Daiyu's wife in the Red Chamber

Chen Rui came back three times after leaving the pavilion, Chen Yejun chose a day to return to Beijing, Wei Ruolan and Liu Xianglian saw him off in person, Daiyu hurriedly prepared 200 taels of Cheng Yi, and Liu Xianglian and his wife also wanted to send it.Liu Xianglian was newly married, and Wei Ruolan led troops out of the camp in the name of suppressing bandits, and personally sent Chen Yejun out of the Ping'an area, but did not meet a single robber on the way.

During Wei Ruolan's stay in Ping'an Prefecture, he had hardly heard of a large number of robbers, and occasionally a small group of robbers had disappeared by the time he got the news and led people to arrive, so it was difficult to trace their whereabouts.

Therefore, under the pretense of Daiyu entrusting Chen Yejun with gifts for the Mid-Autumn Festival and Jiamu's birthday, Wei Ruolan sent Gaifeng to Beijing to find Jiang Hua.

Wei Ruolan originally wanted to write an excerpt, but she was afraid that things would change midway. Zhang Kuang and Mrs. Zhang even knew the secrets of Emperor Taidi in the capital, let alone other things?Wei Ruolan was worried, fearing that the news would be leaked, so she could only do it in a roundabout way.

Chen Yejun traveled lightly and returned to the capital in less than ten days. He first went to report to his parents and talked about what happened in Ping'an Prefecture, which aroused his parents' amazement and praise. Hearing that Chen Yejun was asked to bring a lot of things to Lin Tao, he hurriedly sent him to talk to Chen Rui's parents before sending them over.

When Lin Tao heard what happened to Daiyu and his wife in Ping'an Prefecture, his heart almost jumped out of shock, and he quickly thanked Chen Yejun for his kindness in bringing things. Wei Ruolan's confidant boy also came to see him in the old house of Lin's family. Greetings to Jiang Hua Zhu Shi brothers.

Haifeng has followed Wei Ruolan for a long time, he also learned martial arts a few years earlier, only two years later than Wei Ruolan, his kung fu is far superior to others, not to mention Niu Fang Zhoukui, even Jiang Hua and others are not as good as him, he gave the letter to Jiang Hua , reminded: "The general has an order, brother must be handed over to His Majesty, don't make any mistakes, remember, remember."

Jiang Hua knew what was important, and hurriedly said: "I will enter the palace right now."

Gaifeng hurriedly pressed him down, and said softly: "General, although the matter of Ping'an Prefecture is urgent, it will not be a big deal in a while. Please leave it to His Majesty when you enter the palace as usual, so as not to attract others' attention."

Jiang Hua was not an uninformed person, he heard the sound and asked in shock: "Could it be that there are some fine works from Ping'an Prefecture in the capital?"

Gale looked heavy and nodded fiercely.

When Jiang Hua heard this, he was even more horrified, and he didn't dare to act rashly. He didn't enshrine Wei Ruolan's letter to Emperor Changtai until he went to the palace on duty three days later and arrived in front of Emperor Changtai.

Emperor Changtai has not received Wei Ruolan's letter so far, and there is less and less news from Ping'an Prefecture back to the capital. open.The letter was written according to the standard that Daiyu and the queen came up with when they were playing in the old year. It was very roundabout and arranged according to level.

After reading the letter, Emperor Changtai's face was gloomy. He believed that the guards around him were strictly guarded, and he could do everything according to his own will, either to announce it to the world, or to keep it secret.

Looking at the eunuchs and guards around him, Emperor Changtai speculated in his mind who the leaker was, but to no avail.

Wei Ruolan said in the letter that Zhang Kuang and his wife knew more than just about Daiyu's money, they also knew about several other things that they kept secret.Emperor Changtai's heart was awe-inspiring, he was always suspicious and didn't need to be suspicious of people, except for the Long Jinwei who was selected after he ascended the throne, the little eunuch and the little maid, the rest followed his confidant from the hidden mansion, and he discussed with his courtiers what to do. When things happen, they often don't ask the little eunuchs and little maids to wait on them, and even Dai Quan is not around when it's important.

