Chapter 8 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

Mrs. Luosi had already gone to bed, and Hong'er, the girl, came to report, and a message came in from the middle door, saying that Xie Yunqing, Fukang's assistant, asked to see her. "At this moment—" Mrs. Luoshi's heart sank suddenly. Could it be that Hu Xueyan had a sudden illness?She didn't dare to think about it any more. "Madam!" Hong'er urged, "Do you want him to come tomorrow morning?" "No," said Mrs. Snail, "ask him what's the matter?" "Just say there's a telegram from Shanghai." "What's the matter? Go ask him." Mrs. Snail changed her mind, it was not urgent, she would not ask to see him at this moment, since it was urgent, she couldn't delay her time, so she immediately changed her words, "Open the middle door, please come in Mr. Xie." She added another sentence , "Don't disturb the old lady."

As soon as Hong'er left, the other girls helped Mrs. Luoshi get up, dressed neatly, and went downstairs surrounded by the girls. She has also learned the skill of being hypocritical, she is anxious, but her steps are still steady, and her skirt hardly moves when she walks—everyone who knows physiognomy says that her "look" is the most important, and she herself is quite reserved, so why not So he refused to mess up his steps. Xie Yunqing was always courteous, and when he saw the shadow of Mrs. Luosi, he stood there with his hands down, watching his nose and heart, and waited until a gust of fragrant wind came and smelled the foreign perfume that Mrs. Luosi used. Then he raised his head and bowed. He said in his mouth, "I'm really sorry to disturb you so late at night."

"Please sit down." Mrs. Snail looked around and said to the girl standing at the door, "You are getting more and more unruly. When guests come, you don't pour tea." "Don't be polite, don't be polite. I have received a message that is very relevant. I dare not tell the fourth wife." "Oh, please sit down and talk." She waved her hand and sat down first. "It's like this." Xie Yunqing leaned forward and sat down, but his voice was trembling, "I just received a telegram that Shanghai is running, and I will be waiting at the door at three o'clock in the second half of the day."

Mrs. Snail's heart skipped a beat, "Isn't there a mistake?" she asked. "There's no mistake." Xie Yunqing continued, "The telegram also said that Mi was not seen by ordinary people. It is said that he has gone to Ningbo." "Then where did the telegram come from?" "Mr. Gu." The telegram from Gu Yingchun was absolutely unmistakable. Mrs. Luoshi was calm on the surface, but her heart was so chaotic that she couldn't hold on to her clues. She asked after a while, "Where is Mr. Big?" "Mr. Big thinks he's on his way."

"How could such a thing happen?" Mrs. Luozhi said to herself, "How can a capable person like Mi Benchang be unable to hold on and make this happen?" Xie Yunqing didn't think of an answer, but rubbed her hands together and said, "The matter is very troublesome, I can't think of it." Mrs. Snail shivered suddenly, and asked calmly, "I don't know what happened to Beijing?" "Of course there is news from Tianjin, but it will be a day later in Beijing." Xie Yunqing said, "It affects the whole body. Tomorrow's test will be very sad."

Mrs. Snail suddenly felt that there was an incomparably huge pressure on her shoulders, and it was more than a thousand catties?She wanted to get rid of this pressure, but she didn't dare, because if she couldn't lift this invisible heavy burden, it would hurt the whole family. He was already discouraged, but the whole family was hurt, especially Hu Xueyan's reputation, so he had to grit his teeth and hold on with all his strength. "Mr. Da is on the way." She said, "The old lady doesn't dare to disturb her. The other lady can't come up with an idea. Mr. Xie, what good idea do you have?"

Xie Yunqing had come here to ask for advice, upon hearing this, she could only smile wryly.He did have an idea, but he didn't dare to say it out. He was silent for a while, and it was still Mrs. Snail who spoke. "Mr. Xie, in your opinion, there will be a run on tomorrow?" "yes." "How much silver will it cost?" "It's hard to say." Xie Yunqing said, "Fukang issued more than 1.4 million notes from me alone, and even more deposits." "Then how much silver is there in the bank?" "About 400,000." After thinking about it, Mrs. Snail said: "There are 400,000 cash in cash. I think I can hold it for a day or two. Mr. Big will have returned by then."

Xie Yunqing thought to himself, according to the situation, even if Hu Xueyan came back, there may not be a solution, otherwise, how could Fukang in Shanghai "go to the Paimen", but it is inconvenient to say this directly, he only asked: "What if I can't hold on?" Woolen cloth?" If this question can be answered satisfactorily, there is no need for Xie Yunqing to ask to see the hostess at all, "Mr. Xie," Mrs. Luozhi asked back, "What do you think will happen if you can't hold on?" "Accidents will happen and people will be hurt." Xie Yunqing said, "For example, those who came early and had long hands took away the cash first, and when the later ones fell through, fourth wife, put yourself in your shoes, are you angry? "

This is a question that does not need to be answered, Mrs. Snail just said: "Please go on." "I am most afraid of public anger when doing things. Once public anger is committed, the government will not be able to suppress it. If the bank is smashed to pieces, I am afraid that they will come to the government to quarrel. It is hard to say what the quarrel will be like." Mrs. Snail was terrified, and managed to calm herself down. She thought about it carefully and said, "The public outrage is because some people have it, and some people don't. It's not fair! It's a kind of fairness if everyone doesn't have it. Mr. Xie , what do you think?"

"Fourth wife," Xie Yunqing said calmly, "You have figured it out." "Okay!" Mrs. Snail felt that this heavy burden could be lifted in front of her eyes. "The door will not be opened tomorrow, but I have to explain to the customer." "Of course, it's only saying that it's temporarily closed, so customers don't need to panic." "That's what it means, you have to say it in a tactful way." "I understand." Xie Yunqing said again, "I heard that the fourth wife often has contacts with the family members of De Fantai?"

