Chapter 5 chapter Five
The last step was also very smooth, Cao Fu thought that Cao Zhen had recommended someone; and it happened to find another strict teacher for Qin Guan.As for Aunt Ji, Jin'er had another coaxing and coaxing argument. The coaxing was to bring out Mrs. Cao, saying it was her will; the coaxing was naturally to allow her to find another capable person to replace Biwen. .But what moved Aunt Ji the most was that Bi Wen would take care of Tang Guan in the future.
"Mr. Zhu was originally loyal, and with Bi Wen beside him; she brought Tang Guan up since she was a child. To be honest, she sees Tang Guan as her own brother. Is there anyone who doesn't force Mr. Zhu to take care of Tang Guan?"
"Yeah!" Aunt Ji was overjoyed, "I'll be honest, don't I treat Biwen like a daughter? People's hearts are made of flesh, and she can't do it for the sake of how I treat her. Do not take care of Tang Guan."
The latter paragraph is unnecessary; Aunt Ji's language is so tasteless, Jin'er is too lazy to say more to her, "Okay," she stood up, "Are you going to marry 'daughter'?"
Although it was a joke, Aunt Ji took it seriously, and immediately asked the little girl to open the box, and picked out some jewelry rulers she had accumulated on weekdays, and picked them into a "dowry", just waiting for Biwen to come Well, the two "mothers" still have a lot of personal things to say.
But after lunch, when Biwen would usually find time to come back, she was nowhere to be seen; it was Biwen's cousin Xia Yun who came.
"Aunt Ji," he said, "Biwen asked me to pack her things."
Aunt Ji was very surprised, "Why didn't she come by herself?" She asked, "Where's the person?"
"Going home."
"Going home?" Aunt Ji couldn't believe her ears, "How could it be?"
"Why not? If she is in the mansion, why did you ask me to pack her things?"
"That's right!" Aunt Ji was rather displeased, "Why did you go home by yourself without saying a word?"
"It was explained by Second Grandma Zhen."
"She confessed? Isn't this bullying!" Aunt Ji turned pale with anger, "I really don't understand, why is she so unreasonable?"
Xia Yun thought it was ridiculous to say that Second Grandma Zhen was unreasonable.In fact, it is precisely because Second Grandma Zhen is so familiar with the world that she has such a seemingly "unreasonable" measure.It turned out that Second Grandma Zhen heard Jin'er relay Aunt Ji's words, and immediately thought that in order to win over Bi Wen, she would probably recognize Bi Wen as a righteous daughter; Zhu Shi could be regarded as her "god-son-in-law".One good thing, if Aunt Ji is messing up the situation, it will definitely be messed up; so I resolutely sent Biwen home, and it was Jin'er who sent it, and told Biwen's parents about this marriage.
Xia Yun also knew about these inside stories, but he refused to tell Aunt Ji, and let her get sulky; he quietly packed up Biwen's clothes and sundries, put them in two boxes, opened the lid of the box, and invited Aunt Ji to come Check.
"Don't look at it," Aunt Ji asked, "How did you send it to her?"
"Second Grandma Zhen, please send someone to deliver it."
"No! You think of a way to bring a letter to Biwen and let her pick it up; I still have something to marry her with."
Xia Yun was quite embarrassed; on second thought, he didn't want to get involved in the whirlpool, anyway, she just passed it on to Second Grandma Zhen.
"Don't worry about it!" Second Grandma Zhen said to Xia Yun, "I'll tell her myself."
"yes!"
"Let me ask you, does Biwen have anything valuable?"
"Some jewellery, a pair of gold bracelets, three jeweled rings, and a gold watch with beads."
"It's only a matter of a few dozen taels of silver." Second Grandma Zhen said, "I'll pay Bi Wen for it."
So, they sent someone to invite Aunt Ji, and Second Grandma Zhen told her herself; she had already sent someone to notify Bi Wen, and asked her to come and pick up her things by herself.But Biwen's parents lived outside the city, so they might not make it this day.
In fact, not only on this day, but also on the second day, the third day, and until the sixth day, there was no sign of Bi Wen.On the seventh day, Second Grandma Zhen sent Jin'er to tell Aunt Ji that Biwen had followed Zhu Shi to the capital; she left her things to honor Aunt Ji, as a reward for her many years of being a master and a servant.
Hearing this, Aunt Ji seemed to have been hit by a thunderbolt, and was so shocked that she couldn't speak for a long time, Jin'er just got up to leave.
"Slowly, slowly!" Aunt Ji grabbed Jin'er as if waking up from a dream, "Girl, please sit down, I have a few words to ask you."
"Okay! Ask Aunt Ji to tell."
"Biwen's parents agreed to this marriage?"
"Of course, otherwise, how could Biwen leave?"
"How much dowry did you give?"
"Two hundred taels of silver."
"Is there a wedding?"
"Two tables of wedding wine were invited." Jin Er replied, "I also met Mrs. Zhu; Bi Wen also kowtowed to her."
"Oh," Aunt Ji asked, "Have you gone to drink the wedding wine?"
"It's not our turn to have a wedding banquet. However, Second Grandma Zhen has gone."
"Who else?"
"And—" Jin'er thought for a while, and finally told the truth, "And Aunt Zou."
This time, Aunt Ji was so angry that she almost fainted on the spot, "Whose idea is this? Who came up with such an idea?" She growled, "I want to ask her, why not let her I'll go; let someone else go?"
"Aunt Ji, don't blame Second Grandma Zhen, she actually said that she should invite you to a wedding banquet; the wife said no, I'm afraid you will be sad when you see Bi Wen. It's also a kindness."
"Could it be that I'm not sad now?" Aunt Ji burst into grief, and really cried "heh, heh".
Jin'er consoled and regretted, it shouldn't be said that Aunt Zou was also invited to the wedding banquet; if you think about it, it's no wonder Aunt Ji is sad.Seeing her tears streaming down her face again, she was in so much pain that she naturally had a thought in her heart: the method of shocking Second Grandma was too severe!I'm afraid that I have formed an indissoluble hatred with Aunt Ji.
Thinking of this, I was terrified; since the death of Mrs. Cao, Second Grandma Zhen has become more powerful and domineering, and her behavior is quite disorderly. If Aunt Ji catches something, this turmoil will become serious.
So she said: "Aunt Ji, don't blame Second Mistress, she is definitely not bullying you; she is really afraid that you will not bear Biwen, so she hides some things from you. In fact, she also takes good care of you. I said, Tang Guan is growing up; a developing child like him, who doesn’t know how hungry to eat, should think about it for Aunt Ji and add her monthly bill; I can allocate it to you as soon as I return to my wife. Although this is It's a trivial matter, but it shows that she has no intention of making things difficult for you."
Aunt Ji didn't know if her words were true or not?But I was relieved, and gradually put away my tears and said: "Miss, you know; the second grandma Zhen is the head of the family, and I dare not mess with her. I don't look at the face of the monk or the face of the Buddha. After all, I also gave birth to a son for the master." "It shouldn't be so heavy that I can't even raise my head in front of Tang Guan."
This is also true.Jin'er could only defend Second Grandma Zhen in a general way; she sat with her for a while, and only then did she resign after seeing Aunt Ji's normal demeanor.
"I heard that Aunt Ji cried a lot." Second Grandma Zhen asked, "How did you tell her?"
"No matter how you say it, you can't make people sad." Jin'er replied, "It's better to get rid of enemies than to end them. I've said good things for Second Mistress."
"What good words?"
"I said Second Grandma would add her monthly bill——."
"Why?" Second Grandma Zhen interrupted her and asked.
"No reason. I've already said the words; if Second Mistress doesn't want to, just deduct my monthly report and give it to her."
Grandma Zhen thought for a while and said, "I can't use your money to save me. Well, let's add it to you; I will add her monthly bill of two taels of silver." She paused and said, "Although the money is There are only two taels, but since the old lady passed away, everything has been saved, only she has added monthly allowances."
"Because of this, she can feel better."
"Hmph!" Second Grandma Zhen sneered, "I don't care if she's happy or not."
"Why bother!" Jin'er persuaded: "Everyone is happy and friendly, so how many troubles will be saved?"