In such a strict situation, Zhang Kuang knew everything about him well, but he didn't know that the situation in Ping'an Prefecture was so dangerous that even Emperor Changtai was always indifferent, and now he showed his traces.I don't know if Zhang Kuang and the others know that the Jinshan silver mine and explosives and landmines were paid by Wei Ruolan as a tribute. If they knew, Wei Ruolan's situation would be in danger.

Due to the great lethality of gunpowder and other items and the low output, Emperor Changtai has always supplied the frontiers and used them to control the enemy. There is no such thing in Pingan Prefecture. Zhang Kuang begged several times for it to be used to suppress bandits. Not allowed.

Emperor Changtai planned to wait for Wei Ruolan to take over the military power of Ping'an Prefecture before sending someone to secretly escort him there, but now it seems that he has to wait a little longer.

I don't know who is leaking the secret, and I don't know if Zhang Kuang will know about Wei Ruolan sending this letter to Beijing. I guess it can't be hidden from people like Zhang Kuang. Mingtang said to Jiang Hua who was standing below: "Your master is now an official of the imperial court. Is there anything that can't be reported? Write a letter back."

Jiang Hua is such a smart person, with a thought, he remembered that Emperor Changtai had a secret work from Ping'an Prefecture, and he hurriedly said with a smile: "Your Majesty treats Master so well. I think it has nothing to do with court affairs, and Master doesn't like to write greetings, so I have this letter." Bring it."

Emperor Changtai scolded: "I usually indulge you, and you are becoming more and more unruly."

After scolding, he smiled again: "Your master just came to Ping'an Prefecture and encountered a little problem. Fortunately, it was resolved quickly. It really has nothing to do with the court's affairs, so he wrote this letter to complain to me, and asked for the Mid-Autumn Festival ceremony. Comfort her suffering."

Jiang Hua hurriedly asked what was the matter. In fact, Wei Ruolan met bandits at the border of Ping'an Prefecture, and was gathered by the crowd after entering Ping'an City. Pretending to be ignorant, listening to Emperor Changtai talking about these two things, he said with a smile: "Master beheaded more than two hundred bandits, and Master's wife showed compassion to help the people. Your Majesty really deserves a reward, not just two boxes of mooncakes."

Emperor Changtai smiled and said, "Shouldn't you just reward the boy with two boxes of mooncakes and bring them back to your master? Take it out of the palace in a while and tell the boy who delivered the letter that your master should work as an errand in Ping'an Prefecture. I'm relieved." Leave everything to him."

Jiang Hua understood in his heart, and agreed: "My minister obeys the order."

Following Emperor Changtai's wishes, Jiang Hua immediately left the palace with a few things, not only mooncakes, but also some silk and satin gadgets, etc., and told Gaifeng what Emperor Changtai said. Leaving Beijing.

But Emperor Changtai waited for Jiang Hua to go out of the palace and then entered the palace to reply, waved his hand and said that he knew, and had no intention of investigating the people around him for the time being, so as not to startle the snake, anyway, there is no secret thing to hide from outsiders, it is related to the court, wait for Zhang Kuang and others When people hear the news, many things can be regarded as the dust has settled, and the decree is announced, and no one can change it.

Moreover, even though Emperor Changtai was constrained by the Supreme Emperor, he gradually controlled the court inside and outside. He was young and powerful, and the Supreme Emperor was very old. Anyone who followed the trend naturally knew that he should be loyal to him, and those who were promoted in recent years could replace veterans.One goes up and down the other, Changtai Emperor is no longer afraid of being too emperor, so why should he be afraid of a mere governor of Pingan Province?He sent Wei Ruolan over there with the idea of ​​directly taking over the control of Ping'an Prefecture, to get acquainted first and then replace Zhang Kuang.

When Wei Ruolan came to thank the emperor before his departure, Emperor Changtai secretly told him some things. He expected that Wei Ruolan would be able to take care of it. Just as he was thinking about it, officials from the Ministry of Rites suddenly came back and forth saying that the third day of the eighth lunar month was Rong Guogong. On his wife Shi Shi's eighty-year birthday, Emperor Changtai looked at Fu Quan, smiled coldly in his heart, and said: "Give a gold and jade wishful handle, four colorful satin ends, four gold and jade rings, and 500 taels of silver."