Defantai refers to Dexin, the governor of Zhejiang Province, whose name is Xiaofeng. This person is in the banner and has a deep friendship with Hu Xueyan, so the two families often communicate with each other.A concubine of Mrs. Luosi and Dexin who is also a sister who is "worshiped". "Not bad." Mrs. Snail asked, "How is it?" "Tomorrow morning, please invite the fourth wife to go to the yamen of Fantai. It is best to see Defantai and entrust him face to face. It will be easier to pass the customs if the government comes forward to maintain it." "Okay, I'll go." Mrs. Snail asked, "Is there anything else I should think about, what to do right now?" A difficult problem that has been lingering in Mrs. Snail's mind is: should I tell the eldest wife about such a big change that I have never thought of? Inside the Hu family gate is a situation of "one country and three princes". The old lady presides over everything in name, just like the Empress Dowager Cixi who "listens behind the curtain", the eldest wife is like Prince Gong, and Mrs. Snail is like Shen Guifen who died two years ago.There was once a Hanlin surnamed Wu who wrote a poem titled "Sister-in-law Sigh", comparing Shen Guifen, who was transferred from the governor of Shanxi to the military aircraft, to a sister-in-law in Guining, who was so popular with her mother, that the daughter-in-law in charge of the family lost all power and left everything behind. The housework is done by my sister-in-law according to her mother's orders.If it is said that the world belongs to the Manchurians, Shen Guifen, as a Manchurian, is indeed like Guining or the widow's aunt, who takes care of the housework in her natal family.The situation in the Hu family is most similar to the fact that the old lady likes Mrs. Luoshi, just like the Empress Dowager Cixi favors Shen Guifen. She "goes to court" every day - discussing with Mrs. Hu early in the morning what important things to do that day, usually It was Mrs. Luoshi who proposed it first, and Mrs. Hu agreed, or Mrs. Hu asked, Mrs. Luoshi put forward opinions for discussion, and often obeyed. After making a decision, Mrs. Hu looked at the eldest lady and asked, "What do you think?" Sometimes Don't even ask the question. However, the really embarrassing thing is not to ask Mrs. Hu, especially the bad news, which must be kept secret.Mrs. Snail's approach is that if she can make the decision, she can make the decision. If she can't make the decision, ask Hu Xueyan.If Hu Xueyan is not around and it is necessary to make the decision, and this matter is more or less responsible, and maybe it will be blamed, Mrs. Snail will discuss it with the eldest wife. This is not to hope that the eldest wife will come up with a good solution, but to She shares the responsibility. But the matter that Xie Yunqing came to talk about this evening is too big and the situation is too bad. If Mrs. Hu finds out, she will be frightened.But if you don't tell her, you have made the decision alone, and you really can't bear the responsibility. If you tell her, you have to consider the consequences——Xie Yunqing is right, if you want to stabilize the situation now, you must not mess yourself up. Rumors are flying everywhere outside. It doesn't matter, if a member of the Hu family says that he can't survive, he will be defeated and there is no cure. "Mrs!" Mrs. Luosi was slightly startled, and when she looked up, it was the big girl, Ayun, standing at the door. She had now replaced Ruixiang and became Mrs. Luosi's most trusted confidant. His tired eyes suddenly showed surprise. "Miss hasn't slept?" "Yeah!" Mrs. Snail said, "I'll pour you a cup of tea." Ayun went to pour the tea, and while handing it over, he said, "Hong'er told me that Mr. Xie came to see his wife in the middle of the night—" "Don't ask too many questions." Mrs. Snail waved her hand impatiently. At this moment, the gong rang again and the morning bell started to move. Ayun looked back and said in surprise: "It's five o'clock. If Madam doesn't sleep, it will be dawn. Today's Mrs. Dabing" came to eat the first meal. Thirteen chickens, the old lady takes care of them specially, if you want your wife to accompany them, how can you be energetic if you don’t sleep for a while?” Officials in Hangzhou call the matchmaker "Master Dabing", the female matchmaker is "Mrs. Dabing", and the matchmaker is called "eat thirteen and a half chickens", because according to the procedure of the six rituals, from marriage proposal to marriage, the matchmaker It takes as many as thirteen trips to go back and forth between the Qiankun and Qiankun houses. Every time you come, you should have a feast of food, at least kill a chicken for hospitality, and the laughing matchmaker is greedy. Before the sedan chair leaves, he will come to disturb you. There was only time to eat half a chicken, so it was called "eating thirteen and a half chickens".Today is Miss Hu San's matchmaker, here to discuss the final details, and the next trip will be the time to eat half a chicken before the sedan chair arrives on the fifth day of November. Mrs. Snail didn't answer her words, just sighed and said: "Miss San also has a hard life." Then she said, "Go to Mengxiang Tower and see if the lady over there is awake? If she wakes up, say I'm going to look at her." "now?" "Of course it is at this moment." Mrs. Snail