Second Grandma Zhen kept silent; she had listened to Jin'er's persuasion.
"Someone came from Beijing, bringing unexpected news." Cao Zhen said to his wife, "Uncle and Grandpa have returned." "Really?" Second Grandma Zhen immediately thought of Li Ding, "Have their father and son returned to Beijing?" "Should have returned to Beijing by now." Cao Zhen said, "What Uncle Fourth means, we should send someone to check." "Look, who are you going to send?" Cao Zhen thought for a while, then suddenly said: "Send Long Guan there." Upon hearing this, Jin'er's heart skipped a beat, but Second Grandma Zhen was very calm, "Why would you think of him?" She asked, "Isn't he the kind of person to do this kind of job?" "Could it be that he only specializes in purchasing?" Cao Zhen sneered, "The job of buying paint next year really made him full. He is the best job; he has to come here once or twice on the hard job to teach people convinced." Second Grandma Zhen was silent for a while; then she said with a bit of anger: "Anyway, I've prepared the gift, whoever you want to send?" After saying this, she turned to chat with Jin'er: "Biwen will probably be here soon. Is it Tongzhou?" "That's so fast?" "It's almost the same." Second Grandma Zhen said again: "Bi Wen, I don't know if I've met my uncle or great-grandfather?" "I must have seen it. Biwen has been in the mansion for almost ten years." "It doesn't matter if you haven't met; she has always met Uncle Ding more than once. Uncle and Grandpa will always go to see the prince when he is in Beijing; Mr. Zhu said it when he went back, and he will naturally follow up." "Yes!" Jin'er replied; seeing Cao Zhen walking out without looking back, she said in a low voice, "Second Master has a deep opinion of Long Guan!" "Never mind him!" Second Grandma Zhen's tone was very firm: "I don't care about him." "Don't say that either—" Jin'er hesitated to speak, and finally said: "It's better to let Long Guan stay away first." Second Grandma Zhen was silent; she sat down and picked up a small blue and white teapot from Chenghua kiln, drank a few sips slowly, and then said: "Don't be afraid, I have everything!"
"Grandma," Old Liu, a new servant, called through the window, "a young master surnamed Cao came from Nanjing and said he wanted to see Grandma." The word "Cao's name" came to my ears, and Biwen felt a sense of intimacy; but he couldn't think of who "the young master surnamed Cao" was?So I just answered: "Oh!" Come out and ask: "Where is the person?" "In the concierge." "How old are you?" "In my twenties, in my thirties." Who could it be?Biwen was eager to solve the mystery; with a pair of feet used to walking in Cao's house, he walked around the corridor of the courtyard, out of the middle door, and walked forward. "Ah!" The answer was revealed, but he was even more surprised, "Longguan, why are you here?" "Bi——" Cao Shilong shrunk quickly, calmed down and smiled, "Call you the fifth sister-in-law! You didn't expect it to be me, did you?" "Yes! I can't think of it. How did you find it?" "I went to Zhangjiawan first, and they told me that you live at the west entrance of Ertiao Hutong in Xidan, opposite to Faxiang Temple. I asked two of them before I found out." Cao Shilong asked again, "Where is Fifth Master?" "Go to the palace." "Oh, it's not far from Stone Son-in-law Street." "Long Guan, where do you live?" Bi Wen said, "Sit inside!" "I live in Sanyuan Inn on Shangxie Street outside Shunzhi Gate." Cao Shilong asked as he walked, "Where does Uncle and Grandpa live?" At this time, they had already arrived in the living room, Bi Wen greeted the guests to sit down; he poured tea with his own hands.Cao Shilong then made it clear that he came to Beijing to express condolences to Li Xu. "Unfortunately, I went to Yizhou yesterday. He is alone. He is old and cannot live without someone to take care of him. I will ask him to live here." "What?" Cao Shilong asked, "Where is Uncle Ding?" There are so many things to talk about, but Biwen has to make arrangements for the guests first. The most important thing is to send Lao Liu to the palace to ask Zhu Shi, when can he get home?Because although Cao Shilong is not the "righteous master" of the Cao family, he can't write two characters of Cao in one stroke, so he must be treated as his own, but after all, men and women are different. It doesn't matter if he comes back, he is afraid that he will live in the palace that day, so he has to have dinner early, do his best to be the host, and then send him back to the inn early, and make sense when Zhu Shi returns home tomorrow. "The capital city is very different from ours in Nanjing." Biwen told her feelings, "In Nanjing, when you wake up every day, when you should get ready to go to bed, it's like a mold hole is carved, every day; Sometimes you come back early, sometimes you come back late, sometimes you say that the prince will go to court before dawn, and you have a memorial to rush out, and hand it to the emperor in person; you have to stay up most of the night, waiting for the prince. You can only go home after entering the palace. You often have to wait until the fifth watch to wait for the door." Cao Shilong smiled and said, "Isn't that just in time for the hot bed?" Upon hearing this, Biwen remained silent; she was vigilant, and sometimes heard Aunt Ji talking about it in Cao's house, it seemed that Second Mistress was not clean with Longguan.Thinking about it, there should be no such thing; probably because he likes to say such indecent words. Of course it's not good to keep silent and freeze there; Bi Wen simply got up and said, "Guys, please sit down; I'll go and have a look in the kitchen." Biwen only used two people, one was Lao Liu, the concierge and handyman; the other was Qi's mother from Sanhe County, a widow in her thirties. Biwen saw that her eyes were not very decent, so she thought she could do well dishes, and left her behind. "Grandma," Qi's mother was chopping meat; she paused temporarily and asked, "This lord, can you eat pasta?" "Why can't I eat it?" "I thought that like the master, I don't like pasta, as long as I can eat it, I'll bake a few boxes!" "By the way, let's have dinner earlier." Biwen made up his mind, "It's a bit of a labor-intensive dish, so there's no need to cook it; go and order a 'box dish', open a jar of Nanjiu sent by the palace, and after drinking the wine, what to do Soup and baked boxes. So that guests can go back to the inn earlier.” "That said, I can save trouble. But the weather is hot, and some ingredients are left until tomorrow, so it's a pity that the taste has changed." "It doesn't matter! Make it slowly later, the chopsticks won't break if you don't move them." "That's right!" Qi's mother glanced at Bi Wen with her undeserved eyes, "Grandma's thoughts are so fast, and she looks like Sai Guanyin; no wonder the master hid in the house when he came home." Li refuses to come out." "Speech!" Bi Wen scolded slightly, "That's so much nonsense." Qi's mother smiled and remained silent; Bi Wen was a little hesitant. After explaining the matter, there was no need to stay in the kitchen, but she didn't want to go to the living room to accompany Cao Shilong.After thinking about it, I had a calculation. "I'll chop the meat; you can order box vegetables!" "Let Lao Liu go for a run." "Old Liu has gone to the palace." So Mama Qi put down the kitchen knife, untied the apron first, and washed her hands; then took a hair comb box from the shelf, and used a powder puff coated with rose oil to smooth the hair so that it was shiny and not messy, and then turned her head A tall "magpie tail" on the back of the bun walked out step by step. There was an alley from the kitchen, leading directly to the door; Qi's mother deliberately walked through the living room in order to see the appearance of the guests.But he couldn't pass by the guests for no reason; so he poured a bowl of tea, held it in front of Cao Shilong, smiled before saying anything, then glanced sideways before opening his