Treating veterans so favorably, the Supreme Emperor will feel more at ease. Emperor Changtai is rich and powerful, so he doesn't feel bad about this little property.

Fu Quan hurriedly praised Long En, and he did it immediately after retiring, to thank Jia Zheng and his wife for the virtue of matchmaking for his youngest son, so that the eldest son could gain dignity in front of Jia Zheng, or his position could be promoted.

Whether in the past or now, Fu Quan knows what Jia Zheng can do, and he can easily find good jobs for others.

Hearing that the Ministry of Rites ordered a birthday gift for Jia Mu, the honor was so great that no other family could compare it. Yuan Chun felt both joy and satisfaction, and hurriedly ordered the eunuch to send a golden birthday star, an agarwood crutch, a string of Canan beads, A box of incense sticks, a pair of gold ingots, four pairs of silver ingots, twelve bolts of colored satin, and four jade cups are extremely valuable.

After the queen heard the words, she smiled and said to Emperor Changtai: "I think His Majesty is more generous, but I never thought that it would come from the treasury, and it is not as generous as the birthday gift given by the virtuous concubine."

Emperor Changtai disagreed, and said: "Such things should naturally come from the state treasury, not private treasury."

As for the virtuous concubine Jia Yuanchun, Emperor Changtai was originally conferred under the pressure of the Supreme Emperor. Although these years have been indifferent, she has never been angry with her because of the Supreme Emperor. After all, she is an innocent woman. If she is honest, she will naturally enjoy wealth and honor. If you start to fight with others with the heart of fighting for glory and boasting, that is two things.

It was already the first ten days of July at that time, and the Shangrong State Mansion already had a steady stream of gift givers. Seeing that the Ministry of Rites ordered birthday gifts, and Yuanchun sent countless things, the rest came from the prince's son-in-law and the homes of civil and military officials. Look, it's all polite.

Daiyu's filial piety for Jia Mu's birthday gift was prepared long before leaving Beijing, and it was handed over to Lin Tao to send it to Jia Mu's birthday. After sorting it out, he personally sent it to Rongguo Mansion in the name of Daiyu and Wei Ruolan, and Baoyu picked it up in person, saying: "My ancestor wants to see Uncle Lin."

Lin Tao was taken aback. When Daiyu lived in Rongguo Mansion, he always sent his wife here. Even his wife only met Jia Mu once or twice, and he couldn't even see Daiyu. Unexpectedly, Jia Mu This time I actually want to see myself.

Thinking of the recent gossip in the capital, Lin Tao asked, "Brother Bao, what does the old lady see me for?"

Baoyu said: "I must have asked something about Sister Lin. I had a drink with Chen Yejun and Han Qi the other day. I heard about it. It was so dangerous. Fortunately, Sister Lin changed her mind and didn't let those wicked people succeed." There was worry on his face. Very strong.

On the one hand, he led the way and invited Lin Tao into Li Jiamu's upper room.

The grandma, girls and maids all hid in the green gauze cupboard, and only four young maids and four old mothers were left waiting in the room, playing fans, holding tea, or holding embroidered handkerchiefs The whisk is surrounded by pearls and emerald greens, which is extraordinarily gorgeous.

Lin Tao politely invited Ann, and Jia Mu ordered someone to set up a seat. Lin Tao sat on the twig with a slanted sign, only to hear Jia Mu ask: "Your girl has been away from Beijing for more than two months. Is everything okay?" Okay? Someone at home went out to socialize yesterday, and I heard from the Chen family that your girl and uncle encountered many dangerous things in Ping'an Prefecture, which scared me so much that I couldn't sleep well all night."

Sister Feng went out yesterday, and the Chen family's parents knew about it, so they sighed during the banquet, everyone knew about it, and the rumors spread wildly. At this time, Sister Feng knew that before Lin Ruhai died, there was money left by Wei Ruolan. To Daiyu.

When she came back, she didn't say anything, and couldn't bear the quick talk of others, so she told Jia Mu and Mrs. Wang and so on.

