Daiyu's wife in the Red Chamber

Chapter 145

But when a family retires, they always think of a high-sounding reason and order the matchmaker to bring it to show their helplessness. If they are honest, they will say that they are wrong, just like when Sister Feng asked Zheng's official media to propose to the Zhang family. Dear, just like the Marquis of Jinxiang who used the horoscope disagreement as an excuse, the fickle and ungrateful Bianyun was the fault of the other party, and the Mei family was the latter.

When the Jia family was in decline, its servants and servants were sold on the street. In order to imitate the behavior of the century-old government and conceal the fact that they had become a newly prosperous household, the Mei family carefully selected them and spent hundreds of taels of silver to buy ten. Here comes a first-class servant who used to be very respectable in Jia's house, and among them is the servant girl in Jia's mother's room.From the mouths of these servants eager to surrender, the Mei family knew a lot of secrets about the boudoir in the Rongguo Mansion, and a few things about Baoqin, and they used it as a threat.

Jia Shi Wang Xue’s family was defeated, and it’s hard to recover, let alone an ordinary merchant’s family. The matchmaker who came to the door to withdraw the marriage was impatient, and said straight to the point that both the Xue family and the two families were happy. The marriage letter also has a lot to say to the outside world, such as Jia's mother asking Baoqin for employment, Baoyu's greeting to Jia's mother when Baoqin was still asleep, and the night banquet in Yihong Courtyard.

When the two families got married, they put up a document in the yamen. If the woman wants to withdraw from the marriage, she must get the consent of the man and write a letter of resignation. It's just a job offer.

This is the difference between men and women.

Xue Biao, his wife and Bao Qin had expected the Mei family's repentance, but they didn't expect the Mei family to be so shameless. Even if the Mei family didn't regret their marriage, Xue Biao would not dare to marry his younger sister, and agreed to withdraw immediately.

Baoqin was originally a smart woman, and she often got in touch with Daiyu and Xichun. She also knew many things that no one taught her. But he refused to let others talk about it, and ordered people to find out all the marriage proposals and engagements of Mei's family and ordered the matchmaker to bring them back. He also ordered people to go to Mei's family to ask for the engagement gifts in return, that is, the needles and threads she made herself.

The Mei family was not very rich before they made a fortune, and they had to provide Mei Hanlin with the imperial examinations, so marriage proposals and engagement ceremonies were very common, but four pieces of gold jewelry and a few bolts of clothing as usual, and Baoqin were not rare at all.

After many years, the Mei family regretted the marriage again, the engagement gifts from the Xue family had long since disappeared, and the servants of the Xue family returned empty-handed.

There is no shortage of high-ranking officials and dignitaries in Chang'an City. The Mei family is only the home of the new prosperity.

No one cared about this matter, Xue Biao and Xing Xiuyan were slightly relieved, their family readily agreed to withdraw their marriage, and the Mei family was also afraid that the world would say that they were narrow-minded, so they didn't promote Baoqin. After entering Jinling, the marriage will not be affected.Hearing that the Mei family proposed marriage to the eldest daughter of Jia Yucun the next day, Xue Biao, who was asking his wife and sister to pack their bags, couldn't help but sneer.

Because of the protection of Ming Xiao County King, it is not a big mistake to have a concubine as a wife. The sufferer in the stone nerd case did not die. Punishment, still an official.However, it is difficult for Jiao Xing's children to be born in the world and gain a foothold in the world, and marriage is very difficult.

Although Jia Yucun fell again and again, Mei Hanlin was still far behind, and he had a lot of contacts with Jia Yucun when he was in Rongguo Mansion, and wanted to use Jia Yucun's help to get promoted, so he chose Jia as his wife for his son, no matter what, The basic family background is ten times stronger than that of Xue Baoqin.

After being exposed by Jia Amnesty, Jia Yucun has a bad reputation in the court, but he is talented and is highly valued by the king of Mingxiao County. Side concubine, it's a pity that Mingxiao County King had two side concubines and four concubines before his wedding. Jia Yucun didn't want his daughter to be a concubine, so he had to choose a marriage for his daughter in the court.

If the Jia family is a descendant, it’s all right, but it’s not that he was born. His mother was originally the maidservant who forgot the master. , Many refused to apply for employment.

Anyone who is willing to propose marriage is trying to take advantage of Jia Yucun's power. Not only is the official position very low, but the foundation is even shallower, and the characters are poor.

Jia Yucun saw that the Mei family was the most outstanding among them, but he was not very satisfied. Later, when he remembered that the Mei family had originally appointed the daughter of the Xue family, his mind suddenly moved, and he immediately ordered the matchmaker to return to Mei Hanlin, saying that as long as the Mei family withdraws, the marriage will be completed. Bian then agreed to give his daughter to him.