mouth. "Master, please have some tea." Cao Shilong was standing and watching "Gongmen Copying"; Qi's mother was silent again, and she was slightly startled when she heard a sound. "Oh, thank you!" Cao Shilong smiled, picked up the gaiwan from the tray, but still looked at her. Qi's mother was extraordinarily attentive, holding the tray with her left hand and taking the tureen with her right hand; she wanted him to put it on the tea table.As soon as she stretched out her hand, Cao Shilong couldn't help paying attention; it turned out that her little nails were dyed red with impatiens. "Why did you only dye one nail?" Qi's mother shrunk her little finger inward and hid it in her palm; she took the tea bowl and put it on the coffee table, and Fang Shi replied, "I work all day, but it's still red? Don't make a joke!" "Your grandma has a good temper and won't laugh at you." "The neighbor wants to make a joke!" Qi's mother asked, "What's your surname?" "My surname is Cao." "Ah! It turns out that our grandma's family is here!" At this moment, Biwen was walking out, and it was strange when he heard the voice; and it was even more strange when he heard Qi's mother's voice.I couldn't help but stand still and listen carefully. "By the way! I'm your grandma's family." Cao Shilong asked, "How does grandma treat you?" "That's nothing to say. Our grandma is capable and wise, and she is the most considerate of servants. I told our grandma: In the future, when the master is released from a foreign post, he must take me with him. Anyway, I am alone. Not burdensome." "What? You're still alone; where's your husband?" "You left me long ago." "no kids?" "No children and no daughters, just one poor person." "Poor! Poor!" Cao Shilong asked, "How many years have you been a widow?" "Twelve years." "Twelve years!" Cao Shilong asked again: "Can you hold on?" Hearing this, Biwen couldn't stand it anymore; but Ruyi broke in, neither of them had any interest, so they had to retreat back to the kitchen quietly.I was thinking in my heart: Mother Qi can't use it!Then I thought again, Cao Shilong turned out to be such a person!It seems that Aunt Ji's words are not completely unaffected. When he was thinking about Qi's mother's fate in a funny and troubled way, Lao Liu came back and told him that Zhu Shi was very happy to hear that someone from the Cao family had come. Let the guests stay first.Fortunately, Li Xu has gone to Yizhou, there is a ready-made empty shop, so it doesn't take much trouble. "No!" Biwen said without hesitation, "You don't have to keep the guests at home." Immediately afterwards, he urged: "You don't have to mention it to the guests, sir." "Yes! I understand." When it was time for dinner, Biwen only asked Lao Liu to pay tribute to Cao Shilong, and he did not come out to accompany him.This is the general rule, and Bi Wen is not considered rude; but Cao Shilong couldn't help wondering, feeling that the hostess seemed to be hot at the beginning and cold at the end, but he couldn't figure out why. It wasn't until after eating and drinking tea that Bi Wen came out to perfunctory for a while; Cao Shilong felt bored and got up to leave, Bi Wen said: "Please come over tomorrow." He went to the door of the main room first, waiting to see off the guests. It was only time for a cup of tea, Zhu Shixing hurried back; he entered the courtyard and saw the darkness of the main room, he was slightly surprised; he crossed the courtyard and asked Bi Wen who came out to meet him: "Where is Shilong?" "Go back to the inn." "Why? He doesn't want to live with us." Bi Wen didn't answer, but walked back into the bedroom; when Zhu Shi followed in, he whispered, "I didn't keep him." "why?" "Let me tell you a joke. There is an old woman like ours, and there are guests like that. When they meet, they talk and laugh, it's like a fate forged in a previous life." Biwen described what she saw and heard in detail. I told my husband in detail. "No wonder you didn't keep him." Zhu Shi asked, "Why did he come to Beijing?" "The fourth master and the second master Zhen sent him to see the uncle and great grandfather. I don't know if there is anything else." "You didn't ask him?" "I'm too lazy to ask." "It's rare that someone from Nanjing comes—" Zhu Shi sighed and didn't go on. "It's not that I deliberately slow down the guests. You are kind to the Cao family, and I have face; besides, it doesn't take much trouble to keep him here, so why don't I do it? Really, I think he is a bit scary!" "horrible?" "Yes." Biwen was worried, "I'm really afraid that something will happen; especially when I think of Aunt Ji." "I," Zhu Shi was greatly confused, "I really don't understand what you're talking about?" "I hope I'm just worrying," Biwen asked nonchalantly, "Why did you come back so early?" "I originally said that there was a poem about the fourth elder brother, and I wanted to discuss it with me; later, I asked someone to come out and say: I am in a bad mood, and I will think about it tomorrow! Only later did I know that it was the old prince who lost his temper again; The thousand silver, the prince said that it should be returned. The father and son argued for a few words; the old prince got angry, picked up the silver coin and threw it out, smashing the goldfish bowl." "Really!" Bi Wen also sighed, "Every family has scriptures that are hard to recite." Zhu Shi was silent; he just said, "I'll drink a glass of medicinal wine! Go to bed early, and I'll go to the inn to see him tomorrow morning." Biwen poured a glass of the medicinal wine that Zhu Shi drank as usual before going to bed every night; in addition, he used a three-compartment fruit plate, filled with some pine nuts, olives, and dried meat for him to drink.Then he went to make the bed; he sat down in front of the dresser. This is Zhu Shi's happiest moment; while drinking wine, he watches Bi Wen take off her makeup.But my heart is always full of thoughts of being grateful to the Cao family; therefore I think of the people from the Cao family. "He was ordered to see my uncle and uncle. We have to arrange for him to meet with my uncle. The 'Wannian Jidi' in Yizhou is a forbidden place, and I can't get in. I see, I will send someone tomorrow to take my uncle away." Grandpa will take you back." "He has just arrived at the construction site, and he is on assignment, so he can't come back as soon as he can. Besides, since he can't enter the forbidden area; he has sent someone away, so he didn't come back alone." With a few light words, he completely refuted his plan.Zhu Shi was ashamed and admired; he said with a smile: "You are more thoughtful and have more ideas than I am; why don't you just tell me, what should I do?" "I can only write a letter to my uncle. People from the House of Internal Affairs often go to Yizhou and ask them to deliver it. I will wait for my uncle to reply." Bi Wen then said: "You go to the inn tomorrow and tell Long Guan, Uncle is afraid that he won't be back for some time, he has something to do in Beijing, so he can do it first. You might as well move things to our house first." "That's right. People from the Ministry of Internal Affairs leave early in the morning; I wrote the letter first." "In the study, or writing here?" "It's written here." So Biwen, with her long hair loose, came to take care of Zhu Shi's letter writing. She prepared all the pens, ink, paper and inkstone, and lit the oil lamp; she sat aside, combing her hair with her teeth, while watching him write letters. "Oh." In the middle of writing, Zhu Shi suddenly put down the pen, "There is something very important, I forgot to tell you; today is too lucky, I sent someone out to ask about you." "What?" Bi Wen was surprised, "Ask about me?" "Taifujin" refers to the mother of Pingjun Wang Fupeng, who is the eldest daughter of Cao Yin.She sent the girl to say: "I heard that Master Zhu's concubine is from the room of Taifujin's natal family. Taifujin wants to meet." Zhu Shi replied at that time: "It's from the house of Aunt Ji, the