Chapter 4 Chapter Four

First arrived in Suizhong County, Mr. Jin was in the east and had an early start; then he sent a general and four strong green battalion soldiers to accompany Li Ding on the road, crossed the Daling River in Jinzhou, and walked along the Northwest Avenue. Go straight to Shengjing. The itinerary was very tight, and because the "fire card" was approved to "fly the station by imperial order", there was no delay along the way. In the afternoon, I entered the west gate of Shengjing and went to the post station. The postman saw that although Li Ding was in casual clothes, he had officers and soldiers as his attendants; seeing the inscription on the "Huo Pai", which read "Qing Ming Chi Yi", he dared not neglect him even more.

"My surname is Li, and I have the title of an acquaintance. I escorted my father to Wula to hunt animals; I received a notice in Suizhong that there was an edict and I wanted to come to listen to the announcement. Prepare your own axe. Please find a clean inn for me." .” Hearing "Bring your own axe", without disturbing the inn and saving a lot of trouble, the postman was even more respectful, "Yes, yes!" He got up and said, "I will come to greet the inn myself." "I don't dare to do it, I don't dare to do it." Li Ding said again, "I have an unfeeling request. I came in a hurry, and I didn't bring anyone with me. I want to borrow your money."

"Yes, yes!" Yi Cheng summoned one of his attendants named Chang Gui and told him, "Take good care of Master Li. See what you need at the moment, and prepare it for Master Li early." Chang Gui agreed, kneeling with Li Ding to pay his respects; Li Ding said politely: "I don't know much; please take care of me. What should you do? You don't have to be polite, just tell me." "Yes!" Chang Gui pointed to the hallway and said, "The chief lord, and his brothers, should you send them away first?" "This," Li Ding asked hesitantly, "won't you take it back?"

"Go back, please send another person from Fu Yin Yamen to deliver it. It will be sent away, which will save trouble." According to his words, Li Ding sent him away with a reward of six taels of silver; then Changgui found a "official office" near Xiguan: the name was "Shunsheng".After slightly settling down, Li Dingcai told Chang Gui what he did. "Master Li, has he brought an official uniform?" "No." Li Ding replied, "I'm going to stay here forever." "Just borrow it." Chang Gui looked at Li Ding's simple luggage, "I'm afraid you didn't bring the prayer box?"

"yes!" "There are always business cards." Chang Gui said again, "When you meet the governor, you need to prepare a handbook when you meet the general." "Please take care of everything." Li Ding took out two silver locks worth five taels, "You keep them for now." Then he took out the guest list and handed it over: "Look, who do you know?" "Master Han, the first official, knew him and lived not far away." "That's great! I'll pay homage to Master Han first. When you and I get there, let you do things yourself; come early tomorrow morning."

Han Yingkui is a doctor of the Ministry of Officials in Shengjing; he is also Li Ding's aunt, Mrs. Han's elder brother, and he is the eighth, so Li Ding called him "Eight Uncle".Uncle and nephew haven't seen each other for ten years. In the past ten years, the Li family has gone from prosperity to decline, and it has plummeted. Han Yingkui was afraid of touching Li Ding's hidden pain, so he dared not talk deeply about the past.Apart from serving the meal attentively, the only question is where is Li Xu engraved? Li Ding didn't care because he was in a different state of mind on this trip. Han Yingkui listened carefully when he explained Li Xu's journey from the capital to the destination of the trip. Of course, he was also very concerned, but his expression was very deep.

"Eight Uncle, what do you think the Shangyu will say?" "It seems that there is a chance to make amends." Han Yingkui said, "There is only one sentence, I don't know if I should say it or not?" "Bajiu said so, don't you treat me as an outsider?" "Okay! If you don't treat me as an outsider, I'll tell you; your father and Mrs. Cha are married. It's not a good thing." Li Ding was very surprised, but also a little angry; could it be that the prisoners who were assigned were not even allowed to share in suffering?But after thinking about it again, Han Yingkui must have seen something and cared about his relatives before he said this; in any case, Han Yingkui was out of goodwill.

"Suspicion is the most serious today. Zha Siting knows a lot of things, and his mouth is open; family members who are suspicious of him today have also heard a lot of secrets from Zha Siting, so they are used as soldiers." , just for the sake of isolation. Your father and the Cha family went all the way, and it’s not surprising that things happen by accident; if they become siblings with different surnames, what do you think, what do suspicious people think?" Li Ding listened and thought at the same time, feeling that Han Yingkui's worries were not unfounded; he couldn't help asking: "Then, please tell my uncle, what should we do now?"

"Of course it's inconvenient to renege on the alliance; slowly alienate, and don't mention this matter." "That's the only way to do it." Li Ding said very reluctantly. Han Yingkui didn't see his expression; at the same time, he stopped talking about the Cha family.But talking about other relatives is just as unpleasant; the death of the head of the Cao family who can overwhelm the overall situation, Cao Fu is not good at being an official, and Cao Zhen and his wife are selfish, the future of this family will not be good go there.As for Naersu, Fang was in his prime and had been idled; fortunately, Prince Xiaoping County Fupeng had a close relationship with Prince Bao Hongli, who had shown various signs that he would become a great treasure in the future; The two families still have a prosperous day.