Jia Yucun hates the Jia family the most at this time, and anyone who has contact with the Jia family is an enemy. In the past, he was oppressed as a poor and humble person, and won the cold eyes of the world. Now that he is in power, even Emperor Changtai ordered a strict investigation. I can't wait to step on the soles of the feet of the people who used to boss me around, or the people who used to be above my own, and the rich Xue family is among them.

The two marriages were certain, and after the Wu family and Jia Yucun kept their capital, Mei Hanlin was promoted to be a member of the Ministry of Industry within a few days.

Xue Biao originally planned to go back to the south, and after returning to the south, he would choose a suitable marriage for Baoqin. Unexpectedly, before leaving, it was found that Xing Xiuyan was pregnant. Baoqin suggested that the whole family stay in the capital, bring the widowed mother, and have Aunt Xue as a company It's commonplace.

Jia Shi Wang Xue's four families are in decline. After all, Baochai is Baoyu's wife, while Jia She's family is still there. It's not as good as before, and it's passable.In Jinling, the four families of King Xue of Jia Shi were erased from the guardian talisman. Xue Pan did many evils during his lifetime, and Aunt Xue had the same temperament as Mrs. Wang. When a person falls into a well, it brings disaster to his own family.

Xing Xiuyan also felt that it was reasonable. Xue Biao thought about it for a few days, arranged the business in the shop, and then went south to pick up his mother to Beijing. Mansion shop cooking.

After Xue Pan's death, Xia Jingui took advantage of the turmoil in Xue's family and returned to her natal family. Now she has remarried.

Aunt Xue was seriously ill. Fortunately, Xue Pan left behind a son named Xue Miao. At the place of Second Sister You, Second Sister You was gentle and nostalgic. Regardless of her mother and sister’s obstruction, she brought her son to serve Aunt Xue. A small courtyard in the northeast corner behind Xue Tiao's house.Aunt Xue saw that Xue Miao was smart and looked like a snow ball, and she gradually got better. She thought that she would leave all the property and unsold land that Xue Biao got from selling the mansion and shop to her grandson, and then hand it over to her in two years. Xue Baochai's teaching can be regarded as the successor of Xue's family.

After Xue Biao left, Aunt Xue moved to Xing Xiuyan's main house to take care of her. Chai had forgotten her birthday, and she knew that the Jia family and Xue Biao's family were all safe because of Daiyu's protection, so she hurriedly ordered the servant girl to go back to her room and carry over an ivory tower she had kept.

The defeat of Xue's family started with Xue Pan's incompetence, and then he took care of Xue Pan and lost all his business. Even though Xia Jingui took away a lot of property and Xue's family had no money in their accounts, Aunt Xue still had a lot of things in her room.

This ivory carved pagoda is called Qunxian Zhushou. It is more than three feet high, nearly three feet long, and about a foot and a half wide. At a glance, you can see the majestic fairy mountains above, the auspicious clouds, the exquisite pagoda, the clear pavilions, the Jinshui bridge and the archway. Just like the real thing, but also the characters are like life, the fairy flowers are beautiful, the auspicious animals are sensitive, the flowers and plants and the fairy instruments are all inlaid with beads, treasures, and emeralds.

After Baoqin looked at it, she was very surprised. After admiring, she said: "The pagoda that my aunt took out is only comparable to the ones in the palace? I have seen a comparable pagoda in Rongguo Mansion."

Aunt Xue sighed: "This was originally something that our old master of the Wang family ordered to supervise when he was there. It was only used in the emperor's Longevity and Qianqiu day to pay tribute to the palace. It is difficult to see the same in other places. Unless the imperial gift, Rongguo Mansion The carved ivory pagoda here was a gift from our royal family, and later it was given to the concubine Xiande. Our family has fallen into the current state, and we don’t need this thing. If outsiders know about it, it will inevitably lead to multiple charges. It is also my heart that I brought it to the county master Jingxiao."

Baoqin hurriedly said: "Sister Lin has always been elegant. We always give some calligraphy, painting, needlework to her on her birthday. She loves it very much. Why did Auntie give such expensive things?"

Aunt Xue waved her hand and said: "Your daughter's family who is not out of the court is naturally free, and every poem and word can be used, but the people who usually come and go can't, if you don't believe me, go and see, the birthday gifts sent by other families must be top-notch. Your elder sister Lin is the head of the house, there are no parents-in-law, and the son-in-law has a high position, even if you are young, it is not a big birthday, and many people go to birthdays on weekdays."