fourth master of Cao." It was inconvenient to tell Biwen the same, so I had to be vague. "Yes, I asked about you. I still want to see you. I think you have to go to the mansion tomorrow to say hello." Biwen nodded, "I've also thought about it, should I go to pay my respects? Thinking about it seems a bit presumptuous, so I didn't tell you." She said, "In that case, I should go. However, according to the rules, you should ask for instructions first. Tai Fujin, when is the right time?" "Okay! I'll ask tomorrow." Biwen thought for a while and said: "Tomorrow you will go to see Longguan first; come home and take Lao Liu there. I am ready to listen; I am afraid that if Taifu Jin says: This is the right time, let her come All right. I can go right away." How to get to the palace is discussed; but how to see the princess?What clothes should be worn, what etiquette should be followed?Biwen couldn't help being at a loss, first of all, he couldn't agree on the clothes. "Of course it's a dress." Zhu Shi replied casually. "I also know that I have to wear a dress; why don't you tell me? What I want to ask is to wear a cheongsam or a skirt?" The skirt is a Han costume, from Zhu Shi's point of view, it should be so; but if you see the old master, you have to follow the rules of the bannerman.In addition, Biwen has a layer of selfishness that is inconvenient to express clearly. If it is a Han costume, concubines cannot wear red skirts;So Biwen is willing to wear a cheongsam. "Then just wear a cheongsam." Zhu Shi obediently obeyed, "As you please." "However, I will not step on the 'bottom of the flower pot'." "Then don't step on it! Same goes for a pair of embroidered flats." "There are 'two handles' on the head, and a pair of sandals under the feet; neither fish nor fowl, how stupid it is." Zhu Shi also felt that it was inappropriate.All you see in the Cao family are women in Han costumes; once you enter the palace, you often have the opportunity to meet noble ladies; Putting it on makes it look graceful and precious.Especially the young women in Huaxin's age, holding a large colorful handkerchief in the hands with extremely long nails, more like willows swinging in the wind, graceful and graceful; if you wear flat shoes, you must not have such a light and beautiful posture . "Forget it!" Biwen made up his mind, "Just keep my original identity; it also seems that I have not forgotten my roots." "It's up to you. I don't care." Zhu Shi asked, "Should I buy something decent to take with me?" "No! You don't need to waste that kind of money. Is there anything in the palace? In theory, you should use your own work, or make two kinds of dishes and snacks to pay your respects, which is a little sincerity." Biwen thought for a while and said, "Let's just do it this way." , you go into the mansion tomorrow and ask someone to ask Fujin for instructions, just say that I will go to ask Fujin the morning after tomorrow. Is it suitable?" "That's right! It's better to take it easy." Biwen was calm, and he was also calm; after writing the letter, he wrote another business card, called Lao Liu in, and told him to deliver the letter. "You will go to Mr. Shang of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and tell the concierge, please Mr. Shang to see who has come to Yizhou and hand over the letter; if it arrives, it would be best if you can reply to the letter." The "Master Shang" that Zhu Shi mentioned was named Shang Zhishun; he is currently the head of the House of Internal Affairs.This Shang Zhishun's real name is Shang Zhishun; he is the youngest son of King Pingnan Shang Kexi. "The San Francisco Rebellion" responded to Wu Sangui by Shang Kexi's eldest son, Shang Zhixin; No penalty.Shang Kexi died in Guangzhou as early as the 16th year of Kangxi; six years later, Shang Zhixiao invited his father to be buried in Haicheng, Liaodong; Righteously annihilating relatives and resolutely crusading him; now he stays in Haicheng for a long time under the pretext of burying his father, saying that he "plans to have a feast"; in fact, he is afraid that he will have different intentions, so he proposes to "join the Ministry of Internal Affairs with his children" after dismissal.From then on, in addition to the coating, the House of Internal Affairs also had the Han army. Shang Kexi has seven sons, all of whom belong to the Ministry of Internal Affairs except the eldest son; the name has been changed by one word, from "zhi" to "zhi".The Shang family is the bordered red flag of the Han army; it has the same defense area as the red flag bordered in Manchuria, so it has a close relationship with the Prince's Mansion of Pingjun.When Cao Yin married a daughter, Shang Zhishun's elder brother Shang Zhijie hosted the wedding in Pingjun Palace. At that time, Shang Zhijie had been promoted to the Minister of Internal Affairs. It is very close; so Zhu Shi got to know him very well not long after he entered the palace. The letter was sent to Shang Zhishun's house overnight, but the original was brought back.The concierge of the Shang family told Liu Er that his master had an "inner court mission" early tomorrow morning; he had to go to the palace at Yinke and had already fallen asleep.I dare not accept the letter, for fear of delay.However, the concierge of the Shang family pointed out to Liu Er that Shang Zhishun would leave the palace and go to the House of Internal Affairs at around 12:00 tomorrow; whether he wanted to send people to Yizhou or not, he would only know at that time.If you have a trust belt, it is best to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to connect. So the next morning, the master and the servant went out together, and Lao Liu sent the master to the Sanyuan Inn before transferring to the House of Internal Affairs.Zhu Shi took care of Lao Liu, will the letter be brought out that day, and when will it reach Li Xu?Be sure to ask clearly; he is waiting for information in the ternary stack. In this way, Cao Shilong also knew, and could estimate when Li Xu's reply would come; he had a plan in mind. It took more than an hour to go there; Zhu Shi and Cao Shilong described the situation after the farewell in detail, and they were almost at the end of their words, only to see Lao Liu come to answer his orders. "As soon as the letter and the film were put in, there was a message from inside asking me to wait. Then I sent someone out to say: 'Someone will arrive in Yizhou in the afternoon; the letter won't arrive until tomorrow morning.' In addition, Mr. Shang sent a reply letter, Let me bring it back." As he spoke, Liu Er took out a letter from the protector and handed it to Zhu Shi. The envelope was very strong, but there was a mark of "100,000 Urgent" on the envelope; Zhu Shi opened it without thinking, took out the letter paper, and frowned. "I'm afraid there will be trouble again. Alas!" Zhu Shi sighed heavily. "Master Zhu," Cao Shilong naturally wanted to express his concern, "What happened? Please rest assured, with the prince here, think about it slowly." "It's not that I'm in trouble. I'm talking about the family. Look!" Zhu Shi handed Shang Zhishun's letter over. Before he finished reading the letter, Cao Shilong's face changed, which was very unnatural; after he finished reading the letter, he handed it back, and said: "If there is no trouble, it will be fine. If there is trouble, it will be nothing." "Yeah, I think so too." "Then, may I ask Lord Wu, what do you plan to do now?" "Naturally, notify Uncle Ling and Uncle Ling as soon as possible."