"The prosperity of a family depends half on the sky and half on oneself. Even if the emperor's kindness is mighty, if you are a dou who can't help you, you will have nothing to do!" Han Yingkui said earnestly: "Young people don't work hard, and the boss is just sad!" Although he didn't persuade him, it hurt Li Ding's heart more than persuading him clearly; after thinking about it, drinking wine into his heart, he became very drunk.Han Yingkui didn't dare to persuade him to drink more; he hurriedly finished the meal and sent someone to send him back to the inn.Li Ding fell asleep and fell asleep, not realizing that the east was white.

Chang Gui had come early and borrowed a set of fifth-grade clothes, which fit him well; he also bought a few manuscripts, asked about Li Ding's title, and wrote it in the outhouse. Li Ding was ashamed. "What's your real name?" "what." "How many years have you studied?" Chang Gui smiled humbly, "How can we talk about studying?" He said, "It's just a few words." "What does your family do?" "Planting now." "So, what happened before?" Chang Gui hesitated for a moment and said, "Be an official." "Then, how did you get lost?" "My father is from Yunnan—" Changgui's father was the magistrate appointed by Wu Sangui; during the San Francisco Rebellion, there was a case of rebellion, and the exile was outside the customs, and the convict son was not allowed to take the exam, so even though he had studied, he had to be the long follower of the postman. Li Ding himself is not considered a criminal child; but the future of the three brothers of the Cha family may inevitably be the continuation of the long family.So Li Ding thought of what Han Yingkui said, once Prince Bao ascended to the throne, he would benefit the Cao and Li families because of Prince Pingjun's kindness; "It's getting late!" Chang Gui reminded him, "It's not appropriate to go late." "Okay, okay, let's go." The car had already been hired; Chang Gui waited on Li Ding to get into the car, crossed the shaft with the worship box in his arms, and drove straight to the Yamen of Shuntianfu.After getting out of the car, he walked into an open hall next to the gatehouse, where Han Yingkui was already waiting. "Did you get your hands on it?" he asked. "I'm going to vote." Chang Gui replied. "Simply slow down." It turns out that this day is the day when the governor meets his staff, and he is busy seeing guests at the moment; Han Yingkui has entrusted someone to take care of him, and he will come to inform him when the "yamen visit" is over. Seeing that the officials waiting to meet in the open hall gradually dispersed, Han Yingkui ordered Changgui to go to the porter's room to pitch hand books.But he asked Li Ding first: "Have you prepared the door bag?" "Ah! Not prepared." Li Ding looked into his arms, "Fortunately, I have a few taels of silver with me." "It's good to pay four taels of silver." So Chang Gui went to find a piece of red paper, wrapped four liang of silver in a door bag, and handed it to the concierge together with the manuscript.Usually the door bag is only two taels; since it is doubled, the treatment at the door is naturally different, and I ran to greet him personally, but it was only time for a cup of tea, so I came to extend the invitation. "Remember!" Han Yingkuite warned: "If you see the governor stand up and speak, you have to be careful; when you hear the words 'reporting' or 'delivering'! You have to kneel down." "Yes!" Li Ding asked again: "What about 'listening to Xuan'?" "Listening to the announcement is based on the decree, so you must have prepared the incense table first." "Ah, ah! I understand." Li Ding remembered how many times the imperial guards came to announce the decree; the etiquette of his father kneeling to listen, he naturally understood it. The governor's name is An Lie, and he also knew Li Xu before; therefore, he extended the meeting with the etiquette of a family friend.However, Li Ding still meets with foreign officials according to the etiquette.Briefly talking about the cold and temperature, An Lie coughed and stood up; Li Ding also got up quickly, stood down, and stood facing north. "Following the decree" An Lie took out a piece of paper, and waited for Li Ding to kneel down before he looked at it and said, "General Shengjing waited for the decree of Fengtian Mansion to pass the order to Li Xu. He Shou and He Shou flattered and attached to Aqina, and committed many crimes. The crime is unforgivable. I read you to work hard for the emperor's examination, and I will pardon your death penalty and send you to serve outside the customs. Now I will give you grace and allow you to return to the flag and hand it over to Prince Zhuang. dispatch. "If you have a good conscience, you should know how to be grateful for my kindness. If you still don't change your humble and sinister habits, sow gossip, and only seek profit, you will speed up your own death. Fear it, shame it. This is it!" This was really an announcement, and Li Ding saluted according to the rules; then he said: "Li Ding, the son of my slave Li Xu, I would like to accept the decree on behalf of my slave's father. I would like to thank the emperor for his kindness." After speaking, he touched his head several times in a row, Fang Shi stood up; his face was already full of tears. "Congratulations, congratulations!" An Lie cupped his hands and said, "I have been ordered to make another copy and let Shixiong take it back." "Thank you, my lord!" Li Ding greeted him, "When my lord repeats the performance, please be sure to express my family's gratitude to the emperor, and I don't know how to repay it." "Of course, of course! Please tell the gentleman, don't worry, I will speak more good words." So Li Ding once again asked An to thank him, and Fang Shi resigned; Han Yingkui had received the news and met to congratulate him; then he congratulated him at the door, saying: "The superior has explained that if there is something, I must send it to Master Li; as soon as it is handed over, I will send it to the inn immediately." .” "Don't worry, don't worry!" Li Ding replied, "I will have another thank you gift when it is delivered." As soon as the door turned around, Han Yingkui pulled Li Ding away, "Quick!" He said, "As soon as the news spreads, everyone will come to congratulate them, and they have to go home to collect money to get rid of it before they can escape. Get away!" Li Ding thought to himself that the reward was second to none, and he couldn't afford to waste time, so he slipped away very quickly.Go