was a little angry, "What happened to you this morning? You can't hear clearly!" Ayun didn't dare to make a sound, and left quietly. The Mengxiang Building where the eldest wife lived was quite a distance away, so Ayun didn't come back until Mrs. Snail finished drinking a cup of hot tea, followed by the eldest wife's confidant girl Alan. "Mrs. Mengxianglou just woke up, and asked me to go to the bed and ask: What's the matter? I said: I don't know. She asked: Is it urgent? I said: It is urgent to talk about it at this time. She asked Alan to follow I'll ask my wife." Although Mrs. Snail knew that the eldest wife had always been slow-tempered, she still couldn't tell the seriousness so far, so she sighed and called Alan in and said, "Go back and tell your wife that you must have a face-to-face meeting. I'll go see her right away." .” When we arrived at Mengxiang Building together, the eldest wife had already woken up and was smoking the hookah five times a day for the first time. "It's early for you!" she said, "and dressed." "I didn't sleep all night." The eldest lady blew out the burning paper coal, raised her eyes and asked, "Why?" Mrs. Luosi didn't answer immediately, but looked back and said, "Alan, you all go downstairs, don't come up unless told." Alan froze for a moment, then took out the three maids who were tidying up the clothes on the bed, and closed the door. But Mrs. Luoshi didn't speak until there was no sound on the stairs, "Xie Yunqing came to see me in the middle of the night. He received a telegram from Shanghai saying that Fukang 'is at the gate'." The eldest lady didn't understand for a while, and thought that the door was closed, so it might not be necessary to send a telegram. Before finishing her thoughts, she suddenly realized, "You said Fukang has collapsed?" she asked. "What happened in the second half of the day, now Mi is not seen by ordinary people." "Where is the master?" "on the way." "It must have left before it fell down. With him here, it won't fall down." After saying this, the eldest lady blew on the paper coal again, "snorting, snorting", and the hookah smoked non-stop. Mrs. Snail felt strange, unexpectedly she was so calm, it seemed that she should discuss with her, "Ma'am," she asked, "Xie Yunqing came to ask, do you want to unload the door tomorrow?" At this point, she stopped Waiting for the lady's response. There is the phrase "upper row door" first, and "unload the row door" of course means to open the door to do business. The eldest wife asked: "Are you afraid that once you remove the row door, you will not be able to get in?" "certainly." "So what do you think?" "I think it's better to do it yourself than to be forced to do so. No, no!" Mrs. Luosi hastily corrected, "The business is suspended, and we can talk about it when the master comes back." "It has to be like this. I don't know when the time will come, master?" "It looks like I can arrive in the second half of tomorrow." "Is it tomorrow or today?" "Oh, I was wrong, it should be today." "Today!" said the eldest wife regretfully, "it's only one day away from today." What she meant was that if Hu Xueyan could arrive one day earlier, he would be able to tide over the difficulties, but Mrs. Luoshi did not have such confidence.After all, it's a married couple, and it's useless to trust her husband so much!She said in her heart, to cope with the difficulties, I'm afraid you are still far behind. Thinking about it like this, she couldn't help feeling competitive again, and she also returned to her usual decisive attitude. "Ma'am," she first declared, "this burden is now up to the two of us. What's the matter? We have discussed it, and it is the responsibility of two people to do good or bad.” "I understand. If you have any ideas, just take them out, as usual." As usual, Mrs. Snail may wish to act her own way. Of course, her status should be respected at this moment, so it is still a discussion tone. "I think, the old lady should be the first to hide this news, and I will find the head of the male and female inside and outside to explain it later. Is it you or me?" "You said it." "That's right, I said, my wife should also be present." "I'll be there." "Madam Dabing is invited this morning." Mrs. Snail said again, "The old lady wants me to accompany her too. I think the wife must be the master alone. I want to go to the Fantai Yamen." "To see their second aunt?" "It's not just her, I think I have to talk to De Fantai face to face, and I'm afraid I won't be able to make it back at noon." Mrs. Snail reminded her, "Maybe the old lady will ask." "How do you ask?" "Miss De Fantai is not a 'draft girl' who is going to Beijing. Just say that Mrs. De invited me to discuss this matter." "Oh! I see." Mrs. Snail stood up and said, "Madam, please change your clothes! I'll call them over." The ones who "called Yuanlai" were the seven housekeepers of the Hu family, four men and three women, and the most important thing was the three housekeepers, because the butlers did not enter the middle door unless there were special circumstances, and they were not afraid that they would leak the news. The place to meet is in a hall near the middle gate. The servants of the Hu family call it the "official office". The male and female managers discuss matters here. During festivals, or when there are important