Zhu actually meant Cao Zhen and Cao Fu; he thought in his heart, seeing that Cao Shilong was so concerned, he might as well let him rush back to deliver the letter.However, he has just arrived in Beijing, and he hasn't even seen Li Xu yet; he himself always has some matters entrusted by his close relatives and friends to take care of, so it is really hard for him to rush back to deliver the letter. No wonder he was still hesitating, but Cao Shilong actually volunteered, "Master Zhu," he said, "Anyway, I've got my heart for my uncle, it doesn't matter whether I see you or not; why don't I go back to the south early and bring this information back. " Zhu Shi was overjoyed, "'I insist on what I want, but I dare not ask for it'. It would be perfect if Brother Shi worked hard." He asked again: "When does Brother Shi plan to leave?" "Let's go." Cao Shilong replied, "I'm going to hire a car right away; I'll leave tomorrow if I have time." "It must be in time." Zhu Shi got up and said, "I'm going back to the palace to write a letter now; I still have a drink in the dormitory at night, it's a farewell party." "Yes, thank you." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he remembered what Bi Wen had told him before he left the house: he planned to cook four dishes and snacks that were completely Jiangnan style, and then find two other jobs that he usually does there, and bring them to the palace tomorrow as a gift for visiting.It is expected that he is very busy at this time, so why invite Cao Shilong to come to eat at home? Thinking this way, I deeply regret Meng Lang; but I have already made an agreement, so I can't change my words.Fortunately, the matter of seeing Da Fujin has not yet been decided; it may as well delay it for a day or two.However, I have to go home quickly and explain to Biwen. Biwen was naturally surprised when he came back from this turn; Zhu Shi laughed and said, "I have made an appointment with Cao Shilong, and I am here for dinner tonight as a farewell farewell for him—" "What?" Biwen was even more surprised, "I'm going back to the south." "yes." "Then, what kind of colleague is that?" "Don't interrupt, listen to me first. I want to treat guests today, but I can only wait for a day or two to enter the palace tomorrow. As for Cao Shilong going back to the south, he volunteered; if there is news, he must inform the fourth master and the second master Zhen as soon as possible. ——.” "What news?" Biwen couldn't help but rushed to speak again. "Look!" Zhu Shi took out Shang Zhishun's letter. Zhu Shi couldn't understand Biwen's expression when he read the letter; because it was not worry, but anger. "This misfortune was caused by Long Guan. You can't just entrust him to deliver the letter; entrusting him alone will delay the important event!" "Why?" Zhu Shi's eyes were wide open, "Why do you say he caused the trouble?" Biwen kept her mouth shut and didn't answer; she tried to think about it, only to see the skin on her face became tighter and tighter, and finally there was a furious and desperate voice: "Anyway, you don't need to hide any secrets from the Cao family, I'll just let you know." Let me tell you the truth, Second Grandma Zhen had an affair with him; she insisted on begging for him to buy paint for him in front of Second Master Zhen. I don’t know what low-grade goods quoted high-quality prices! Tell me, can you keep the color from fading? ?” Zhu Shi was shocked, and looked at Bi Wen for a long time before saying, "No wonder! When he heard the news, his face burst into embarrassment, so unnatural." "Because of this matter, Second Master Zhen and Second Grandma Zhen have been at odds for more than a day." Biwen said again: "'Mute eat flat food', he knows it in his own mind. Why did he volunteer, he rushed back to take care of his own affairs, Maybe he ran away with something urgent; how dare he tell the fourth master this information?" "It is true that he will hide the news. If he is said to be running away, he will never do so. He is a banner man. Where did he escape? There is no way to escape." "Where is he in the flag?" Biwen replied: "The Cao family is the descendant of Cao Bin, the famous founding general of the Song Dynasty. , I am very proud, people surnamed Cao from all over the country came to join them; the old man and his uncle, uncle, uncle, and uncle, took turns to serve the salt messengers, and there were many people who had nothing to do. That's how Longguan's father came to Nanjing. Although he wrote it in one stroke There are two characters of Cao, one flag and one Han, so far apart!" "I don't know that there are so many details in it." Zhu Shi thought for a while and said: "Now I have to find someone else to report to the south; as for Cao Shilong, I think I can only find an excuse to keep him." "Then," Biwen said, "just say that my uncle will be back in half a day, so I should meet up and discuss with him before returning to Nanjing." "That's right, that's right! When something like this happens, the fourth master is eager to ask his uncle and uncle for advice; how can he miss this opportunity to ask for advice?" So Zhu Shi hurriedly wrote the letter; the letter was written to Cao Zhen, and it was inconvenient to say clearly that Shang Zhishun had disclosed the news, but only said "heard from the inner court".Bi Wen couldn't help but sighed again after reading the letter he wrote. "As soon as this letter arrived, wouldn't Second Master Zhen and Second Grandma Zhen have a falling out? Fortunately, the old lady passed by, otherwise I don't know how angry I would be?" "That can't be helped! There is such a news, I have to tell him. I will go to Titang right now." 各省都有“提塘官”驻京；自以两江为首，共有三名提塘官，朱实跟为头的杨都司很熟。当面一托，杨都司满口应承；恰好第二天逢五送“塘报”，顺便带去，有半个月曹震就可以收到朱实的信了。 到了下午在王府事毕，朱实先到三元客栈，看曹世隆正在督促他随带的小厮，收拾行李，便即说道：“世兄，不必忙了！正好王府有差官到南边去，我就先捎了信去了。世兄，你还是等大舅太爷从工地回来，一则是专诚致意，理当等待；二则，大舅太爷到底见多识广，经得风浪也多，这件事如果能想个什么法子，在京里就撕掳开了，不就省了好多事了吗？” 曹世隆先是一楞；听到最后，脸色大为开朗，“是，是！朱五爷说得不错；我就等大舅太爷回来。”接着关照小厮：“行李不必捆了。” 朱实仍旧将曹世隆邀了回去吃饭。碧文打了个招呼，就不再露面了；只见齐妈进进出出，忙个不停。曹世隆亦总是目送目迎，浑然不觉主人已在注意他了。 “世兄，”朱实故意问道：“御用的衣料，何以会掉色？这件事似乎有点不可思议。” “都是染得不好。” “不是颜料不好？” “颜料怎么会不好？进贡用的，谁敢马虎？不过，这两年染织房的老人死了好几个；新手经验不足，染得不够实在，就会掉色。这两年，四老爷不管事；都——。”曹世隆突然把话咽住；接着摇摇头，发一声微喟，作出不愿多谈的神情。 “既然是进贡的绸缎，怎么交给新手呢？老人总还有几个吧？” “老人虽有，上头不管，也是枉然。”曹世隆说，“恐怕像这样掉色的情形，以后还会有。” “那可不得了！”朱实失声惊呼，“一之为甚，其可再乎？” 听这一说，曹世隆搁下筷子；有点茶饭不思的模样。主客愁颜相向；不识相的齐妈便在一旁似笑非笑地问道：“老爷跟曹少爷怎么啦？” 她刚说这一句，只听碧文在里面大声喊道：“齐妈！” 这一喊不但齐妈，主客亦都微吃一惊；齐妈匆匆奔了进去，只见碧文把脸沉下来了。
"Someone came from Beijing, bringing unexpected news." Cao Zhen said to his wife, "Uncle and Grandpa have returned." "Really?" Second Grandma Zhen immediately thought of Li Ding, "Have their father and son returned to Beijing?" "Should have returned to Beijing by now." Cao Zhen said, "What Uncle Fourth means, we should send someone to check." "Look, who are you going to send?" Cao Zhen thought for a while, then suddenly said: "Send Long Guan there." Upon hearing this, Jin'er's heart skipped a beat, but Second Grandma Zhen was very calm, "Why would you think of him?" She asked, "Isn't he the kind of person to do this kind of job?" "Could it be that he only specializes in purchasing?" Cao Zhen sneered, "The job of buying paint next year really made him full. He is the best job; he has to come here once or twice on the hard job to teach people convinced." Second Grandma Zhen was silent for a while; then she said with a bit of anger: "Anyway, I've prepared the gift, whoever you want to send?" After saying this, she turned to chat with Jin'er: "Biwen will probably be here soon. Is it Tongzhou?" "That's so fast?" "It's almost the same." Second Grandma Zhen said again: "Bi Wen, I don't know if I've met my uncle or great-grandfather?" "I must have seen it. Biwen has been in the mansion for almost ten years." "It doesn't matter if you haven't met; she has always met Uncle Ding more than once. Uncle and Grandpa will always go to see the prince when he is in Beijing; Mr. Zhu said it when he went back, and he will naturally follow up." "Yes!" Jin'er replied; seeing Cao Zhen walking out without looking back, she said in a low voice, "Second Master has a deep opinion of Long Guan!" "Never mind him!" Second Grandma Zhen's tone was very firm: "I don't care about him." "Don't say that either—" Jin'er hesitated to speak, and finally said: "It's better to let Long Guan stay away first." Second Grandma Zhen was silent; she sat down and picked up a small blue and white teapot from Chenghua kiln, drank a few sips slowly, and then said: "Don't be afraid, I have everything!"
