Daiyu's wife in the Red Chamber

Qianglong didn't overwhelm the snake, Wei Ruolan and Daiyu held back their anger for a while, and after discussing properly, they split up.

The wife encountered this catastrophe at home for no reason, and was forced to promise to the people to buy land and give out porridge to resolve the crisis. Although the husband and wife did not know when the trip would be over, nor where the next job would be transferred, they had already planned to see the barren fields along the way. Set up farmland here for daily needs, but willingly doing it is completely different from being forced to do it.

Wei Ruolan was terrified, and decided to hold the general camp in her hands as soon as possible, after comforting Daiyu repeatedly, she urged her to go to the military camp again, and before leaving, she ordered someone to find out who was behind the instigation of the people.There are three candidates, one is Mrs. Zhang for the demonstration, the other is that Mrs. Zhang did it deliberately yesterday, and the officials and women present at the scene kept in mind the couple. It's good to get revenge.

Wei Ruolan and Daiyu both had the same thoughts about whether they could find out these secrets, and they didn't really care. It had been more than half a day, and no one knew who the speaker was, so it was difficult to find out what they wanted to know.

Daiyu was arranging the unfinished housework at home, and at the same time ordered people to find out where the land in Ping'an Prefecture was good. She was going to buy some fertile land in the southeast, northwest, and directions. Rui and Yinglian's mother and daughter, the three of them had red eye circles, and the tears were just dry, which showed that they had been greatly frightened before.

Yinglian and her daughter lived in the three rooms assigned to Zhou Kui, near the back door of the courtyard, they had arrived when the common people gathered outside, and did not dare to disturb Daiyu, so they did not enter the room, while Chen Rui lived next door, She couldn't even go out when the people gathered, so she arrived at this time.

Chen Rui took Daiyu to look up and down for a while, and said: "What are these things? The county magistrate does good things, but he almost caused a catastrophe."

Daiyu's mood had already calmed down, she smiled and said: "Don't worry, the matter has been resolved."

Chen Rui breathed a sigh of relief, and said: "It is said that doing good deeds depends on the heart, but I didn't expect that some people take it for granted, force the county magistrate to do good deeds, and those who instigate the people to come here are really hateful, and it is not an exaggeration. Eldest brother went out to do some shopping early in the morning, and like General Wei, he is not at home, but if there is a man at home, the county magistrate doesn’t have to deal with it alone.”

But Daiyu smiled and said: "They are busy outside, we are at home, we should take care of these things by ourselves, how can we rely on them blindly? After all, they have their own responsibilities, we can't be at home every day, and let them worry about the family. not good."

Chen Rui stared blankly at Daiyu, feeling ashamed in her heart. She was a few years older than her, but she was not as thorough as her.

Therefore, the matter is considered to be over, Daiyu didn't want to say more, and instead asked: "Have you set the auspicious date for the ceremony? Let me know when it is set, we are all away from home, we should help each other."

Chen Rui shyly said: "It's only been two days since I entered the city, and everything has not been done. How can it be so fast? When the date is fixed, I will definitely come to invite the county magistrate." From the big ceremony to the marriage, it will take at least a month. Liu Xianglian has a heart To choose an auspicious day, but waited for them to come to confirm it, so the date has not been set at this time, and today I heard what happened to Daiyu, it must be delayed for a few days.

Daiyu laughed and said, "Then I'll just wait. If you need anything, just tell me. I'll send someone to arrange it. Our uncle and Liu Erye are brothers and sisters, so we don't have to share with others.

Chen Rui bowed her head in agreement.

Daiyu also came here in the same way, so instead of teasing her, she asked how Yinglian and Feng's mother and daughter were doing. One of the mother and daughter is old, and the other has suffered since childhood. She began to recuperate, and it has improved a bit. Daiyu thought that there is a disease in Xiangling's blood in the original manuscript, which is not good for the fetus, so she said with concern: "Come and tell me if there is any medicinal material missing, I will keep a lot."

Yinglian was full of gratitude, and said with a smile: "Before leaving Beijing, I asked the doctor to prescribe a large package of medicinal materials. There is no shortage for the time being. Thank you grandma for your kindness." Yinglian also followed Zhou Kui's address.

Daiyu said: "It should be."

After finishing speaking, I asked Yinglian about her dietary taboos, and told Zijuan, "It's hot, bring some bowls of heat-relieving soup."