out and get in the car; hand a guest list to Han Yingkui. "My father told me that all these guests have to visit. Please ask my eighth uncle to take a look and see if I can complete the visits in today's time?" Han Yingkui took a look and shook his head, "I can't finish praying in three days." He said, "Your father probably forgot how big Fengtian is; the journey from one family to another is not enough." Li Ding was stunned, "Then what should I do?" He said, "I'm in a hurry to report back." "That's only the post office." Han Yingkui said, "I'll accompany you back to the inn to write a letter; let Chang Gui discuss it with his master." "Why don't we go to the post station and have a look first." "Also." When we arrived at the station and talked, the postman said again and again: "I should serve you." But the postman on that day left early in the morning;Moreover, one station a day, starting from tomorrow, will not arrive until the eighth day.Li Ding thought to himself, it's better to finish visiting the guests today and tomorrow, and leave early the next morning, and arrive one day earlier if he arrives on the fifth day. I made up my mind, thanked the postman, and went back to the inn; in order to wait for the copy of the imperial edict from Fuyin Weimen, I had to wait; until near noon, a sixteen-year-old boy sent a letter. This young man is the son of the door, "My father was going to send it to Master Li himself." He said, "Because the general is about to die, the adults in the mansion have already rushed to see him off; they dare not go away because they are afraid of something urgent. I’m specially sent here to congratulate Mr. Li.” The words are taught well, and the word "Daoxi" means begging for a reward; Li Ding has prepared it a long time ago, and it is still a red envelope of four or two. "Eight uncle," he tore open the envelope, took the copy and handed it over, "Look." Han Yingkui couldn't see two lines, and suddenly raised his head and said, "Write a letter quickly! Don't miss this opportunity." "Eight Uncle, what chance do you mean?" "The general's governor is vacant, and he will use five hundred li to speed up the performance as usual. General Ga's illness has been lingering for a long time, and he was dying two days ago. At this moment, the governor has rushed away, and he must be dead. Come back and make a memorial, and I will arrive tomorrow. Jinzhou and the day after tomorrow will arrive in Suizhong." Li Ding was overjoyed, and immediately sat down; picked up the pen and spread the paper, but his mind was very confused, and he only wrote the nine characters "Father respects you at the knees", and he didn't know how to write it down?The more anxious the heart is, the more difficult the thinking becomes; as a result, there is sweat on the forehead. At this moment, a cannon was heard; Han Yingkui looked out of the window and said loudly, "This is not the noon cannon. The governor fired the cannon to pay homage, and the postman is about to leave the city." When he looked at it, there were only nine characters in the letter. , couldn't help but smiled wryly. Chang Gui, who had been waiting on the side all the time, had an idea: "Master Han, Master Li, I'll go back to the post station first and let the postman wait; please write the letter quickly, Master Li. Anyway, it's good news, and the most important thing is to send the copy. ; otherwise, you can take a step slower." "It makes sense! You go first, we'll come later." Han Yingkui turned his face and said to Li Ding again, "It's a five-hundred-mile postman. It's illegal to change horses without changing people. It's against the law for postmen and postmen. Two red envelopes, you can’t give less. You go to prepare money, trust me to write for you.” "Yes, yes! Eighth uncle, how much do you think should be given?" "Twenty taels for the postman; ten taels for the postman." When the red envelope was ready, the letter was written; Li Ding glanced over it hurriedly, thanked him again and again, and asked a clerk to be sent from the locker room, and rushed to the station, only to see the postman and Changgui standing and looking around, seeing Li Ding go down The car came up together. "Thank you, thank you!" Li Ding said to Yi Cheng: "Please take a step to talk." "Please, please!" Yicheng stretched out his body to silence the guests, and ushered in his "signature room". "Thanks for the gifts, not respect." Li Ding handed over the big red envelope first. "No, no!" Yi Cheng blocked it with both hands, showing a stern refusal expression, "There is absolutely no reason for this." Li Ding was used to seeing this kind of situation since he was a child; he just put the red envelope on the table and said: "My brother won't show you face, so it's hard for me to open my mouth." "Severe words, serious words!" Yi Cheng's expression became panicked, "Don't you say you want to bring a letter?" "Yes!" Li Ding put another small red envelope on the table, "This ten taels of silver, please pass it on to the brother who is running errands." "Okay! I'll call him over and explain to him face to face. Where's the letter?" After Li Ding took out the letter; but in the blink of an eye, there was only a small red envelope left on the table.Then the postman shouted loudly; he called a postman in. "Chen Er, this is Master Li's ten taels of silver. I'll ask someone to deliver it to your wife later. Thank you first; Master Li has something to tell you." So Chen Er thanked him for the reward; Li Ding said, "There is a letter, please hand it to the Suizhong station; you'd better say it again and ask them to send it to Mr. Jin immediately." At this time, Yicheng had already seen clearly that the letter was to be sent to Briqi by the magistrate of Suizhong Jin County, and then transferred to Li's family; seeing the big red envelope, he volunteered and said: "It's too late to transfer one hand! Chen Er, Tell Mr. Hu at Suizhong Station that he is a good friend of mine; please send someone to Mr. Bridgebu immediately, and don’t need to be transferred by Mr. Jin.” "Yes!" Chen Er accepted the letter, unbuttoned his luggage, and put the meat in his pocket to hide it. "Don't forget!" "No, no." As soon as Chen Er left, Li Ding also left. Accompanied by Chang Gui, he went back to the inn, asked Han Yingkui to point out the itinerary, and paid homage to the guest for two days.By the third day, Han Yingkui had already made arrangements for him to "be escorted by the Yamen of the Ministry of War in Shengjing; ride Bridge's fast horse and go straight home."