things to explain, Mrs. Snail often uses this place. place.But it was the first time that I had to light a candle to talk today. Therefore, everyone has a kind of unreasonable fear, and the weather in November, when the cold flood is coming, the fox fur of those male and female managers can't stop the piercing Xiaohan, and their teeth are shaking. Two rows of palace lanterns guided the two wives, the principal and the deputy, into the hall. The two sat down behind a large round table and took off the black fox sleeves. Alan and Ayun delivered the two golden hand furnaces to them, The little girl took over the golden hookah and started filling it. "No!" Mrs. Snail shook her hand at Ayun, then turned to look at the eldest lady. "Say it!" So Mrs. Snail coughed, and said in a slightly lower voice than usual: "Today is the second day of junior high school, and the day after tomorrow will be a good day for the third lady. Everyone has worked hard, and everything is as usual." "How hard it is" should be, but where did the words "business as usual" come from?Thinking of this, Lao He's mother, who had always had coughing problems, suddenly felt itchy throat and coughed profusely. Everyone looked at her with disgust, so that old He's mother became more nervous and coughed more violently, but Mrs. Snail was very reserved and showed no signs of embarrassment. "Ah Yun," she said, "you pour a cup of hot tea for me." Old mother He." Without her ordering, another little girl had already poured tea, and asked softly: "Would you like to help your old man go somewhere else to have a rest?" "It will be fine soon." Mrs. Snail heard it, stopped her like this, and then asked Old He's mother, who had stopped coughing, "Have you taken the ointment?" "Not yet." Old He's mother said with an apologetic smile, "Everyone is busy with Miss San's wedding, and I haven't prepared this year's ointment yet!" "You're not busy, you're lazy," Mrs. Snail shouted, "Agao!" "exist." "You ask someone to prepare four doses of ointment for Old He's mother, and I will pay for it." A Gao is a supervisor who is in charge of the "outfield" which is like purchasing, and he immediately replied: "Yes." After Mrs. He said thanks, Mrs. Snail said again: "You are all old people from the Hu family. You are all old. You should take supplements. If you have time, go to Qingyutang to see Mr. Cai and ask him to prescribe a prescription." Son, how many clothes should be matched, it’s all a public account.” This kind of "grace" is common. As usual, Fu Sheng, who is the oldest and has been in the Hu family for the longest time, takes the lead in expressing thanks, but he is still confused. He "called everyone together" at such a cold dawn just to say these few words ? of course not!But seeing Mrs. Snail's calm expression, everyone's original feeling of imminent disaster has eased a bit. Mrs. Snail announced again, first of all, to answer the doubts in everyone's mind, "Why do you say that everything is as usual, should it not be as usual? It can also be said in this way, because yesterday a telegram was sent from Shanghai, the market is not good, Fukang It's going to stop for two days—" At this point, she stopped specifically to pay attention to everyone's reactions—the reactions were mixed, some were indifferent, I don't know if they didn't understand, or they didn't understand how terrible this matter was; some looked deathly, Apparently they believed that the downfall had already begun; some were more calm and solemnly waiting for the next one, but there was only one person, A Gao, who ran the "outfield" in charge of procurement, with flickering eyes and erratic eyes. heart. "Last night, Mr. Xie told me that he asked me to ask for a solution. I discussed it with my wife. The problem was that the master was on the way at a time when there was no answer. It doesn't matter as soon as the master comes back. You are all people who have been with the master for many years. I know that the master has his way. Don't you?" "Yes." Fusheng replied on behalf of everyone, "I don't know how many storms and waves the master has gone through in his life, and this time it will not trouble him." "It's just that you can't drive well!" Mrs. Snail said, "Now it's like a big boat, and the boss of the boat is just on the other side. We need to push this boat across, take him on board, and let him steer the boat. You can stabilize and move forward as usual. Now my wife and I are at the helm, and we are sure to get to the other side, but everyone should help my wife." "Two wives please order." It was still Fusheng who answered. "There is an old saying called 'We are in the same boat, help each other'. No matter how many people are on a boat, there is only one life. If you want to die, everyone will die, and if you want to live, everyone will live. Everyone must understand this level." "Yes." Several people agreed in unison. "When encountering storms, I am most afraid that my own people will be confused first. One will go east, one will go west, one will turn back, and the other will continue to move forward. If there are too many opinions, there will be chaos, and if there is chaos, the ship will capsize. So everyone must be stable. Mrs. Snail paused for a while and asked, "If anyone thinks that the boat can't make it to the other side and wants to swim back, just