When Jia Mu learned about it, she was shocked and angry, anxious and ashamed, and finally turned into a long sigh.Lin Ruhai donated the family property to the imperial court and sealed the dowry to the household department. Others said that he could not trust his family, so why did Jia's mother not know?I didn't expect him to have another hand.

It is expected that Lin Ruhai thinks that if the dowry enters the household department and never returns, the money in Wei Ruolan's hand is enough for Daiyu to spend the rest of her life, or if Wei Ruolan does not keep her promise, the dowry sealed in the household department is enough for Daiyu to spend the rest of her life. For dowry use, we can't make two plans to make Daiyu get nothing at the same time.Every time she thinks about this place, Jia's mother feels uncomfortable.

Lin Tao was slightly taken aback, thinking that since Mother Jia knew what happened to Wei Ruolan and Daiyu in Ping'an Prefecture, she must also know about Daiyu's donation of money, and hurriedly said: "Go back to the old lady, the girl and uncle are very good, although they are in danger It’s okay, it’s all over.”

Mother Jia sighed: "Knowing that they are safe, I am relieved. There is such a chaos there, and there are bandits robbing and civil disturbances. I said I shouldn't go. I told their uncles to find a safe and secure place." Wouldn’t it be great to stay in the capital for their vacancies? Unfortunately, they have made up their minds and insisted on going, and they will come back after a few years.”

Lin Tao listened to Jia's mother's complaints, but he didn't say a word. He couldn't answer what Jia's mother said, but he couldn't answer. After all, Emperor Changtai trusted Wei Ruolan and ordered him to go there.

Jia Mu also knew this, but she couldn't help it. She stopped talking after she finished speaking, and asked someone to bring up the birthday gift from Daiyu.

In addition to the glass screen and the ebony Avalokitesvara that Daiyu mentioned earlier, there is also a piece of emerald Ruyi and several colors of needlework. The color and color are exquisite and rare, and they are not inferior to the gifts given by the princes' consorts. Mother Jia was very happy, and smiled at Lin Tao: "You girl just came out of the cabinet, why do you need such a precious thing?"

Lin Tao said: "The girl grew up in front of the old lady since she was a child. When she was not out of the cabinet, she and her sisters were afraid to give big gifts. Now that they are married, it is the right thing to give them. When I asked someone to send a message, I said, please ask the old lady. Don't dislike this small gift."

When Jia Mu heard this, she became more and more happy.

Seeing that Jia's mother had no further questions, Lin Tao waited for a while before getting up to leave.

Sister Feng came out of the green gauze cabinet first, and said with a smile: "Ancestor, I have already said that Sister Lin has a natural appearance, and she said it's all right, but it's the ancestor who is worried, so I have to ask clearly. It is better to ask the master to send a letter to the governor of Ping'an Prefecture, and take care of sister Lin and brother-in-law Lin with old feelings. Such a smart and filial granddaughter, there is no other granddaughter in the world. You are very lucky, old ancestor Enjoy the blessings, and slowly put the blessings and longevity into the nest."

Mother Jia beat her chest with a smile, and said: "You are a monkey with a clever mouth. You usually don't care about the house and are too lazy. I don't care about you. This time you have to take care of me. Don't let outsiders look at our house." joke."

Sister Feng smiled when she heard this.

Her means are better than Li Wan's, and she has read, read, and learned etiquette all these years. Compared with the vulgarity of the market, she really made Jia Mu's birthday banquet extremely lively and rich, from July 28 to August At the beginning of the month, apart from the two wives who offended You Shi, there was no other mistake and omission. There was no suspicion.

Jia Lian smiled at Sister Feng and said, "My wife treats you better than me."

Sister Feng curled her lips and said, "That was the old lady's birthday. My wife couldn't afford a birthday present. I sent a few hundred taels of silver to her." .It can't be blamed for Mrs. Xing being stingy, she doesn't have much income other than monthly money and yearly allowances, and her status in the mansion is not high, so she is not like Mrs. Wang who is honored for three festivals and two lifetimes.

Jia Lian smiled unconsciously, and said: "We don't have much money in our hands, so we'd rather save some money. Sister Qiao and Brother Xuan are both studying and going to school, so they have plenty of money to spend."