"It's really unexpected!" Li Xu said sadly, but also happily: "He was able to enter the customs alive. Tell me about Fengtian's situation." So Li Ding talked about meeting Han Yingkui, and talked about passing through the Suizhong Post Station, and he was relieved when he knew that the letter had been delivered; I also want to ask all the flags to perform on behalf of them." "I know. I've settled all these matters with your Second Uncle Bu. Now there is something difficult; I have to ask you what you mean." Li Xu asked. "Are you going back with me; or are you sending Cha's family to Wula for sacrifice?" "Of course I will go back with Dad." Lin Xu couldn't help but laugh, "I'm asking too much." He said, "What's wrong with the Cha family? Even if they're not a family, we can't leave them alone!" Li Ding was silent.Immediately under the lights all the way, I don’t know how many times I have thought about this problem; every time I end up with the fantasy of being able to clone myself. "I mean, you should send them there; when you get there, there will be Jin there, and there will always be a way to take care of them. You can come back after looking at the situation. This is probably the only way." "Where's Dad? Dad can't live without someone——" "I thought about it, it doesn't matter if there is no one for the time being." Li Xu said again: "I have discussed with your second uncle Bu, this time I will be entrusted to Prince Zhuang for dispatch, probably to Lianggezhuang in Yizhou. The emperor's auspicious place for ten thousand years, choose there; Prince Zhuang will be in charge of the major work, and I will probably be sent there to supervise the work." "That said, it's even less shameful! It's such a hard job, can someone run errands for dad?" "I can find someone else; it doesn't have to be you." "But people will ask, how can I explain why I'm not by Dad's side?" "What's so hard to explain?" Li Xu said proudly, "I will tell people that I told you to send the orphans and widows of the Cha family to Wula. This is a righteous act, not something disgraceful." "It's even worse if Dad wants to say that. Because——" Because Han Yingkui once gave advice that he must stay away from the Cha family; and the information revealed by this "benevolent act" is: Li and Cha are by no means casual friends.If you have just escaped from a crime and you are convicted because of it, it is really "self-inflicted, you can't live". Hearing these words, Li Xu thought about it for a while; but finally he maintained his original decision.If someone asks, why didn't Li Ding serve his father instead?He had a very high-sounding explanation: out of gratitude for the emperor's kindness, he specially ordered his only son to stay outside the customs and serve the frontier.However, this is what is in the heart, so there is no need to tell Li Ding. "You must give it away; you must listen to your eighth uncle's words. Anyway, I know it." Li Xu got up and said, "Let's go to the back; tell your aunt about this, so that she can rest assured."
"I thought about it a long time ago! I was afraid that my wife would be upset, so I didn't dare to make a sound. Not only can I go back now, but I also have an errand; I am about to go to battle with my father and son, so I can't say what I want to keep him. Unless—— "Auntie turned her face to see that there was no one else, Fang then said in a low voice, "Unless you become the son-in-law of the Cha family." "I think so too." Mrs. Cha said, "I'm afraid that Ah Yan will be awkward, and it seems that he doesn't love relatives and get married, but just wants to use others. It's boring to think about it." "Would you like me to test the voice of the eldest lady?" The aunt said: "Since her birthday, she seems to have a very different mind. A few days ago, she often used the number of dental cards; naturally she was asking passers-by." Before Mrs. Cha could answer, she heard the children outside shouting: "Uncle!" Then, the curtain was lifted, and Li Ding was also seen following behind his father. "I'm going to invite my uncle and cousin." The aunt said, "Dinner is about to start." Li Xu nodded, sat down and said to Mrs. Cha: "Just now we father and son have been discussing for a long time; we have made up our minds, Xiao Ding will send you to Jilin." Hearing this, Auntie burst into tears of joy; but Mrs. Cha said with tears in her eyes, "Brother, your future is important! And at such an advanced age, you can't leave anyone to take care of you." "I can take care of it myself. As for going back to Beijing to work as an errand, even if I need a helper, I don't have to ask for a helper, I can find someone else; I have several nephews—" "My nephew is no better than my own son." Mrs. Cha interrupted him, "I can't bear to separate you father and son no matter what." "You can't bear it; I'm restless." Li Xu interjected, "If Xiao Ding didn't send you off, how could I feel at ease? Rather than worrying about it at that time, it would be better to make a decision now." "Brother said so, I only have the longevity salary for you." As she spoke, Mrs. Cha burst into tears; but she said with a smile, "Even so, I have to ask Xiao Ding; but I am willing to talk to my father Do you want to separate?" "I can't help it if I can't bear it." Li Ding replied, "It's almost half a year anyway." "We'll see what happens in the future." Li Xu replied very tactfully. Mrs. Cha nodded, and exchanged a glance with Li Xu; it was in this glance that they reached a tacit understanding, and the two wished to form a family. "I think there are two places to eat." The aunt said jokingly: "Please come and accompany my uncle." "Okay!" Mrs. Cha said, "Let's have a good discussion while eating." So four sets of bowls and chopsticks were placed on the kang table, and Li Xu sat on it; Mrs. Cha, mother and daughter sat side by side; set aside one side for serving.But Huixi didn't get on the kang and sit down next to her mother until her younger siblings were noisily