say so." Of course there would be no one. After a moment of silence, Fusheng said, "Mrs. Snail, please continue." "Since everyone is willing to join the ship, you must think that harming others is harming yourself. I have a few words, please listen carefully. First, you are not allowed to talk about this matter in any building or hall, especially the old lady. .” "yes!" "Secondly, as the saying goes, 'he who talks about right and wrong is right and wrong', don't gossip about yourself first, if someone comes to inquire about this matter, it depends on the other party's situation, if it is irrelevant, answer him : 'I don't know.' If you are very affectionate, you also care about our Hu family, so you might as well comfort them sincerely, it doesn't matter if there is a fad in the market." Seeing everyone nodding or comprehending expressions, Mrs. Snail felt relieved, and then announced the third thing. The third thing is still the beginning with a common saying: "As the saying goes, 'a big tree attracts the wind', everyone will inevitably offend people, so if Fukang does not go down the ranks, someone will be happy, or take this opportunity to do something.' Don't be surprised if you don't blame it, it will be self-defeating'. If you hear someone gossiping, don't pay attention to them. If you find someone playing tricks, please come and tell me quietly. As long as you verify that there is something wrong, I will reward you privately. At this point, Mrs. Snail turned around and called out, "Ah Yun!" "Here." Ayun turned from behind her to her side. "No matter which one it is, if you come to the middle door and say you want to see me, you will be the one to discuss it. If you have anything to say, you can tell me directly. If it leaks, you are the only one who asks. Do you understand?" Not only did Ayun understand, but everyone also knew that anyone who told the story would be rewarded, but he must connect with Mrs. Luozhi's confidant, Ayun. Convey. "Does Madam have anything to say?" Mrs. Snail turned around and asked. The eldest lady nodded, finished smoking a bag of hookah, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and said, "There are many things about the Fushengjing here. Before Changmao rebelled, Fusheng was by the master's side, and all the ups and downs were under his eyes. Li. Fusheng, tell me, how did the master get up?" "Master——" Fusheng coughed, cleared his throat and said, "The most powerful thing about the master is that he never admits defeat. There were two times when everyone saw that he was doomed to lose. Who would have thought that the master is like playing chess, and someone has already ambushed him?" Over there, 'the immortal is coming out of the belly of the dead chess'. This time, the master must also have chess there, but we don't know, it will be fine as soon as the master comes back." "You've all heard it," said the eldest lady, "Miss San's happy day is coming soon, and everyone is still happy to have a happy event, 'the sky will fall and a tall man will hold it up', you just pretend that there is no such thing." Before noon, everyone in Hangzhou seemed to know that the Fukang Bank was "out of order"! There are also quite a few people who "sell morning newspapers" - telling each other, Hangzhou people call it "selling morning newspapers".Of course, some are because this is big news that has never been seen since Hong Yang’s peace, but more people are because of the stakes. Hu Xueyan has too many careers. I don’t know how many people have direct or indirect relationships with him. The one who is anxious is Yueru, the concubine of Tang Zishao, the head of the Gongjidian. It turns out that there are people around the Hu family who are doing business with the Hu family as the goal. Everyone is free to do business, and there is nothing wrong with it.Over time, it has become a trend. Yueru also did business once when she saw Lie Xinxi, it was Mrs. Hu's birthday, and there was a big banquet. I worked with the kitchen for a day and earned more than 400 taels of silver, very proud of it.This time Miss Hu San came out of the cabinet, the wedding feast was divided into five places, except for the first-class guests, who were prepared by the cook of the Hu family, the rest of the four places were organized by others. A Gao and Tang Zishao are very close, and Yue Ru is of course familiar with each other. , asked him to try to book a place, two shows in the afternoon and evening, a total of 120 tables will be opened, and he will still cooperate with Chef Sun, one will contribute and the other will make up for it. There is no such big ostentation anymore. Yueru lives behind Gongjidian, and Gongjidian and Fukang are only a few doors away, so Fukang does not unload the door. Frightened, he wanted to send someone to find Chef Sun to discuss it, but he didn't know that Chef Sun had already received the news and rushed over. "Has your seafood shipped yet?" "I soaked it in water yesterday to send it out." Chef Sun replied, "Otherwise, there would be no time." "Okay! Now the shark's fin and sea cucumber have to be eaten by themselves." "Why is Miss San's wedding changed?" "If you don't change it, the ostentation won't be too great!" Yueru said again, "Even if the ostentation remains as usual, I don't know if the money will be received or not." Chef Sun was stunned