"Grandma," Old Liu, a new servant, called through the window, "a young master surnamed Cao came from Nanjing and said he wanted to see Grandma." The word "Cao's name" came to my ears, and Biwen felt a sense of intimacy; but he couldn't think of who "the young master surnamed Cao" was?So I just answered: "Oh!" Come out and ask: "Where is the person?" "In the concierge." "How old are you?" "In my twenties, in my thirties." Who could it be?Biwen was eager to solve the mystery; with a pair of feet used to walking in Cao's house, he walked around the corridor of the courtyard, out of the middle door, and walked forward. "Ah!" The answer was revealed, but he was even more surprised, "Longguan, why are you here?" "Bi——" Cao Shilong shrunk quickly, calmed down and smiled, "Call you the fifth sister-in-law! You didn't expect it to be me, did you?" "Yes! I can't think of it. How did you find it?" "I went to Zhangjiawan first, and they told me that you live at the west entrance of Ertiao Hutong in Xidan, opposite to Faxiang Temple. I asked two of them before I found out." Cao Shilong asked again, "Where is Fifth Master?" "Go to the palace." "Oh, it's not far from Stone Son-in-law Street." "Long Guan, where do you live?" Bi Wen said, "Sit inside!" "I live in Sanyuan Inn on Shangxie Street outside Shunzhi Gate." Cao Shilong asked as he walked, "Where does Uncle and Grandpa live?" At this time, they had already arrived in the living room, Bi Wen greeted the guests to sit down; he poured tea with his own hands.Cao Shilong then made it clear that he came to Beijing to express condolences to Li Xu. "Unfortunately, I went to Yizhou yesterday. He is alone. He is old and cannot live without someone to take care of him. I will ask him to live here." "What?" Cao Shilong asked, "Where is Uncle Ding?" There are so many things to talk about, but Biwen has to make arrangements for the guests first. The most important thing is to send Lao Liu to the palace to ask Zhu Shi, when can he get home?Because although Cao Shilong is not the "righteous master" of the Cao family, he can't write two characters of Cao in one stroke, so he must be treated as his own, but after all, men and women are different. It doesn't matter if he comes back, he is afraid that he will live in the palace that day, so he has to have dinner early, do his best to be the host, and then send him back to the inn early, and make sense when Zhu Shi returns home tomorrow. "The capital city is very different from ours in Nanjing." Biwen told her feelings, "In Nanjing, when you wake up every day, when you should get ready to go to bed, it's like a mold hole is carved, every day; Sometimes you come back early, sometimes you come back late, sometimes you say that the prince will go to court before dawn, and you have a memorial to rush out, and hand it to the emperor in person; you have to stay up most of the night, waiting for the prince. You can only go home after entering the palace. You often have to wait until the fifth watch to wait for the door." Cao Shilong smiled and said, "Isn't that just in time for the hot bed?" Upon hearing this, Biwen remained silent; she was vigilant, and sometimes heard Aunt Ji talking about it in Cao's house, it seemed that Second Mistress was not clean with Longguan.Thinking about it, there should be no such thing; probably because he likes to say such indecent words. Of course it's not good to keep silent and freeze there; Bi Wen simply got up and said, "Guys, please sit down; I'll go and have a look in the kitchen." Biwen only used two people, one was Lao Liu, the concierge and handyman; the other was Qi's mother from Sanhe County, a widow in her thirties. Biwen saw that her eyes were not very decent, so she thought she could do well dishes, and left her behind. "Grandma," Qi's mother was chopping meat; she paused temporarily and asked, "This lord, can you eat pasta?" "Why can't I eat it?" "I thought that like the master, I don't like pasta, as long as I can eat it, I'll bake a few boxes!" "By the way, let's have dinner earlier." Biwen made up his mind, "It's a bit of a labor-intensive dish, so there's no need to cook it; go and order a 'box dish', open a jar of Nanjiu sent by the palace, and after drinking the wine, what to do Soup and baked boxes. So that guests can go back to the inn earlier.” "That said, I can save trouble. But the weather is hot, and some ingredients are left until tomorrow, so it's a pity that the taste has changed." "It doesn't matter! Make it slowly later, the chopsticks won't break if you don't move them." "That's right!" Qi's mother glanced at Bi Wen with her undeserved eyes, "Grandma's thoughts are so fast, and she looks like Sai Guanyin; no wonder the master hid in the house when he came home." Li refuses to come out." "Speech!" Bi Wen scolded slightly, "That's so much nonsense." Qi's mother smiled and remained silent; Bi Wen was a little hesitant. After explaining the matter, there was no need to stay in the kitchen, but she didn't want to go to the living room to accompany Cao Shilong.After thinking about it, I had a calculation. "I'll chop the meat; you can order box vegetables!" "Let Lao Liu go for a run." "Old Liu has gone to the palace." So Mama Qi put down the kitchen knife, untied the apron first, and washed her hands; then took a hair comb box from the shelf, and used a powder puff coated with rose oil to smooth the hair so that it was shiny and not messy, and then turned her head A tall "magpie tail" on the back of the bun walked out step by step. There was an alley from the kitchen, leading directly to the door; Qi's mother deliberately walked through the living room in order to see the appearance of the guests.But he couldn't pass by the guests for no reason; so he poured a bowl of tea, held it in front of Cao Shilong, smiled before saying anything, then glanced sideways before opening his mouth. "Master, please have some tea." Cao Shilong was standing and watching "Gongmen Copying"; Qi's mother was silent again, and she was slightly startled when she heard a sound. "Oh, thank you!" Cao Shilong smiled, picked up the gaiwan from the tray, but still looked at her. Qi's mother was extraordinarily attentive, holding the tray with her left hand and taking the tureen with her right hand; she wanted him to put it on the tea table.As soon as she stretched out her hand, Cao Shilong couldn't help paying attention; it turned out that her little nails were dyed red with impatiens. "Why did you only dye one nail?" Qi's mother shrunk her little finger inward and hid it in her palm; she took the tea bowl and put it on the coffee table, and Fang Shi replied, "I work all day, but it's still red? Don't make a joke!" "Your grandma has a good temper and won't laugh at you." "The neighbor wants to make a joke!" Qi's mother asked, "What's your surname?" "My surname is Cao." "Ah! It turns out that our grandma's family is here!" At this moment, Biwen was walking out, and it was strange when he heard the voice; and it was even more strange when he heard Qi's mother's voice.I couldn't help but stand still and listen carefully. "By the way! I'm your grandma's family." Cao Shilong asked, "How does grandma treat you?" "That's nothing to say. Our grandma is capable and wise, and she is the most considerate of servants. I told our grandma: In the future, when the master is released from a foreign post, he must take me with him. Anyway, I am alone. Not burdensome." "What? You're still alone; where's your husband?" "You left me long ago." "no kids?" "No children and no daughters, just one poor person." "Poor! Poor!" Cao Shilong asked, "How many years have you been a widow?" "Twelve years." "Twelve years!" Cao Shilong asked again: "Can you hold on?" Hearing this, Biwen couldn't stand it anymore; but Ruyi broke in, neither of them had any interest, so they had to retreat back to the kitchen quietly.I was thinking in my heart: Mother Qi can't use it!Then I thought again, Cao Shilong turned out to be such a person!It seems that Aunt Ji's words are not completely unaffected. When he was thinking about Qi's mother's fate in a funny and troubled way, Lao Liu came back and told him that Zhu Shi was very happy to hear that someone from the Cao family had come. Let the guests stay first.Fortunately, Li Xu has gone to Yizhou, there is a ready-made empty shop, so it doesn't take much trouble. "No!" Biwen said without hesitation, "You don't have to keep the guests at home." Immediately afterwards, he urged: "You don't have to mention it to the guests, sir." "Yes! I understand." When it was time for dinner, Biwen only asked Lao Liu to pay tribute to Cao Shilong, and he did not come out to accompany him.This is the general rule, and Bi Wen is not considered rude; but Cao Shilong couldn't help wondering, feeling that the hostess seemed to be hot at the beginning and cold at the end, but he couldn't figure out why. It wasn't until after eating and drinking tea that Bi Wen came out to perfunctory for a while; Cao Shilong felt bored and got up to leave, Bi Wen said: "Please come over tomorrow." He went to the door of the main room first, waiting to see off the guests. It was only time for a cup of tea, Zhu Shixing hurried back; he entered the courtyard and saw the darkness of the main room, he was slightly surprised; he crossed the courtyard and asked Bi Wen who came out to meet him: "Where is Shilong?" "Go back to the inn." "Why? He doesn't want to live with us." Bi Wen didn't answer, but walked back into the bedroom; when Zhu Shi followed in, he whispered, "I didn't keep him." "why?" "Let me tell you a joke. There is an old woman like ours, and there are guests like that. When they meet, they talk and laugh, it's like a fate forged in a previous life." Biwen described what she saw and heard in detail. I told my husband in detail. "No wonder you didn't keep him." Zhu Shi asked, "Why did he come to Beijing?" "The fourth master and the second master Zhen sent him to see the uncle and great grandfather. I don't know if there is anything else." "You didn't ask him?" "I'm too lazy to ask." "It's rare that someone from Nanjing comes—" Zhu Shi sighed and didn't go on. "It's not that I deliberately slow down the guests. You are kind to the Cao family, and I have face; besides, it doesn't take much trouble to keep him here, so why don't I do it? Really, I think he is a bit scary!" "horrible?" "Yes." Biwen was worried, "I'm really afraid that something will happen; especially when I think of Aunt Ji." "I," Zhu Shi was greatly confused, "I really don't understand what you're talking about?" "I hope I'm just worrying," Biwen asked nonchalantly, "Why did you come back so early?" "I originally said that there was a poem about