seated. "You know," Mrs. Cha said, "it's a great thing that my uncle asked my cousin to send our family there!" "It's good, it's good, but I'm a little worried about letting my uncle go back to Beijing alone." "There's nothing to worry about!" Li Xu held his cup and said, "I'm still very strong. When I return to Beijing, maybe they will send me to Yizhou; I'm confident that I will be able to withstand it." "What?" Mrs. Cha asked, "Any news? Why are you sent to Yizhou?" "I'm guessing with Bu Er Er." Li Xu told her the guess that he might be sent to the "Great Worker" in Lianggezhuang, Yizhou. "Uncle, where is Yizhou?" Huizhen asked, "Is it the place where the wind is rustling and the water is cold?" "That's right! That's where it is." "Then, Liang Gezhuang is 'Dukang'?" Li Xu was dumbfounded by this action, and couldn't understand the word "Dukang" at all; fortunately, Li Ding and Li Shen had read the historical records, and knew about this scripture in "Biography of Assassins", so he replied, "No That’s right. Dukang is a rich area, so of course it should be Pingchou; Liang Gezhuang can build mausoleums, and that’s already in the mountains.” "Yes!" Hui Wei glanced at Li Ding generously, "What my cousin said makes sense." Mrs. Cha and Li Xu glanced at each other again; Hui Yi happened to find out, and couldn't help but feel a strange feeling in her heart, so she naturally lowered her head. "Brother," Mrs. Cha began to talk, "I don't know which one of us will leave first?" Li Xu understands the meaning of "auntie"; the doctor is good, coupled with the excitement, her illness is gradually recovering, logically speaking, she should be on the road.But the white-haired old man, there is no day to give the ring; life and death are parting, and I wish to be together day by day; so I have this question, I just want to stay a few more days. So he thought for a while and replied: "I have to wait for the notice from Mr. Jin; Mr. Jin has to wait for Shuntian to come to work, and there are still ten days and a half months before he can leave. You just reported your illness, wait I'm here to discuss with the officer, let you stay for a few more days, and send me there before you leave." "That's a good thing." Mrs. Cha said again: "Brother, I don't understand the rules of your flag; I heard that Xiao Ding sent you out of the customs, and he told the governor that it was false. Now that you go back alone, Xiao Ding doesn't care. Is it okay to sell holidays?" "It doesn't matter, I will think of a way when I get to Beijing." Li Xu didn't want to say it clearly, but Mrs. Cha insisted on asking: "Brother, what are you thinking? Why don't you tell me." "That's right," Li Xu glanced at Aizi, "Xiao Ding originally donated a title there, and never planned to fill the vacancy; this time I want to ask Ben Qi to play for me and volunteer to play in Jilin. In the past few years There are a lot of people returning to the banners, the public houses are not enough to live in, and there are often disputes; the Eight Banners have a lot of headaches, so I ask to serve the frontier, and I can often get my wish." "According to this, Xiao Ding is going to be an official in Jilin?" Mrs. Cha said happily; her eyes drifted unconsciously to Hui Wei, and then turned to Li Ding. "Look at everyone's good fortune!" Not to mention looking at "his" good fortune, but to say "see everyone's good fortune", which is to allow Li Dingxiang to watch the life of Cha's family.Huixi thought to herself, even though they have recognized each other as close relatives, but they have traveled all over the world and can't find the rule that the cousin must bear the life of the aunt's whole family; unless the cousin is the "son-in-law". When my thoughts turned here, I was surprised and suspicious, but also had an inexplicable excitement; I couldn't sit still anymore.She lowered her head and got off the kang; at the same time, in order to conceal her sudden departure, she said to herself: "I'll take a look; there should be some food." She actually went to the sheltered place on the porch, the temporary kitchen; the second aunt happened to order Xiaomei to serve the dishes, and she was taking off her apron to enter the house.Huixi grabbed her arm and asked, "Did uncle talk to mother about me?" This sudden question made Second Aunt not sure how to answer; she froze for a moment and said, "I don't know! What are you talking about?" "Uncle's words don't seem to make sense." "What words?" That kind of subtle and mysterious meaning can't be clearly explained in one or two sentences; Huizhen hesitated for a while, only she wondered in her heart, "I will sleep with you tonight." She said, "There are many things I don't understand. .”
Hearing Huizhen's hesitation revealing the doubts in her heart, the second aunt only felt that her mood was extraordinary; for many days, a big event that she had been thinking about for many days, and she didn't know if it could be fulfilled, finally came to fruition. "I don't know whether your mother and uncle have talked about your affairs. However, according to uncle's words, it seems that he gave his son to you to check the family." "Strange talk!" Hui Hao said angrily, "I don't understand what you're talking about?" "Then, I understand a little bit, your marriage is a foregone conclusion." Hui's face turned red to the base of her ears; although she couldn't see it, she could feel it, and she could only cover her face with a quilt, and she could hear her heart beating; there was a saying "Why do you think it's a foregone conclusion?" I really wanted to ask but couldn't say it . "It's not something to be ashamed of. The days to come are long, you might as well pretend to be confused, and still follow the rules of your cousins, and do whatever you want, so that you won't feel awkward." Huixi pondered her words carefully for a while, and realized a lot; her heart was more at ease, she poked her head out and said, "They are cousins ​​after all."