Zicuckoo agreed, and after a while, she brought a few bowls of soup over.

Chen Rui and the others ate half a bowl and talked with Daiyu afterward. Seeing that she looked normal and she was fine, they heard that the steward was waiting outside for an answer, so they hurriedly said their goodbyes.

Housekeeper Xie was outside to inquire about the market prices of various things, and set the melons, fruits, vegetables, chicken, fish, meat, eggs, etc. for the next day, when he suddenly heard that something happened at home, and heard that someone in the market was going to collect money and food, he was frightened out of his wits , dropped the things in hand and rushed home, it was already a step too late, and it was only after asking Zhou Kui and Niu Fang that he felt relieved.

Hearing his apology, Daiyu laughed through the curtain and said, "What does it have to do with you? No one in our family was caught off guard. The matter is over. Let me ask you, what news did you find out? Can we arrange three or five tables for a banquet tomorrow?" "

Housekeeper Xie hurriedly replied: "If you go back to grandma, you can buy it. Although the place has been repeatedly looted by bandits, the market seems to have not been affected, and it is still very lively. After all, every adult needs to buy melons, fruits, vegetables, chicken, fish, eggs, etc. We have already decided on what our family will use tomorrow. Except for the extremely low value of the house and land, an acre of fertile land can be bought for three taels of silver, but now it is all barren, and it is only good to grow melons after raising it. Fruits, vegetables, rice, noodles, meat and eggs are more expensive than those in Beijing. White rice and fine noodles cost ten yuan a catty, eggs three yuan a pound, and salt and sugar more than a hundred yuan a catty. It is presumably the result of being harassed by thieves and bandits for many years. As for the news that grandma ordered to inquire , There is no important news, and the traffickers and pawns in the market dare not mention the matter of officials and officials."

Daiyu pondered for a moment, and said: "Go and order the vegetables, meat and eggs needed for tomorrow first, and then slowly inquire about the news. We just came here, and we were calculated to almost suffer a big loss. I'd rather be cautious, after all, it can't be done overnight. I I have ordered people to find out where the land is good, and when the time comes to buy large tracts, you should spend more time thinking about it."

Housekeeper Xie knew that Daiyu trusted him as soon as he heard it, so he hurriedly agreed, and after hearing that Daiyu had no other orders, he slowly left the main courtyard, turned around to pay the money, and ordered the servants under his command to order vegetables and other things, while he prepared Tables and chairs for tomorrow's banquet, etc.

Busy until night, color, color appropriate.

Daiyu successively received replies from Mrs. Zhang to the wives of officials of the sixth and seventh ranks. They all said that the day would come, but no one refused. They also expressed their condolences for today's affairs, and their words were sincere. Just look at the replies from these people No one would think that the person who instigated those common people to make trouble is most likely one of them.

Daiyu sneered, threw away the post, and while Wei Ruolan was taking a bath, she said to Zijuan, "Where are the Tianshuibi clothes I told you to find? I'll wear that tomorrow, and just wear a few pieces of red jade jewelry."

Zijuan replied: "I took it out to dry in the daytime, and I will wear it tomorrow."

Daiyu nodded, and the next morning after dinner, when she greeted the guests, she really wore a Tianshuibi single jacket and a white silk skirt embroidered with red lotus and green lotus, which won the praise of Mrs. Zhang and others.

The blue shirt, white skirt and red emerald ornaments are natural and picturesque.

After entering the room and taking a seat, Mrs. Zhang said with concern: "How did things happen yesterday? I didn't know that the county lord had suffered an innocent disaster when I received the post. It’s going to happen. It’s all my fault for talking fast that day, if it weren’t for my words, no one would be able to use the fact that the county magistrate donated money to incite the people, and almost caused a big incident.”

Seeing Mrs. Zhang's expression of concern first, and then remorse, Daiyu smiled lightly, because she was not sure who was plotting against her, she said: "Those people have ulterior motives, and they want our husband and wife to die without a place to bury them. Said, they can also find out, and it will be even more difficult to get the people to come to me at that time. What happened yesterday is not nothing. One is that we know that someone is secretly waiting to plot against us, and the other is to go along with the flow and say to buy. Regarding the matter of the land, when buying the land, we must ask the adults in the yamen to pay more attention, and when we are optimistic about the land, we will get the land deed for us earlier." This sentence was said to Ma Guangqing's wife.

