin and gave it to the two stable women, and they all accepted it gratefully and withdrew.

"Help me down and walk around, I'm so bored in the room that I want to go out for a walk." Zili helped Mingqian's hand to get off the kang, and the little girl immediately brought a cloak for Zili to put on.

Both Zhou Rui's family and Mrs. Dong hurriedly came out to dissuade them: "The snow just fell, and the ground was completely melted. Grandma's body is heavy, and she slipped carefully."

But Zili insisted on going out: "Don't worry about it, I have my own measure. The outside has been cleaned up a long time ago, so how can I slip into it." In fact, Zili has made up her mind, she doesn't want to call her daughter the first day of the new year Birthday, what is called Yuanchun.She had a vague but clear idea in her heart, as long as this child was not born on the unlucky first day of the new year, and it was not called Yuanchun, her fate could be changed.There are still ten days before New Year's Eve. Even if the child is born at this time, it will not harm his body. Zili has been waiting for the opportunity. Until the day before yesterday, it snowed for two consecutive days, and some dilapidated houses in Qingzhou City were covered by snow. When it collapsed, Jia Zheng was busy leading people to rescue them.Zili finally found the opportunity to realize his plan.

Mingqian also advised Zili not to go out, but Zili was determined to go out. Seeing that they couldn't persuade them, they could only ask someone to clean up the yard before they surrounded Zili in a mighty way. went out.The yard had been cleaned by Zhou Rui's family for a long time, and there was not a little snow left. The ground was originally a green brick floor, and there was no trace of mud at all.Zili could only walk around the yard boredly for a couple of times, she suddenly quickened her pace and walked towards the small gate leading to the garden.

"Where is grandma going? It's cold in the garden, let's go back." The girls who were left behind suddenly exclaimed and wanted to come up to stop Zili, but Zili accelerated under his feet, saying in his mouth: "Don't you The scorpion stings, I have my own measure." But before Zili finished speaking, a black shadow rushed in and bumped into Zili's arms.

Zili hugged her stomach subconsciously, and then she felt her body was hit hard, she took a few steps back and fell hard on the frozen hard ground.