The real "first seven and last eight", arrived in Jizhou on the fifth day after entering the customs; on the sixth day, he went to Sanhe County at noon and arrived in Tongzhou on the same day; on the seventh day, he could have entered Beijing, but Li Xu decided to go to Zhangjiawan to borrow Cao Because this trip back to Beijing is only sent by Prince Zhuang, it is unknown whether there will be any errands available for a while.If you live in Beijing on a business trip, not only is it difficult to live in peace, but Jiumo Hongchen is a place where the spirits of the past were high, and it is rare to feel peaceful when you touch it. Therefore, I decided to settle down in Zhangjiawan first, as a step back. The original dispatcher had already been dispatched by Suizhong County with a written reply; Mr. Jin sent three other officers and soldiers from the green battalion to escort him.I wrote a thank-you letter to Mr. Jin at the Tongzhou Inn, paid another ten taels of silver as a reward, and sent the escort officers and soldiers away; the next morning, I hired two more cars and headed south to Zhangjiawan. Li Xu sat in the back one; the front one was a servant and maid recommended by Bridge to Li Xu. They were father and daughter. Ten years ago, Bridge saved a family of three fleeing famine. They were from Anhui and their surname was Zhou Xingsan. The daughter is just a baby, and her nickname is Sister Shun.More than ten years later, on Wednesday, when his wife lost his wife and was homesick, but his hometown had no foundation, so he could scrape together a fortune and go back to his hometown, so what did he do for a living?It just so happened that Li Xu was pardoned and went back to Beijing, so he had to have a follower; Bridge made an idea for Wednesday, why not take his daughter to serve Li Xu for two or three years, and if anyone was sent to Anhui to be an official, he would recommend Wednesday. He failed in his wish to return home.He also said that Sister Shun was tall and graceful, and she was in a sparsely populated place, which also buried talents; if she followed Li Xu to Beijing, she would definitely be able to find a good-looking son-in-law for her.In this way, he said Wednesday with all his heart, and brought his daughter to Zhangjiawan with Li Xu. Along the way, Li Xu had already told Wednesday that Cao's house was almost equal to his own house.So according to Li Xu's guidance, he arrived at the large house, and after parking in front of the gate, he jumped out of the car, went straight to the gatehouse, coughed, and raised his voice and asked, "Is the big brother at the gate there?" The middle-aged man who came out to meet him was named Wu Luohan; he looked through Wednesday and asked, "Your name? What's your business?" "My surname is Li; I am the uncle of the family." "Really?" Wu Luohan frowned, "Do you know what this family's last name is?" "Who doesn't know, the surname is Cao." "Yes, you know our uncle, where is he now?" "That's right. That's how it is—." Before he could finish his sentence, Luo Han already had a look of surprise and joy; he ran up to him and shouted: "It's really uncle, how did you come back?" It turned out that Li Xu got impatient and asked the coachman to help him down; at this time, of course, he didn't have time to explain the reason in detail, so he just said: "Old Wu, his name is Wednesday, and he has a daughter named Sister Shun. I want to stay here for a long time. .” "Yes, yes! Uncle, please sit down first." Luo Han helped Li Xu, then turned his face and asked, "Where did you hire the car?" "Tongzhou." "The car price has already been paid." Li Xu interjected to Wednesday, "Ask Sister Shun to give them some wine money." Sister Shun is in charge of money and accounts, she is very capable, she argues more with the driver than argues, and refuses to suffer at all.After sending