Sister Feng said: "What are you afraid of? Although our Zhuangtian shop is under the name of Sister Lin, we take care of it, and we earn a lot of money in a year."

Jia Lian said yes, and heard Sister Feng say, "I have one thing to tell the second master."

Jia Lian asked what was the matter, and Sister Feng said: "Wang'er has a boy, who is 17 years old and hasn't gotten a woman yet. He fell in love with Caixia in the second wife's room. Caixia was still in the second wife's room before. I don't know what happened to the second wife. I didn't think about it, so I didn't mention it. I didn't want Caixia to let her out the day before yesterday, and told her to pick her son-in-law. Therefore, Wang's daughter-in-law came to beg me. I thought that the two of them were well matched, and they were a good match. When checking out the servants, Wang'er was ugly, and he did everything out there, drinking, gambling, and money, so we didn't let them out of their citizenship. Such a person would not insult Caixia, so we didn't agree. If Wang'er went to ask the second master , Second Lord, please don’t agree, we don’t know what the future holds, we would rather accumulate some virtue than waste someone else’s life.”

Jia Lian said with a smile: "What do I promise to do when grandma doesn't agree? They are not my confidantes. Grandma doesn't give them this face. Is it okay if I refute grandma?"

Sister Feng was very satisfied.

Everyone in the world knows that Jia Lian's house has always been dominated by Sister Feng. Wang'er and his wife couldn't ask for it in front of Sister Feng. Instead, Sister Feng reprimanded her youngest son for being a bad boy. Naturally, she dared not come to ask Jia Lian afterwards. Life and death refused to agree to the marriage proposal of Wang'er's family, and her parents did not dare to force her, so Wang'er's family had to give up.

Xiaohong has married Jia Yun and is still serving in front of Sister Feng. At this time, she came over quietly and said, "Grandma, I heard that eunuch Xia sent the little eunuch to ask the second wife for 200 taels of silver."

Sister Feng smiled and said, "It has nothing to do with us. Fortunately, I retreated early, otherwise I would be the one who bothered."

Jia Lian said: "I'm afraid it's money from the account again? We have 200 taels for 100 taels."

Xiao Hong pursed her lips and smiled, and said: "Second Master watched Eldest Sister and Eldest Brother study every day, but he forgot that our house has long been free of rations? This time, the old lady's birthday is not enough for a few thousand taels, and then I have to prepare for the Mid-Autumn Festival again. Where is the money in the account? I heard that Grandma Zhu begged Miss Yuanyang early this morning, and planned to pawn the old lady's things quietly again. Therefore, Grandma Zhu refused to give out the 200 taels of silver, and neither did the second wife. However, it was the wife of the Xue family who sent 500 taels of silver to prevaricate."

Jia Lian tutted his tongue and said, "Third Aunt has given me no idea how much money I have given in the past two years, but I only know that there are three to five thousand taels. If it is difficult to make a good marriage tomorrow, let's see how the second wife will explain."

Sister Feng sneered and said, "There is a lady above, what is the second wife afraid of?"

On the one hand, he asked someone to come into the house to help him wash and wash, and changed his clothes to go to Jia Mu's place to serve dinner. peers.Jia Lian was bored at home alone, so he went to the study outside, just in time to see Lin Zhixiao coming, and asked what was the matter.

Xiaohong married a good son-in-law, and Lin Zhixiao and his wife were more grateful to Jia Lian and his wife. Lin Zhixiao listened to the question and replied: "I just heard that Jia Yucun was demoted. I don't know why. I have sent someone to inquire about it. I don't know if it is true or not." .”

Jia Lian hated Jia Yucun very much now, and had alienated him from Jia She, saying, "Whether they are true or not, they have nothing to do with us anyway, but if you want to inquire, you should inquire and send them in detail. An ungrateful person like him would have surrendered a long time ago." Alright, so that no one will be wronged like Miss Zhen's family, or die wronged like Feng Yuan. I'm afraid that if he surrenders, he will be found guilty and implicate our master. He was the one who handled the stone nerd case. Master's fate is not impossible."