the fourth elder brother, and I wanted to discuss it with me; later, I asked someone to come out and say: I am in a bad mood, and I will think about it tomorrow! Only later did I know that it was the old prince who lost his temper again; The thousand silver, the prince said that it should be returned. The father and son argued for a few words; the old prince got angry, picked up the silver coin and threw it out, smashing the goldfish bowl." "Really!" Bi Wen also sighed, "Every family has scriptures that are hard to recite." Zhu Shi was silent; he just said, "I'll drink a glass of medicinal wine! Go to bed early, and I'll go to the inn to see him tomorrow morning." Biwen poured a glass of the medicinal wine that Zhu Shi drank as usual before going to bed every night; in addition, he used a three-compartment fruit plate, filled with some pine nuts, olives, and dried meat for him to drink.Then he went to make the bed; he sat down in front of the dresser. This is Zhu Shi's happiest moment; while drinking wine, he watches Bi Wen take off her makeup.But my heart is always full of thoughts of being grateful to the Cao family; therefore I think of the people from the Cao family. "He was ordered to see my uncle and uncle. We have to arrange for him to meet with my uncle. The 'Wannian Jidi' in Yizhou is a forbidden place, and I can't get in. I see, I will send someone tomorrow to take my uncle away." Grandpa will take you back." "He has just arrived at the construction site, and he is on assignment, so he can't come back as soon as he can. Besides, since he can't enter the forbidden area; he has sent someone away, so he didn't come back alone." With a few light words, he completely refuted his plan.Zhu Shi was ashamed and admired; he said with a smile: "You are more thoughtful and have more ideas than I am; why don't you just tell me, what should I do?" "I can only write a letter to my uncle. People from the House of Internal Affairs often go to Yizhou and ask them to deliver it. I will wait for my uncle to reply." Bi Wen then said: "You go to the inn tomorrow and tell Long Guan, Uncle is afraid that he won't be back for some time, he has something to do in Beijing, so he can do it first. You might as well move things to our house first." "That's right. People from the Ministry of Internal Affairs leave early in the morning; I wrote the letter first." "In the study, or writing here?" "It's written here." So Biwen, with her long hair loose, came to take care of Zhu Shi's letter writing. She prepared all the pens, ink, paper and inkstone, and lit the oil lamp; she sat aside, combing her hair with her teeth, while watching him write letters. "Oh." In the middle of writing, Zhu Shi suddenly put down the pen, "There is something very important, I forgot to tell you; today is too lucky, I sent someone out to ask about you." "What?" Bi Wen was surprised, "Ask about me?" "Taifujin" refers to the mother of Pingjun Wang Fupeng, who is the eldest daughter of Cao Yin.She sent the girl to say: "I heard that Master Zhu's concubine is from the room of Taifujin's natal family. Taifujin wants to meet." Zhu Shi replied at that time: "It's from the house of Aunt Ji, the fourth master of Cao." It was inconvenient to tell Biwen the same, so I had to be vague. "Yes, I asked about you. I still want to see you. I think you have to go to the mansion tomorrow to say hello." Biwen nodded, "I've also thought about it, should I go to pay my respects? Thinking about it seems a bit presumptuous, so I didn't tell you." She said, "In that case, I should go. However, according to the rules, you should ask for instructions first. Tai Fujin, when is the right time?" "Okay! I'll ask tomorrow." Biwen thought for a while and said: "Tomorrow you will go to see Longguan first; come home and take Lao Liu there. I am ready to listen; I am afraid that if Taifu Jin says: This is the right time, let her come All right. I can go right away." How to get to the palace is discussed; but how to see the princess?What clothes should be worn, what etiquette should be followed?Biwen couldn't help being at a loss, first of all, he couldn't agree on the clothes. "Of course it's a dress." Zhu Shi replied casually. "I also know that I have to wear a dress; why don't you tell me? What I want to ask is to wear a cheongsam or a skirt?" The skirt is a Han costume, from Zhu Shi's point of view, it should be so; but if you see the old master, you have to follow the rules of the bannerman.In addition, Biwen has a layer of selfishness that is inconvenient to express clearly. If it is a Han costume, concubines cannot wear red skirts;So Biwen is willing to wear a cheongsam. "Then just wear a cheongsam." Zhu Shi obediently obeyed, "As you please." "However, I will not step on the 'bottom of the flower pot'." "Then don't step on it! Same goes for a pair of embroidered flats." "There are 'two handles' on the head, and a pair of sandals under the feet; neither fish nor fowl, how stupid it is." Zhu Shi also felt that it was inappropriate.All you see in the Cao family are women in Han costumes; once you enter the palace, you often have the opportunity to meet noble ladies; Putting it on makes it look graceful and precious.Especially the young women in Huaxin's age, holding a large colorful handkerchief in the hands with extremely long nails, more like willows swinging in the wind, graceful and graceful; if you wear flat shoes, you must not have such a light and beautiful posture . "Forget it!" Biwen made up his mind, "Just keep my original identity; it also seems that I have not forgotten my roots." "It's up to you. I don't care." Zhu Shi asked, "Should I buy something decent to take with me?" "No! You don't need to waste that kind of money. Is there anything in the palace? In theory, you should use your own work, or make two kinds of dishes and snacks to pay your respects, which is a little sincerity." Biwen thought for a while and said, "Let's just do it this way." , you go into the mansion tomorrow and ask someone to ask Fujin for instructions, just say that I will go to ask Fujin the morning after tomorrow. Is it suitable?" "That's right! It's better to take it easy." Biwen was calm, and he was also calm; after writing the letter, he wrote another business card, called Lao Liu in, and told him to deliver the letter. "You will go to Mr. Shang of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and tell the concierge, please Mr. Shang to see who has come to Yizhou and hand over the letter; if it arrives, it would be best if you can reply to the letter." The "Master Shang" that Zhu Shi mentioned was named Shang Zhishun; he is currently the head of the House of Internal Affairs.This Shang Zhishun's real name is Shang Zhishun; he is the youngest son of King Pingnan Shang Kexi. "The San Francisco Rebellion" responded to Wu Sangui by Shang Kexi's eldest son, Shang Zhixin; No penalty.Shang Kexi died in Guangzhou as early as the 16th year of Kangxi; six years later, Shang Zhixiao invited his father to be buried in Haicheng, Liaodong; Righteously annihilating relatives and resolutely crusading him; now he stays in Haicheng for a long time under the pretext of burying his father, saying that he "plans to have a feast"; in fact, he is afraid that he will have different intentions, so he proposes to "join the Ministry of Internal Affairs with his children" after dismissal.From then on, in addition to the coating, the House of Internal Affairs also had the Han army. Shang Kexi has seven sons, all of whom belong to the Ministry of Internal Affairs except the eldest son; the name has been changed by one word, from "zhi" to "zhi".The Shang family is the bordered red flag of the Han army; it has the same defense area as the red flag bordered in Manchuria, so it has a close relationship with the Prince's Mansion of Pingjun.When Cao Yin married a daughter, Shang Zhishun's elder brother Shang Zhijie hosted the wedding in Pingjun Palace. At that time, Shang Zhijie had been promoted to the Minister of Internal Affairs. It is very close; so Zhu Shi got to know him very well not long after he entered the palace. The letter was sent to Shang Zhishun's house overnight, but the original was brought back.The concierge of the Shang family told Liu Er that his master had an "inner court mission" early tomorrow morning; he had to go to the palace at Yinke and had already fallen asleep.I dare not accept the letter, for fear of delay.However, the concierge of the Shang family pointed out to Liu Er that Shang Zhishun would leave the palace and go to the House of Internal Affairs at around 12:00 tomorrow; whether he wanted to send people to Yizhou or not, he would only know at that time.If you have a trust belt, it is best to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to connect. So the next morning, the master and the servant went out together, and Lao Liu sent the master to the Sanyuan Inn before transferring to the House of Internal Affairs.Zhu Shi took care of Lao Liu, will the letter be brought out that day, and when will it reach Li Xu?Be sure to ask clearly; he is waiting for information in the ternary stack. In this way, Cao Shilong also knew, and could estimate when Li Xu's reply would come; he had a plan in mind. It took more than an hour to go there; Zhu Shi and Cao Shilong described the situation after the farewell in detail, and they were almost at the end of their words, only to see Lao Liu come to answer his orders. "As soon as the letter and the film were put in, there was a message from inside asking me to wait. Then I sent someone out to say: 'Someone will arrive in Yizhou in the afternoon; the letter won't arrive until tomorrow morning.' In addition, Mr. Shang sent a reply letter, Let me bring it back." As he spoke, Liu Er took out a letter from the protector and handed it to Zhu Shi. The envelope was very strong, but there was a mark of "100,000 Urgent" on the envelope; Zhu Shi opened it without thinking, took out the letter paper, and frowned. "I'm afraid there will be trouble again. Alas!" Zhu Shi sighed heavily. "Master Zhu," Cao Shilong naturally wanted to express his concern, "What happened? Please rest assured, with the prince here, think about it slowly." "It's not that I'm in trouble. I'm talking about the family. Look!" Zhu Shi handed Shang Zhishun's letter over. Before he finished reading the letter, Cao Shilong's face changed, which was very unnatural; after he finished reading the letter, he handed it back, and said: "If there is no trouble, it will be fine. If there is trouble, it will be nothing." "Yeah, I think so too." "Then, may I ask Lord Wu, what do you plan to do now?" "Naturally, notify Uncle Ling and Uncle Ling as soon as possible."