the coachman away, he carried a package into the concierge; seeing many servants from the Cao family talking around Li Xu, he couldn't help feeling a little shy. "Okay, uncle please." It was Wu Luohan who said, "The second hall is spacious, let's live in the second hall!" "I still like the third hall." "There are people living in the third hall now; those who are about to go to Beijing, wait for the guests to go before moving out." Li Xu nodded and remained silent.So Luo Han took people to move the very simple luggage to the second hall; they moved forward in the dark and in the dark, the house was very big, and Li Xu only used the east half, so that it could still be illuminated by the afterglow of the setting sun in the evening. The furniture is ready-made, and there are several sets of utensils to use, just open the warehouse to get it.Wu Luohan took a servant named Shunzi, together with Wednesday's father and daughter, and quickly arranged a bedroom and a study for Li Xu; the main room became the dining room.On Wednesday, father and daughter live in the back room, each occupying one room. "I'm afraid I don't have anything good to eat today. There are still seafood left by the fourth master; now it's too late. Besides, Zhao Fu has left." "Originally, it's not the same now as before. People don't come and go often. There's no need to keep a good cook like Zhao Fu here. Oh," Li Xu suddenly remembered, "Who lives in the third hall?" "My surname is Zhu; I came here with a letter from Second Lord Zhen; I just arrived yesterday, and I went to Beijing today. There is a concubine who is still here; I heard that she is the girl in the fourth master's aunt Ji's house." "Ah!" Li Xu thought for a while, then suddenly said: "I see, I'm afraid it's Guan Qin's teacher. I heard the fourth master said it. But," he was puzzled again, "since he's Guan Qin's teacher, why Did you come to Beijing? Could it be that you are here to catch the exam. But this year, Dingwei and Chunwei have already passed." While talking, a figure flashed by outside the window, and there was no sound; then a young woman appeared at the curtain of the door, shouted "Uncle and Grandpa", then knelt down and saluted. Li Xu was slightly startled, and hurriedly got up, gave him a little support, and said repeatedly: "Don't dare to do it, don't dare to do it! Please get up." The young woman stood up and asked with a smile: "Uncle and Grandpa probably don't remember me. I'm Bi Wen from the Fourth Master and Aunt Ji's place." "Oh!" Li Xu replied with an apologetic smile, "I really can't remember. Please sit down! Sit down and talk." "Yes!" Bi Wen agreed, but didn't sit down; she stared blankly at Li Xu, and after a thousand words, she only picked out one sentence: "Where's Master Ding?" "It's a long story. You sit down first." "Yes!" Biwen turned to Wu Luohan and said, "Old Wu, please give me a small bench." "No, no need!" Li Xu pointed with his finger, "Just sit on the chair." "There is no such rule." Biwen finally asked Wu Luohan to fetch a stool before sitting down at the entrance. "I just heard from Lao Wu that a Mr. Zhu from your mansion came to Beijing with his family; I heard from your fourth master that he is the Mr. Zhu who taught Qin Guan how to read?" "yes!" "'Family' is you?" "Yes!" Bi Wen replied softly with her head lowered. "You married him not long ago?" "It's been less than a month." Bi Wen was already embarrassed. "Hey! It's not full moon yet." Li Xu laughed, "What a brand new bride." Bi Wen's face flushed with shame; Gu Yue asked suspiciously, "Uncle and Grandpa haven't eaten yet?" "Just arrived not long ago." "I remember my uncle has a good appetite and loves to eat meat; so does our master. I happened to have a pot of meat stewed there, waiting for me to bring it." "Not to mention that Mr. Zhu has gone to Beijing; will he be back today?" "That's