when he heard this, "Then, I hired twenty stewards, how should I explain?" He said with a mournful face. Yue Ruyi was annoyed when she heard this, but she couldn't bear it, because it was agreed that she would be responsible for the salary of the 20 stewards, and she couldn't blame Chef Sun for being anxious. "Aunt Tang," Chef Sun asked, "Your news is better than ours, have you heard why Mr. Hu Da went wrong this time?" "How would I know? I was still combing my hair when I heard the voices of people outside. It first flew like flies 'buzzing' and then flowed like tides. I asked the girl to go out and inquire about it. Only then did I know that since Fukang opened the door, it was the first time. I never unloaded the door to do business. Later, even Gongji Dian was troubled by people." Yueru asked again, "What did you hear outside?" "It's said outside that this time Mr. Hu Da fell down, I'm afraid he won't be able to get up! Climb high, fall hard, God of Wealth stumbles, ingots roll all over the ground, isn't it a little devil to pick them up? By the time he gets up, he's empty-handed. Become the 'Barefoot God of Wealth'." Just calling it "barefoot", the God of Wealth doesn't even have a pair of shoes. It's desolate. Yueru sighed and said, "I really don't know why it would be like this." "In the past, it was Mr. Zuo, but now Mr. Zuo is not popular. Li Zhongtang, the governor of Zhili, is in power. Some people say that Mr. Hu Da is at odds with Li Zhongtang. He is about to fall. Li Zhongtang can only kick but not pull. .” "I don't really understand these things." Yueru pulled back the words, "Talking about our own affairs, I was afraid that something bad would happen. The Hu family's happy event was so-so, and our banquet was withdrawn." "It's true that we're canceling our banquet, and it's fine. I'm afraid that if the wedding goes ahead, the banquet will be opened, and the money will not be collected." "This," Yue Ru disagreed, "You underestimate Mr. Hu Da too much. Even if the God of Wealth falls, will we lose our banquet money!" "That's right! He won't be short, I'm afraid you'd be too embarrassed to ask for it." Sun Chef said, "Aunt Tang, think about what kind of chaos it was at that time. You just wanted to ask for it, and you don't know which one to connect with." Upon hearing this, Yue Ru remained silent for a long while, and finally asked: "So, tell me, what should we do now?" "Now," Chef Sun swallowed, and said with difficulty, "the first thing to do is to find out whether the happy event is still going on as usual?" "I think it must be as usual. I know Mr. Hu Da's temper." "Happy events as usual, is the banquet still open?" "That's worth talking about." "No! I still have to say one thing, which one is the one to settle the score with, Aunt Tang, I think you have to go find Second Master Gao quickly and make it clear." "Gao Erye" refers to A Gao.This reminded Yue Ru that although A Gao could not be found, he might as well go to the "fuli" to inquire about news. Yueru has rarely entered the mansion in recent years.There are many reasons, the main one is that she is afraid of seeing her old partner, she was originally a fire girl, and she didn't say "fly on a branch to become a phoenix". "Master's wife", it is better to hear people call Yue Rulai.Especially since she got out of the news, the sentence she fears the most is, "Did the master come to your place for dinner these two days?" Forced by the situation that day, I had to bite the bullet and go for a walk. I entered the mansion through the back door of the big kitchen, and there was an open hall next to it. There are two big baskets, and more than a dozen maids are wrapping "osmanthus candy" with cut red paper-everyone in Hangzhou asks for "osmanthus candy" when they get married, white sugar is added with osmanthus, and rose and mint syrup It is dyed with juice and made into various patterns with small molds. Each grain is the size of a thumb. It is exquisite, delicious and fun. It is a gift for children. Miss Hu San came out of the cabinet and ordered 400 kilograms of sweet-scented osmanthus candy from Fang Yuhe. It was just delivered this morning, and she asked the maids in each room to help.There happened to be Aju, a girl who was in charge of candles and incense at Mrs. Hu's place when she entered the door. She had always been on good terms with Yueru, so she shrank in, patted the long table and said, "Just come to help." Yueru then sat down next to her, and raised her eyes first to have a look, the acquaintances all greeted silently with winks, those who usually love to talk, did not open their mouths today, and of course neither did their faces. What a smile. Seeing this scene, Yue Ruyi didn't dare to speak loudly, "Will Miss San's wedding be changed?" She first asked the one thing she was most concerned about. "Don't you think it's still wrapping sweet-scented osmanthus candies." Aju replied in a low voice, "It's daylight today, Mrs. Eldest and Mrs. Snail are explaining in the 'office', everything is as usual." "How did this happen?" Yue Ru asked, "How is Miss San? Are you crying?" "Crying? Why? What does it have to do with Miss San?" "On a happy day, when encountering such a thing, I always feel sad." "Sadness is sad. To be a bride, there is no reason to cry? But," Aju said, "you can't laugh." "Look, Aju," Yueru