Just as Jia Amnesty pushed the case to Jia Yucun, saying that he gave up without buying the fan, Jia Yucun copied the stone nerd's house and bought it at the official price, and he knew it was too late.Jia She can say this, and Jia Yucun can also say that he was coerced by Jia She, so he sentenced the stone nerd to owe the official money, confiscated his house, and sent the fan to Jia She.

Lin Zhixiao said: "What the second master said is that fortunately our master has gradually become estranged from him. Even if it is difficult in the house, Master Zhen in the East Mansion is getting better and better with him. The second master of our mansion also likes him very much and often visits him. Who in the world doesn't know."

Jia Lian sighed. Compared with Jia Amnesty, Jia Yucun flattered Jia Zheng more, so he was the best with Jia Zheng.

Lin Zhixiao was not in a hurry to go out, sat down and continued to talk about the difficult family situation and the heavy population in the mansion, and proposed solutions, which were very reasonable. Jia Lian said: "I also intended, but unfortunately it is not our family who decides. There are so many things going on here, how can we talk about this? Besides, the second master and the second wife are busy sending the third sister to be elected."

Lin Zhixiao said: "The third girl is really going to enter the palace? It's strange how many official matchmakers come to ask for marriage with Geng Tie, and the wives always say that the master is here and can't bear to be separated. We already have a concubine in the palace, is it necessary to produce another concubine? Or not a princess?"

Jia Lian said with a smile: "Where can I get what I want? The selection in the palace is very strict. It's hard to say that the third sister can be selected. Even if she looks good and talented, her background is there. I don't know how much better than her. Besides, It's good to be a princess, if she enters the palace and competes with the empress for favor, if others are willing, the wife will be the first to refuse." Based on Tanchun's background, I am afraid that even the prince's side concubine may not be able to find one.

Lin Zhixiao thought right, and smiled.

Jia Lian said some homely things again, and unconsciously brought up Sister Feng's refusal of Wang'er's son's proposal to marry Caixia. Wanger’s youngest son is indeed as the second master and grandma said, how can he be worthy of Caixia? Although I haven’t seen Caixia’s child in recent years, I heard from my wife that it’s better to be more picky. Thinking about wanting to marry, everyone is ten times stronger than Wang Er's youngest son."

Jia Lian felt very comfortable when she heard it. When she talked to Sister Feng by her pillow at night, Sister Feng was very proud and said, "I've changed my mind a long time ago. It's not that Wuxia Ameng. Of course I won't because Wang'er is my companion. Just lean towards them."

Before he could say a word, he heard Feng'er from the outside say: "What a surprise, the Yihong Courtyard is in trouble, saying that they have met a thief."

Jia Lian and Sister Feng frowned, thinking that the gates in the garden were tightly guarded, so it wouldn't be so, but one night they only heard that there was a lot of trouble there, and the next day it was rumored that the housekeepers and men and women tortured Shangye and others inside and outside. Even Jia's mother was alarmed, and ordered a strict investigation, but no thief was found, and a group of big and small gambling heads were found, including Lin Zhixiao's two aunts and in-laws.

When she found out that the reason was that Baoyu's servant girl was afraid that Baoyu would not be able to stand Jia Zheng's questioning, she deliberately came up with an idea to say she was frightened, and wanted to pretend to be sick and hide away.

On the contrary, Xiaohong asked Jiahui, a little girl from Yihongyuan, to ask carefully, and when she came back, she told Sister Feng that Jinxing Glass did see someone jumping off the wall in the middle of the night, but she couldn't find it with a lantern. The maid said it was the shadow of a tree. , was reprimanded by Qingwen, seeing Jinxing Glass's expression did not seem to be fake, and Baoyu pretended to be surprised because he took advantage of the trend.

Sister Feng frowned, and said: "The garden is in disarray now, not to mention gambling, I'm afraid there are cheating and stealing people, but if they haven't been found out, it will be a big problem. I don't know that Grandma Zhu is such a virtuous woman How to control a person with both talent and ability.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jia Lian suddenly came in with the residence report and said: "The Zhen family has committed a crime, and now they have confiscated all their property. They will be transferred to Beijing for punishment."

Sister Feng was taken aback.