Ma Guangqing's wife, Mrs. Peng, nodded her head and said, "Don't worry, the county lord, even if the county lord doesn't say anything, the yamen must do their best. There are so many benefits for the county lord to buy land, how can the yamen reject it?"

Daiyu smiled and said, "I bought the land to settle yesterday's lawsuit, so what's the benefit?"

Mrs. Peng said with a smile: "Why is there no benefit? It is of great benefit to the country and the people. The county owner bought the land, first the government office got the land money, isn't it beneficial to the country? After the county owner got the land, he leased it to the local people for three years without rent. Isn’t it beneficial to the people? Only the county lord has such a compassionate heart, if I encounter such a thing, there will be nothing I can do.”

Mrs. Zhang nodded at the side and agreed: "That's the reason. After this incident, I admire the county magistrate the most in my heart. Such an innocent disaster was resolved in an instant, and no greater disaster happened."

Daiyu said: "From what you say, it seems that everyone has come to praise me. Where is it that I invite you to appreciate good things?"

Mrs. Zhang smiled, and hurriedly said: "The county lord said it is a rare thing in the palace. What a good thing, show it to us quickly, so that we can learn more."

Daiyu ordered someone to fetch it, and said: "Madam is very knowledgeable, what kind of good things haven't I seen? My son was in Madam's house before, and there are many things I have never seen. I hate that I am a frog at the bottom of a well. There are some people who are different from others. Today I just used an excuse to invite everyone to have a small gathering, and then I played the ax in front of the wives."

While talking, Zihao and Qingtan Chengbi came out with three things in their hands, a jadeite cabbage, a pair of red sandalwood Ruyi, and a single coral treasure tree, either crystal clear, thick and simple, or magnificent and splendid, all of which are rare. thing.

Everyone originally thought that Daiyu was from a noble family and was naturally elegant, and the rare things she brought out must be calligraphy, painting and antiques, but they never thought it would be these.

Mrs. Duzhang's rank is comparable to that of Daiyu. After staying for a while, she looked at the three things carefully and said with a smile: "Sure enough, they are all good things. Needless to say, the three-foot-high coral tree is vermilion all over without a trace of variegation." , red sandalwood, deep purple and close to ink, with a faint fragrance, and emerald cabbage is even more rare, with white green leaves and no blemishes."

Daiyu praised: "Madam has good eyesight. These things were given to me as a dowry by the sage and the empress. They are rare. I was thinking of using them to do something. I just came to your place, so I had to ask Madam for help." .”

Everyone was admiring the preciousness of a few things, and when they heard the sound, they looked at Mrs. Zhang, who also felt strange and asked what was the matter.

Daiyu pursed her lips and smiled, her dimples suddenly appeared, and she said gracefully: "What happened yesterday was a bit too big, I think everyone in Ping'an City already knows about it. Although I am not a gentleman, I also know the promise of a gentleman. At that time, I ordered people to look at the land. There is no need to worry about buying land and renting it to the people. After we get the land deed, we will rent it out at our own discretion, and only the gruel is left. However, after buying the land, there is not much money left in our hands. Giving porridge is another thing that consumes money and energy. After thinking about it, I specially took out these things, intending to pawn. At that time, I heard that pawnshops often lower prices, especially jadeite is not easy to estimate, so I asked my wife to connect and ask who The family has spare money, so I am willing to buy these few things, and use the money to buy rice, rice porridge, and steamed buns to show the virtue of a saint."

Mrs. Zhang blurted out: "How can you buy and sell the things bestowed by the emperor at will?"

Daiyu laughed and said: "The sage and the empress are kind-hearted. Knowing that these things are used on the common people, they will not blame us. When I was in the capital, the empress often did this. Besides, these things do not have the mark of imperial use. It's not too much to put a wealthy family in the house. I've been thinking about it all night, and the only one who can help me is my wife, so I'm asking, I hope my wife will take pity on the suffering of those people and my helplessness, and help me." , got up and bowed deeply.

Mrs. Zhang couldn't avoid it, so she helped her up with her own hands, and returned the gift, saying: "I can't bear it, it's just a small effort, I can't afford such a big gift from the county lord. The county lord trusts me so much, how can I refuse? Wait until I go back , I sent someone to ask who needs these things, such good things are the dowry given to the county head by today's saints and empresses, or they are placed in my own home, or used as a dowry for my daughter. It’s so generous, there must be someone who can’t ask for it.”