lowered her voice extremely low, "Is it important?" "Is it important or not?" "I mean would it—" "Will it fall down?" Aju shook her head, "I'm afraid it's hard to say." "Will it fall?" Yueru asked in surprise, "Really?" "Don't be like this!" Aju rolled her eyes, "Mrs. Snail hates people making a fuss." Yueru also knew that she had lost her composure, so she said in a calm voice: "Where did you see that, maybe it will fall?" "People's hearts are too bad!" There was a lot in the words, and it was worth asking, but before she could speak, an old woman from Yue Ru's family rushed to inform Tang Zishao that she should go home quickly. "How many pawn tickets?" Tang Zishao asked. Yue Ru opened the jewelry box and took out a stack of tickets, Tang Zishao looked at each one carefully.Although Yue Ru could read a few characters, but he couldn't read the cursive script of "Ghost Drawing Talisman" on the ticket. Seeing that he picked out three and put them aside, he immediately asked, "What are they?" It turned out that Tang Zishao's methods of cheating in the Gongjidian were all-inclusive. Apart from tampering with the mandang goods, the other method was to see that the date of the mandang had arrived, the original owner had not redeemed it, and the pawn was precious. Entering the mansion, the concubine in the "twelfth floor" may have taken a fancy to staying, so she issued another pawn ticket in the name of "reporting the loss"; The "children's hands" picked it up, and even the pawn tickets stolen by thieves were collected at a very low price, and they were all handed over to Yueru for safekeeping, and they could redeem them depending on the situation. The three picked out here are intended to be redeemed, one is a hat flower, a very large and extremely pure piece of Persian emerald, which was worth two thousand silver at the time, and was only pawned for five hundred taels; The silver countertop weighs 600 taels, but it cannot be regarded as 600 taels of silver, because the "fire loss" needs to be removed when it is returned to the furnace, and it is said that it is not good enough, and then the interest is deducted. It costs three hundred taels, but it still costs at least a thousand silver. The third piece is even more expensive. It is a pair of diamond bracelets, with twelve large diamonds and sixty-four small diamonds. The little thief bought it for 8,000 taels of silver. The next day, the original owner's servant came to report the loss in a panic. Tang Zishao personally received it and said, "I'm really sorry, someone has come to redeem it." Take out the pawn ticket to see , the original owner said "not bad", but when asked who came to redeem, he said again: "I'm really sorry, I don't know." The rules of pawnshops in eighteen provinces in the country are the same. I had no choice but to reply to the master in dejection. "These three bills should be taken care of quickly." Tang Zishao said, "Fukang has saved a lot of public funds. From Qiantang, Renhe and Futai yamen, everyone has the right to seal the pawns. If they don't redeem them, they will be buried in them for nothing." "Fukang has fallen, what does it have to do with Gongjidian?" "Thank you for asking such a question! As long as it is Mr. Hu Da's property, it can be sealed." After speaking, Tang Zishao hurried away. Yueru sent him to the door, and watched the excitement by the way.Her family lives in the back street, and there are not many people coming and going, but the street in front of her is noisy, but she can hear it clearly, and there is a faint sound of gongs and shouts, and she listens intently, it is really good, Yue Ru remembered what Tang Zishao said If he said that, he couldn't help but be surprised. Could it be that the government really came to seal Fukang Bank and Gongji Dian? Her guess was just the opposite. The feudal official Dexin, who was accompanied by Wu Yun, the prefect of Hangzhou, did not come to seal Fukang's door, but to persuade Fukang to open the door for business. It turned out that this morning, according to Xie Yunqing's suggestion, Mrs. Snail went to the feudal yamen in a sedan chair to see the concubine of Defantai.According to legend, this yamen was the residence of Qin Hui, the power minister of the Southern Song Dynasty. It is also said that the two large ponds surrounded by stone fences in front of the gate hide the water gate of the treasury. It was used to guard the water gate of the vassal treasury. Although these legends are difficult to verify, "the vassal chief looks at the mangy turtle" is a scene in the wells of the city of Hangzhou, but it has not changed for hundreds of years.Every time Mrs. Luosi passed by the sedan chair, she never felt anything when she saw the people sitting or leaning on the stone railing by the pool, but this day she seemed to feel that those idlers were pointing and saying to her: "Here, the people sitting in the sedan chair Mr. Hu Da’s Mrs. Snail, the God of Wealth fell down and became barefoot, and Mrs. Snail will show her face to beg others.” 这样胡思乱想着，她心里酸酸的，突然觉得眼眶发热，赶紧拭去眼泪，强自把心定下来，自己对自己说，不要紧的！无论如何自己不可先摆出着急的样子。 于是她将平日来了以后的情形回忆了一下，警惕着一切如常，不能有甚异样的态度。 由于她那乘轿子格外华丽，更由于她平时出手大方，所以未进侧门以前，不待执帖家人上前通报，便有德藩台的听差迎了出来，敞开双扉，容她的轿子沿着正厅西面的甬道，在花园入口处下轿。 德藩台的宠妾，名叫莲珠，在家行二，她们是换帖姐妹，莲珠比螺蛳太太大一岁，所以称之为二姐，莲珠唤她四妹，出来迎接时，像平时一样，彼此叫应了略作寒暄，但一进屋尚未坐定，莲珠的神情就不一样了。 “四妹，”她执着螺蛳太太的手，满腹疑惑地问，“是怎么回事？