what I said; I don't know if I can make it back, but I can't." "If you come back, please come and see me." "As soon as he comes back, he will naturally greet his uncle and great grandfather." "Don't dare to be, don't dare to be! Girl Biwen, don't say that." Biwen smiled without answering, opened the curtain and left. Li Xu has lived in Suzhou for thirty years and is used to the food in Wuzhong; when he saw the shiny bowl of red chestnut stew, and smelled the sweet aroma, he couldn't help but make a noise in his throat, and he felt uncomfortable. Excuse me. "Look at how greedy I am! I'm not afraid of your jokes when I say it. I have dreamed several times; I dreamed of the sauced meat recommended by Lu Gong. Today, I finally tasted the taste of Suzhou again." Li Xu said again: "I see you too Just eat here, eat and talk at the same time. Girl Biwen, I met you; you don't know how happy I am, I have a lot to tell you; I also have a lot to ask you." “是！我也跟大舅太爷一样。”说着，碧文便走过来替李煦斟酒。 “你别客气，请坐下来。”李煦便喊：“顺姐，你替朱太太拿副杯筷来。” “我自己来。”碧文放下酒壶回身握着顺姐的手说：“我叫碧文。你叫我碧文姊姊好了。” 顺姐无以为答；只是憨笑着。她是一张圆脸，这一笑越发显得稚气，碧文忍不住在她颊上轻轻拧了一把；然后牵着她的手，一起去找碗筷。 原来曹俯上年进京，听平郡王福彭谈起，府中虽有几个幕友，文字却都平常，加以都是上一辈手里的人，相处不免拘束。有心想在京中物色一两个笔下清通、仪容俊雅的幕友，却难得其选；而且当今皇帝，对诸门下，进用新人，颇为在意，亦不敢造次。因而托了曹俯，说是江南文物之邦，倘有这等寒士，愿意投靠的，不妨悄悄送进京去。 及至曹俯奔丧回南，百日已过，哀痛稍杀，与曹震谈起此事；曹震又与妻子商量，震二奶奶立刻就有主意。 “不现成有个人在那里；朱先生。” 曹震心想，朱实年方三十，文字、仪容都很过得去；而且口齿便给，杂学懂得又多，去当少年郡王的幕友清客，再适当不过。只是芹官的学业怎么办呢？ “不会另找？”震二奶奶说，“四老爷本嫌朱先生教得不严。” “教得不严的话不必说，说了倒像嫌他不好，要想法子把他送走。” “何劳你说？”震二奶奶慢条厮理地说，“我还另有个算计，要把朱先生一颗心捆得死死地，教他忘不了咱们家。” “是啊！”曹震开始发觉举荐朱实到平郡王门下，有一样绝大的好处，“自从雍正元年那道上谕，不准京内外官员在诸王门下行走以后；四叔每趟进京，也不过能见郡王两三次，而且有些体己话也不能说。如果有朱先生在那里，往来传话，遇事关照，益处可是太多了。不过，要他忘不了咱们家，可就得看他自己的良心了。” “啊！”曹震明白了，“你是说把碧文给朱先生做偏房？” “现在是偏房，要不了一年就会扶正；前儿我听人说，朱师母已经不能下床了。”震二奶奶起身说道：“我先跟太太说去；说好了，你跟朱先生去谈；都谈妥了，告诉四老爷一声就是了。” 从曹老太太一死。中门以内，名为马夫人作主，其实都托付了震二奶奶。马夫人唯一关心的，只是芹官的学业，所以听说举荐朱先生进京，便有些答应不下；因为他们师徒极其相得，马夫人也看得出来，芹官已不像从前那样见了书本就怕；如果换一位老师，不甚投缘，又当如何？ “这我也想过。”震二奶奶答说，“芹官读书上进，还不是为了将来？说实话，如今咱家只靠郡王照应了；芹官是朱先生教过的，情分格外不同，将来有他在郡王面前说话，还怕芹官没有好差使？至于另外请先生，不妨多找几位挑一挑；不能说这么大一个南京城，就找不出一个能跟芹官合得来的教书先生，倒是郡王那里要个人，不见得就能觅到像朱先生那样的；就算觅到了，跟咱们家无亲无故，怎么会向着咱们？” 这番话将马夫人说动了；点点头说：“不知道朱先生愿不愿意进京？” “一定愿意。我再出个主意，他就更愿意了。老太太当年不是许了的，要把碧文给他？” 马夫人沉吟了一会说：“这件事做是可以做，不过朱师母病得很厉害；别为这个病上加气，就此送命，那可是造孽！” “不会的。听说朱师母最贤慧不过。”震二奶奶紧接着又说：“不过太太的话，也不能不顾虑；我格外小心就是了。” 于是，曹震在当天就跟朱实去谈，却不说是他举荐，只说平郡王福彭听人说起有他这么一个人，颇为仰慕，想约他进京，朝夕盘桓。 说是平郡王慕名罗致，在朱实心理上觉得是件不能推辞的事，不过，他倒也不是见着高枝儿就爬的人，略想一想答说：“承郡王厚爱，我还有什么话说。不过有两件事，难作安排。一件是令弟的学业——。” “这不要紧！”曹震打断他的话说，“自然要安排好了，才舍得放你。” “那好，这一件不谈。第二件是内人病在床上，去日无多；此刻不顾她，管自己进京，似乎不义。” “这是个难题。不过，听说师母极其贤慧；她如果知道你有这么一个机会，只为了不忍舍她而去，便丢掉这个机会，心里反倒不安。” “话是不错。不过，家里还有几个小的——。” “那，你请放心，我让内人拨两个靠得住的人，去伺候师母，照料师弟师妹。” 朱实想想了想说：“好！我回去跟内人商量。” “是的。这件事一定要跟师母商量。不过，我在想，师母倒不会担心别的；一定担心你一个人在京里，饮食起居，诸多不便。如果师母这么说，你怎么回说？” “我不知道！”朱实老实答说，“我还没有想到我自己的事。” “内人倒替你想过了，她说，朱先生进京，不能没有人照料；还是让碧文跟爵禄伺候了去好了。” 朱实一楞，“爵禄，如果我要去，倒想带他在身边。”他说，“碧文姑娘，可怎么敢当？” “大名应该改作朱老实。”曹震笑道：“你以为碧文还是伺候书房？自然是伺候得你无微不至。不过，这件事你自己斟酌，要不要告诉师母？” “内人倒不在乎的。已经跟我说过好几次，要我弄个人。” “那太好了。碧文如何，你一定比我还清楚。”曹震起身说道：“好久都不出门了；今早上那里散散心去。” 百日虽过，曹家多少依汉人的规矩，还不敢公然邀宴，也不赴亲友的应酬；自然更不敢涉足声色场中，不过玄武湖上载酒泛舟。曹震很下了一番说词，使得朱实跟妻子商量，已决定应聘进京了。 接下来就是在碧文身上下工夫；锦儿受命，在第二天上书房以后，找个藉口将碧文约了来，遣去小丫头，还关了房门，使得碧文大为疑惑。 “干嘛呀！是什么不能让人知道的事？” “要等你点了头，才能让人知道。”锦儿问道：“朱实先生要进京了，你知不知道？” “我不知道啊！”碧文大为诧异，“是干什么去；怎么事先一点都没有听说？” “是到王府里去当师爷。”锦儿突然问道：“你看朱先生这个人怎么样？” 碧文心一跳，脸微微发红，“我那知道怎么样？”她说。“是咱们家请来的老师，当然得敬重。” “你误会了。不是说你不该敬重；是说你喜欢不喜欢他？” 碧文脸越发红了，“你扯什么？”她说，“我不懂你的话。” “我倒是想跟你说心里的话，你怎么老闪着我？”锦儿皱着眉说，“莫非你只要让我传我们二奶奶的话就够了？” “二奶奶说什么？” “她说，让你伺候了朱老先生。天造地设的一对儿。” 碧文低着头不作声。心里是千肯万肯的了，但怎么样也无法从言语或表情中，作出正面的答覆。 “怎么样嘛？”锦儿心生一计，故意从反面去说：“想来你是觉得委屈，不愿意；可也得说个不愿意的缘由，我好跟震二奶奶去交代。” 这下，碧文有些着急了，脱口否认：“我可没有说不愿意的话！” “这么说，”锦儿笑道，“你是愿意的啰？” 碧文发觉上当了；只好这样回答：“还不知道季姨娘怎么样呢？” 这跟一般女孩议婚，逼急了只好说一句“随父母作主”是一样的道理；锦儿认为可以去复命了。 “季姨娘那里你别管，反正包在我身上，高高兴兴送你上轿。”锦儿又问：“你还回不回书房？” 如果朱实还不知道这回事，回书房不要紧；倘或已经知道，就难为情了。因此碧文问道：“他呢？震二爷跟他提过我的事了？” 这个“他”自是指朱实；锦儿故意扬着脸反问：“他是谁啊！” “啪”地一声，碧文打了她一下，“别使坏！”她红着脸说。 “你别害臊！”锦儿笑道：“反正消息一传出去，拿你取笑儿的人多着呢！依我说书房也别去了；可也不能回季姨娘那里，干脆就在我屋里待着；烧给老太太的锡箔摺不完，够你消遣的。”