Daiyu was full of words of gratitude, and said: "Thank you so much, Ma'am. These are the things of the saint and the empress. Getting money to help the people is also the kindness of the saint and the empress. I dare not repay them, so I prepared a few other things. , It’s a bit inferior to these, but it’s passable, and I want to ask Madam to help sell it and use it as a soup.”

When she said these words, Zijuan and Xueyan Chunxian also presented three things, the eight horses carved in white jade, the Ruyi made of red gold and silk, and the bonsai made of precious stones, which are no worse than those in the palace.

Mrs. Zhang asked: "These belong to the county head?"

Daiyu nodded lightly, and said: "Exactly, these are the dowry belongings of my late mother, and they were left to me long ago. I don't usually use them, and they occupy the space for nothing. Why don't they exchange money to help the people and buy land?" It is true that there is no money. This is often the case in the capital. Some people in the court start to donate silver. Everyone is unwilling to lag behind. It is not only beneficial to the country and the people, but also beneficial to reputation. Fame, but sincerely want to do something modest.”

After explaining, Daiyu asked: "All the ladies are more knowledgeable than me. I am proficient in everything about housekeepers and directors. I am young and new to the market. I don't know the market outside. I don't know how much these things are worth? I want to sell it as soon as possible to get the money to buy rice porridge, lest those people who waited for a long time yesterday say that I did not keep my promise."

Mrs. Peng looked it over carefully, and said with a smile: "The first few pieces are gifts from the imperial court. I dare not guess the price. I guess the ones brought out by the county lord can be sold for 5000 taels of silver."

Daiyu was overjoyed when she heard the words, and said, "If you can sell it for five thousand silver, you can probably buy five thousand shi of brown rice, or more than four thousand shi of white rice."

Mrs. Zhang took a sip of tea, thought for a moment with lowered eyebrows, and said: "The maximum is seven to eight thousand taels, and the minimum is four to five thousand taels. Those few imperial gift items are worth about ten thousand gold according to the market price, but they are worth more than the imperial gift. The name, the price can be doubled at least. However, it is good that the county master knows it well, I can't guarantee that I can really sell it at these prices."

Daiyu hurriedly said: "Madam's willingness to help is a great kindness. How dare you ask for a sky-high price? After all, it is not a priceless treasure. These can be sold for 1 taels of silver for soup. I should recite a few times." "

Mrs. Zhang stared at her, and suddenly smiled and said: "The county magistrate is kind and benevolent, how can we stand by and watch?"

Daiyu pretended to be taken aback, and asked, "Ma'am, what do you mean?"

Mrs. Zhang said: "The county lord has such a compassionate heart only a few days after he arrived in Ping'an City. Those of us who have stayed in office for many years have not done anything. We will spread the word and be laughed at by the world? Say we bully the new county lord. Mo Speaking of the world, even we ourselves are ashamed. Baihuo is not as thoughtful as the county lord at such an old age. Therefore, I decided to pay the price of the things the county lord sells, and also give porridge in the streets. I am picking up people's teeth , I don’t want to lose face, so don’t laugh at me, the county lord.”

Daiyu hurriedly said: "The so-called accumulating virtue and doing good deeds, no matter what the reason is, is a good thing that benefits the country and the people. Isn't it because of yesterday that I bought the land to give away the porridge? How dare you laugh at Madam's benevolence and chivalry?" ?”

She is waiting for Mrs. Zhang's words. She sells the things given by Emperor Changtai and Queen Jiang and the dowry things, and uses them as porridge. Compared with the existing imperial wives in Ping'an Prefecture, the better their reputation is, the worse their reputation will be.

All of you here are not fools, how can you not think of the consequences of being the only one who pays for the porridge, Mrs. Zhang is bound to bear the brunt of it, I even sold the imperial gift, and it was in her hands, if she is indifferent, her reputation will be nothing else wanted.

Unsurprisingly, no one wanted Daiyu to be more beautiful, and when Mrs. Zhang opened her mouth, they hurriedly expressed their feelings. Although the number they said did not surpass Daiyu and Mrs. Zhang, it was three to five thousand, or three to five hundred. There are so many in one place.

Daiyu hurriedly took a pen and paper, wrote it down by herself, and after summing up, said: "Except for the things I sell and I don't know the value, the ladies donated more than 8000 taels of silver. Even if you donate porridge every day, you can give it to everyone It's time for the autumn harvest." While speaking, he told Zicuckoo to pass it on to everyone.