一早听人说，阜康不开门，我说没有的事，刚刚我们老爷进来，我问起来才知道上海的阜康倒了，这里挤满了人，怕要出事。我们老爷只是叹气，我也着急，到底要紧不要紧？” 这一番话说得螺蛳太太心里七上八下，自己觉得脸上有点发烧，但力持镇静，不过要像平常那样有说有笑，却怎么样也办不到了。 “怎么不要紧？一块金字招牌，擦亮来不容易，要弄脏它很方便。”螺蛳太太慢条斯理地说，“怪只怪我们老爷在路上，上海、杭州两不接头，我一个女人家，就抛头露面，哪个来理我？说不得只好来求藩台了。” “以我们两家的交情，说不上一个求字。”莲珠唤来一个丫头说，“你到中门上传话给阿福，看老爷会客完了，马上请他进来。” 阿福是德馨的贴身跟班，接到中门上传来的消息，便借装水烟袋之便，悄悄在德馨耳际说了一句：“姨太太请。” 德馨有好几个妾，但不加区别仅称“姨太太”便是指莲珠。心想她有什么要紧事，等不及他回上房吃午饭时谈？一定是胡家的事。这样想着，便对正在会见的一个候补道说：“你老哥谈的这件案子，兄弟还不十分清楚，等我查过了再商量吧！” 接着不由分说，端一端茶碗，花厅廊上的听差，便高唱一声：“送客！”将那候补道硬生生地撵走了。 看“手本”，还有四客要接见，三个是候补知县，一个是现任海宁州知州，他踌躇了一会，先剔出两个手本，自语似的说：“这两位，今天没工夫了。” 阿福取手本来一看，其中一个姓刘送过很大的一个门包，便即说道：“这位刘大老爷是姨太太交代过的。” "Confess what?" “刘大老爷想讨个押运明年漕米的差使，姨太太交代，老爷一定要派。” “既然一定要派，就不必见了。” “那么，怎么样回他？” “叫他在家听信好了。” "yes." “这一位，”德馨拿起另一份手本，沉吟了一下，用快刀斩乱麻的手法，连海宁州知州的手本，一起往外一推，“说我人不舒服，都请他们明天再来。” 说完，起身由花厅角门回到上房，径自到了莲珠那里，螺蛳太太一见急忙起身，裣衽为礼。德馨跟胡雪岩的交情很厚，私底下管他叫“胡大哥”，对螺蛳太太便叫“罗四姐”，他一开口便问：“罗四姐，雪岩什么时候回来？” “今天下半天。” “唉！”他顿一顿足说，“就差这么一天工夫。” 意思是胡雪岩只要昨天到，今天的局面就不会发生。螺蛳太太不知道他能用什么办法来解消危机，但愿倾全力相助的心意是很明显的。 患难之际，格外容易感受他人的好意，于是螺蛳太太再一次裣衽行礼，噙着泪光说道：“藩台这样照应我们胡家，上上下下都感激的。” “罗四姐，你别这么说，如今事情出来了，我还不知道使得上力，使不上力呢。” “有什么使得上使不上？”莲珠接口说道，“只要你拿出力量来，总归有用的。” “我当然要拿力量出来。胡大哥的事，能尽一分力，尽一分力。罗四姐，你先请回去，我过了瘾，马上请吴知府来商量。”德馨又说，“饭后我亲自去看看，我想不开门总不是一回事。不过，事也难说。总而言之，一定要想个妥当办法出来。” 有最后一句话，螺蛳太太放心了，莲珠便说：“四妹，今天你事情多，我不留你了。”说着，送客出来，到了廊上悄悄说道，“我会盯住老头子，只要他肯到阜康，到底是藩台，总能压得下去的。” “是的。二姐，我现在像'没脚蟹'一样，全靠你替我作主。”螺蛳太太又放低了声音说，“上次你说我戴的珠花样子好，我叫人另外穿了一副，明后天送过来。” “不必，不必，你现在何必还为这种事操心？喔！”莲珠突然想起，“喜事呢？” “只好照常，不然外头的谣言更多了。”螺蛳太太又说，“人，势利的多，只怕有的客人不会来了。” “我当然要来的。” “当然、当然。”螺蛳太太怕她误会，急忙说道，“我们是自己人。且不说还没有倒下来，就穷得没饭吃了，二姐还是一样会来的。” “正是这话。”莲珠叮嘱，“胡大先生一回来，你们就送个信来。” “他一回来，一定首先来看藩台。” “对！哪怕晚上也不要紧。” “我晓得。”螺蛳太太又说，“我看珠花穿好了没有，穿好了叫他带来，二姐好戴。” 回到家，螺蛳太太第一件要办的，就是这件事。说“叫人另外穿一副”是故意这样说的，螺蛳太太的珠花有好几副，挑一副最莹白的，另外配一只金镶玉的翠镯，立即叫人送了给莲珠。 这份礼真是送在刀口上。原来德馨在旗员中虽有能吏之称，但出身纨绔，最好声色，听说胡家办喜事，来了两个“水路班子”——通都大邑的戏班，都是男角，坤角另成一班，称为“髦儿戏”，唯有“水路班子”男女合演，其中有一班叫“福和”，当家的小旦叫灵芝草，色艺双全，德馨听幕友谈过这个坤伶，久思一见，如今到了杭州，岂肯错过机会，已派亲信家人去找班主，看哪一天能把灵芝草接了来，听她清唱。 也就是螺蛳太太辞去不久，德馨正在抽鸦片过瘾时，亲信家人来回复，福和班主听说藩台“传差”，不敢怠慢，这天下午就会把灵芝草送来。德馨非常高兴，变更计划，对于处理阜康挤兑这件事，另外作了安排。 就这时莲珠到了签押房，她是收到了螺蛳太太一份重礼，对阜康的事格外关切，特意来探问究竟，德馨答说：“我已经派人去请吴知府了，等他来了，我会切切实实关照他。” “关照他什么？” “关照他亲自去弹压。” “那么，”莲珠问道，“你呢？你不去了？” “有吴知府一个人就行。” “你有把握，一定能料理得下来？” “这种事谁有把握？”德馨答说，“就是我也没有。” “你是因为没有把握才不去的？” "no." “是为什么？” “我懒得动。” “老头子，你叫人寒心！胡雪岩是你的朋友，人家有了急难，弄得不好会倾家荡产，你竟说懒得动，连去看一看都不肯。这叫什么朋友？莫非你忘记了，放藩台之前，皇太后召见，如果不是胡雪岩借你一万银子，你两手空空，到了京里，人家会敷衍你，买你的账？”莲珠停了一下，直截了当地说，“你如果觉得阜康的事不要紧，有吴知府去了就能料理得下来，你可以躲懒，不然，你就得亲自去一趟，那样，就阜康倒了，你做朋友的力量尽到了，胡雪岩也不会怪你。你想呢？” 德馨正待答话，只听门帘作响，回头看时，阿福兴匆匆地奔了进来，脸上挂着兴奋的笑容，一见莲珠在，立即缩住脚，脸上的笑容也消失了。 “什么事？”莲珠骂道，“冒冒失失，鬼头鬼脑，一点规矩都不懂！” 阿福不做声，只不住偷看着德馨，德馨却又不住向他使眼色。这种鬼鬼祟祟的模样，落在莲珠眼中，不由得疑云大起，“阿福！”她大声喝道，“什么事？快说！” “是，”阿福赔笑说道，“没有什么事。” “你还不说实话！”莲珠向打烟的丫头说道，“找张总管来！看我叫人打断他的两条狗腿。” 藩台衙门的下人，背后都管莲珠叫“泼辣货”，阿福识得厉害，不觉双膝一软，跪倒在地，“姨太太饶了我吧。”他说，“下回不敢了。” “什么下回不敢，这回还没有了呢！说！说了实话我饶你。” 阿福踌躇了一会，心想连老爷都怕姨太太，就说了实话，也不算出卖老爷，便即答说：“我来回老爷一件事。” "What's up!" 此时德馨连连假咳示意，莲珠冷笑着坐了下来，向阿福说道：“说了实话没你事，有一个字的假话，看我不打你，你以后就别叫我姨太太。” 说到这样重的话，阿福把脸都吓黄了，哭丧着脸说：“我是来回老爷，福和班掌班来通知，马上把灵芝草送来。” “喔，灵芝草，男的还是女的？” "female." “好。我知道了。你走吧！” 阿福磕一个头站起身来，德馨把他叫住了，“别走！”他说，“你通知福和班，说我公事忙，没有工夫听灵芝草清唱，过几天再说。” “是！”阿福吐一吐舌头，悄悄退了出去。 “老头子——” “你别噜苏了！”德馨打断她的话说，“我过足了瘾就走，还不行吗？” “我另外还有话。”莲珠命打烟的丫头退出去，“我替老爷打烟。” 这是德馨的享受，因为莲珠打的烟，“黄、高、松”三字俱全，抽一筒长一回精神，但自她将这一手绝技传授了丫头，便不再伺候这个差使，而他人打的烟总不如莲珠来得妙，因此她现在自告奋勇，多少已弥补了不能一聆灵芝草清唱之憾。 莲珠暂时不做声，全神贯注打好了一筒烟，装上烟枪，抽腋下手绢，抹一抹烟枪上的象牙嘴，送到德馨口中，对准了火，拿烟签子替他拨火。 德馨吞云吐雾，一口气抽完，拿起小茶壶便喝，药烫得常人不能上口，但他已经烫惯了，舌头乱卷了一阵，喝了几口，然后拈一粒松子糖放入口中，悠闲地说道：“你有话说吧！” “我是在想，”莲珠一面打烟一面说，“胡雪岩倒下来，你也不得了！你倒想，公款有多少存在那里？” “这我不怕，可以封他的典。” “私人的款子呢？”莲珠问说，“莫非你也封他的典？就算能封，人家问起来，你怎么说？” “是啊！”德馨吸着气说，“这话倒很难说。” “就算不难说，你还要想想托你的人，愿意不愿意你说破。像崇侍郎大少爷的那五万银子，当初托你转存阜康的时候，千叮万嘱，不能让人知道。你这一说，崇侍郎不要恨你？” “这——这，”德馨皱着眉说，“当初我原不想管的，崇侍郎是假道学，做事不近人情，替他办事吃力不讨好，只为彼此同旗世交，他家老大，对我一向很孝敬，我才管了这桩事。我要一说破，坏了崇侍郎那块清廉的招牌，他恨我一辈子。” “也不光是崇侍郎，还有孙都老爷的太太，她那两万银子是私房钱，孙都老爷也是额角头上刻了'清廉'两个字的，如果大家晓得孙太太有这笔存款，不明白是她娘家带来，压箱底的私房钱，只说是孙都老爷'卖参'的肮脏钱。那一来孙都老爷拿他太太休回娘家。老头子啊老头子，你常说'宁拆八座庙，不破一门婚'，那一来，你的孽可作得大了！” 叽哩呱啦一大篇话，说得德馨汗流浃背，连烟都顾不得抽了，坐起身来，要脱丝棉袄。 “脱不得，要伤风。”莲珠说道，“你也别急，等我慢慢儿说给你听。” “好、好！我真的要请教你这位女诸葛了！” “你先抽了这筒烟再谈。” 等德馨将这筒烟抽完，莲珠已经盘算好了，但开出口来，却是谈不相干的事。 “老头子，你听了一辈子的戏，我倒请问，戏班子的规矩，你懂不懂？” "Why are you asking this?" “你甭管，你只告诉我懂不懂？” “当然懂。” “好，那么我再请问：一个戏班子是邀来的，不管它是出堂会也好，上园子也好，本主儿那里还没有唱过，角儿就不能在别处漏一漏他的玩艺。有这个规矩没有？” “有。”德馨答说，“不过这个规矩用不上。如今我是不想再听灵芝草，如果想听，叫她来是'当差'，戏班子的规矩，难道还能够拘束官府吗？” “不错，拘束不着。可是，老头子，你得想想，俗语说的'打狗看主人面'，人家三小姐出阁，找福和班来唱戏，贺客还没有尝鲜，你倒先叫人家来唱过了，你不是动用官府力量，扫了胡家的面子？” 莲珠虽是天津侯家浚的青楼出身，但剖析事理，着实精到，德馨不能不服，当下说道：“好在事情已经过去了，不必再提。” “不必再提的事，我何必提。我这段话不是废话，你还听不明白，足见得我说对了。” “咦！怪了，什么地方我没有听明白？” “其中有个道理，你还不明白。我说这段话的意思是，你不但要顾胡雪岩的交情，眼前你还不能让胡雪岩不痛快。你得知道，他真的要倒了，就得酌量酌量为人的情分。他要害人，害那不顾交情，得罪了他的人，如是平常交情厚的人，他反正是个不了之局，何苦'放着河水不洗船'？你要懂这个道理，就不枉了我那篇废话了。” 话中有话，意味很深，德馨沉吟了好一会说：“我真的没有想到。想想你的话是不错，我犯不上得罪他，否则'临死拉上一个垫背的'，我吃不了，兜着走，太划不来了。来、来、你躺下来，我烧一筒烟请你抽。” “得了！我是抽着玩儿的，根本没有瘾，你别害我了。”莲珠躺下来，隔着烟盘说道，“阜康你得尽力维持住了，等胡雪岩回来，你跟他好好谈一谈，我想他也不会太瞒你。等摸清了他的底，再看情形，能救则救，不能救，你把你经手的款子抽出来，胡雪岩一定照办。那一来，你不是干干净净，什么关系都没有了？” “妙啊妙！这一着太高了。” 于是两人并头密语，只见莲珠拿着烟签子不断比画，德馨不断点头，偶尔也开一两句口，想来是有不明白之处，要请教“女诸葛”。 阿福又来了，这回是按规矩先咳嗽一声，方始揭帘入内，远远地说道：“回老爷的话，杭州府吴大人来了。” “喔，请在花厅坐，我马上出来。” “不！”莲珠立即纠正，“你说老爷在换衣服，请吴大人稍等一等。” "yes." 阿福心想换衣服当然是要出门，但不知是便衣还是官服，便衣只须“传轿”，官服就还要预备“导子”，当即问道：“老爷出门，要不要传导子？” "want." 阿福答应着，自去安排。莲珠便在签押房内亲手伺候德馨换官服，灰鼠出风的袍子，外罩补褂，一串奇南香的朝珠是胡雪岩送的，价值三千银子，德馨颇为爱惜，当即说道：“这串朝珠就不必挂出去了。” 他不知道这是莲珠特意安排的，为了让他记得胡雪岩的好处，这层用意当然不宜说破，她只说：“香喷喷，到处受欢迎倒不好？而且人堆里，哪怕交冬了，也有汗气，正用得着奇南香。” “言之有理。” “来，升冠！”莲珠捧着一顶貂檐暖帽，等德馨将头低了下来，她替他将暖帽戴了上去，在帽檐上弹了一下，说道，“弹冠之庆。” 接着，莲珠从丫头手里接过一柄腰圆形的手镜，退后两步，将镜子举了起来，德馨照着将帽子扶正，口中说道：“不知道什么时候才能换顶戴？” 藩司三品蓝顶子，换顶戴当然是换红顶子，德馨的意思是想升巡抚，莲珠便即答说：“只要左大人赏识你，换顶戴也快得很。”