Zhu actually meant Cao Zhen and Cao Fu; he thought in his heart, seeing that Cao Shilong was so concerned, he might as well let him rush back to deliver the letter.However, he has just arrived in Beijing, and he hasn't even seen Li Xu yet; he himself always has some matters entrusted by his close relatives and friends to take care of, so it is really hard for him to rush back to deliver the letter. No wonder he was still hesitating, but Cao Shilong actually volunteered, "Master Zhu," he said, "Anyway, I've got my heart for my uncle, it doesn't matter whether I see you or not; why don't I go back to the south early and bring this information back. " Zhu Shi was overjoyed, "'I insist on what I want, but I dare not ask for it'. It would be perfect if Brother Shi worked hard." He asked again: "When does Brother Shi plan to leave?" "Let's go." Cao Shilong replied, "I'm going to hire a car right away; I'll leave tomorrow if I have time." "It must be in time." Zhu Shi got up and said, "I'm going back to the palace to write a letter now; I still have a drink in the dormitory at night, it's a farewell party." "Yes, thank you." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he remembered what Bi Wen had told him before he left the house: he planned to cook four dishes and snacks that were completely Jiangnan style, and then find two other jobs that he usually does there, and bring them to the palace tomorrow as a gift for visiting.It is expected that he is very busy at this time, so why invite Cao Shilong to come to eat at home? Thinking this way, I deeply regret Meng Lang; but I have already made an agreement, so I can't change my words.Fortunately, the matter of seeing Da Fujin has not yet been decided; it may as well delay it for a day or two.However, I have to go home quickly and explain to Biwen. Biwen was naturally surprised when he came back from this turn; Zhu Shi laughed and said, "I have made an appointment with Cao Shilong, and I am here for dinner tonight as a farewell farewell for him—" "What?" Biwen was even more surprised, "I'm going back to the south." "yes." "Then, what kind of colleague is that?" "Don't interrupt, listen to me first. I want to treat guests today, but I can only wait for a day or two to enter the palace tomorrow. As for Cao Shilong going back to the south, he volunteered; if there is news, he must inform the fourth master and the second master Zhen as soon as possible. ——.” "What news?" Biwen couldn't help but rushed to speak again. "Look!" Zhu Shi took out Shang Zhishun's letter. Zhu Shi couldn't understand Biwen's expression when he read the letter; because it was not worry, but anger. "This misfortune was caused by Long Guan. You can't just entrust him to deliver the letter; entrusting him alone will delay the important event!" "Why?" Zhu Shi's eyes were wide open, "Why do you say he caused the trouble?" Biwen kept her mouth shut and didn't answer; she tried to think about it, only to see the skin on her face became tighter and tighter, and finally there was a furious and desperate voice: "Anyway, you don't need to hide any secrets from the Cao family, I'll just let you know." Let me tell you the truth, Second Grandma Zhen had an affair with him; she insisted on begging for him to buy paint for him in front of Second Master Zhen. I don’t know what low-grade goods quoted high-quality prices! Tell me, can you keep the color from fading? ?” Zhu Shi was shocked, and looked at Bi Wen for a long time before saying, "No wonder! When he heard the news, his face burst into embarrassment, so unnatural." "Because of this matter, Second Master Zhen and Second Grandma Zhen have been at odds for more than a day." Biwen said again: "'Mute eat flat food', he knows it in his own mind. Why did he volunteer, he rushed back to take care of his own affairs, Maybe he ran away with something urgent; how dare he tell the fourth master this information?" "It is true that he will hide the news. If he is said to be running away, he will never do so. He is a banner man. Where did he escape? There is no way to escape." "Where is he in the flag?" Biwen replied: "The Cao family is the descendant of Cao Bin, the famous founding general of the Song Dynasty. , I am very proud, people surnamed Cao from all over the country came to join them; the old man and his uncle, uncle, uncle, and uncle, took turns to serve the salt messengers, and there were many people who had nothing to do. That's how Longguan's father came to Nanjing. Although he wrote it in one stroke There are two characters of Cao, one flag and one Han, so far apart!" "I don't know that there are so many details in it." Zhu Shi thought for a while and said: "Now I have to find someone else to report to the south; as for Cao Shilong, I think I can only find an excuse to keep him." "Then," Biwen said, "just say that my uncle will be back in half a day, so I should meet up and discuss with him before returning to Nanjing." "That's right, that's right! When something like this happens, the fourth master is eager to ask his uncle and uncle for advice; how can he miss this opportunity to ask for advice?" So Zhu Shi hurriedly wrote the letter; the letter was written to Cao Zhen, and it was inconvenient to say clearly that Shang Zhishun had disclosed the news, but only said "heard from the inner court".Bi Wen couldn't help but sighed again after reading the letter he wrote. "As soon as this letter arrived, wouldn't Second Master Zhen and Second Grandma Zhen have a falling out? Fortunately, the old lady passed by, otherwise I don't know how angry I would be?" "That can't be helped! There is such a news, I have to tell him. I will go to Titang right now." 各省都有“提塘官”驻京；自以两江为首，共有三名提塘官，朱实跟为头的杨都司很熟。当面一托，杨都司满口应承；恰好第二天逢五送“塘报”，顺便带去，有半个月曹震就可以收到朱实的信了。 到了下午在王府事毕，朱实先到三元客栈，看曹世隆正在督促他随带的小厮，收拾行李，便即说道：“世兄，不必忙了！正好王府有差官到南边去，我就先捎了信去了。世兄，你还是等大舅太爷从工地回来，一则是专诚致意，理当等待；二则，大舅太爷到底见多识广，经得风浪也多，这件事如果能想个什么法子，在京里就撕掳开了，不就省了好多事了吗？” 曹世隆先是一楞；听到最后，脸色大为开朗，“是，是！朱五爷说得不错；我就等大舅太爷回来。”接着关照小厮：“行李不必捆了。” 朱实仍旧将曹世隆邀了回去吃饭。碧文打了个招呼，就不再露面了；只见齐妈进进出出，忙个不停。曹世隆亦总是目送目迎，浑然不觉主人已在注意他了。 “世兄，”朱实故意问道：“御用的衣料，何以会掉色？这件事似乎有点不可思议。” “都是染得不好。” “不是颜料不好？” “颜料怎么会不好？进贡用的，谁敢马虎？不过，这两年染织房的老人死了好几个；新手经验不足，染得不够实在，就会掉色。这两年，四老爷不管事；都——。”曹世隆突然把话咽住；接着摇摇头，发一声微喟，作出不愿多谈的神情。 “既然是进贡的绸缎，怎么交给新手呢？老人总还有几个吧？” “老人虽有，上头不管，也是枉然。”曹世隆说，“恐怕像这样掉色的情形，以后还会有。” “那可不得了！”朱实失声惊呼，“一之为甚，其可再乎？” 听这一说，曹世隆搁下筷子；有点茶饭不思的模样。主客愁颜相向；不识相的齐妈便在一旁似笑非笑地问道：“老爷跟曹少爷怎么啦？” 她刚说这一句，只听碧文在里面大声喊道：“齐妈！” 这一喊不但齐妈，主客亦都微吃一惊；齐妈匆匆奔了进去，只见碧文把脸沉下来了。