Baoqin was dubious, seeing that it was getting late, she hurried out by car, Daiyu was not in the capital for two or three years after she left the palace, and returned to Beijing to serve the sick, and now that she was out of filial piety, Baoqin really saw a lot of guests.

The Wei family did not hold a big banquet, and there were no other official guests except Jia Lian and Baoyu, but there were also about twenty tables of Guangtang guests.

Daiyu's family didn't have any opera singers, Wei Ruolan felt that this was Daiyu's first birthday celebration in the capital after entering the house, so three days ago, she personally went to Zhongshun Palace to borrow a group of actresses, and set up a stage in front of the Dahua Hall.

Baoqin presented the gift and entered the inner hall. Together with Sister Feng, Yingchun, Xichun, Qiaojie, Baochai and others, she was listening to Xichun say to Sister Feng and Yingchun: "Someone gave Sister Lin a birthday gift seven or eight days ago. After the empress rewarded the nine ruyis, I followed Sister Lin to see them one by one, and now they are all placed in the main room, which is somewhat similar to the scene when the old lady celebrated her [-]th birthday that year."

When Baoqin heard it, she remembered Aunt Xue's words. After hearing that Baochai asked Aunt Xue and Xue Miao, she hurriedly answered them one by one.

After finishing speaking, Xiangyun came over with a smile after meeting the concubine Nan'an and others. Baoqin got up to greet her, and each of them sat down together. "

Sister Feng smiled and said, "Didn't you see that the old ancestor could say a few words and move his hands? Even the imperial doctor said that we took good care of him. That's why we are good. If we want to be better, we have to raise them." How is your family? I heard that someone impeached your father-in-law for taking bribes." The Ge family was originally a poor family, but now it is very rich. After the defeat of the Jia family, Shi Xiangyun gave gifts, all of which were silk, gold and silver. Waiting for things, their wealth is far better than that of Daiyu, and Baoyu once gave Baoyu 1000 taels of silver for expenses, but Baoyu declined.

Ge Hui went to Beijing after getting rid of his service, and soon got a job, and stayed in Beijing. Although he was a first-rank official, he was not as majestic as a frontier official, and had a lot of money. A lot of family businesses have income every year, not bad for the money. Ge Hui just wants to be the emperor's close minister, and he is quite satisfied.

Xiangyun frowned, and said in his mouth: "I don't know who is not good enough to see others, so he came to impeach our master. Our family's annual income from the village is also [-] to [-], and there are servants doing business and two rivers. Several rich businessmen in the family took shelter under their door, and they have filial piety every year, and the reason is very clear, not to mention the daily three festivals and two birthdays and ice charcoal respect, how did they become corruption and bribery in the mouths of those people. Don't worry, sister-in-law, our master is upright Lian Ming, no matter how hard they search, they can't find anything bad."

Sister Feng smiled and nodded, and said, "You can rest assured, how many people have stumbled on this." Recalling what Jia Lian said carefully, she also said that Ge Hui was cautious, from Ge Xu persuading Xiangyun to reject the historian The belongings sent, and after the historian's defeat, you can see the family style of the Ge family.

Xiangyun waved his hand and said, "Our family will definitely not be like that."

When she said this, she was very confident, because she often heard the old lady and mother-in-law talk about her family affairs, and she attached great importance to this matter. No income of more than [-] yuan a year?For the sake of power, one must never break the law. If one uses one's power to embezzle and accept bribes for the sake of money and lose one's power, the loss outweighs the gain.

However, Xiangyun kept these words in his heart, but he couldn't share them with others. Naturally, he couldn't explain to Sister Feng that the charges of impeachment were difficult to carry out, and his father-in-law was innocent.

After tea, changing clothes, and paying birthday greetings to the banquet, Sister Feng wanted to ask more questions, but she had to hide it for the time being.

There was nothing to remember during the banquet, but after the banquet, each family released rewards, and after changing clothes, they went into the inner hall and had another good tea. Daiyu heard Nan'an Princess ask about Xichun, and she changed her mind, knowing that Nan'an Princess is still the same. Thinking of Sister Feng's old relationship, she called Xichun to let everyone see her, and hurriedly said: "She and another younger sister are here today, the concubine wants to see her, so please come here."

Concubine Nan'an asked which sister it was, and she smelled Baoqin, and said with a smile: "It turned out to be her, and I saw her when your grandmother's birthday was there that year. They are both excellent children, and I don't know which one to praise."

Daiyu turned around and ordered Zijuan to bring Xichun, Baoqin and Qiaojie to greet everyone.

Some of them have seen it before, and some have never seen it. Today, Xi, Qin, and Ying are beautiful and handsome, and they really live up to their usual reputation. , but he is close to Daiyu and has his own plans in mind.

Xiangyun and Grand Concubine Nan'an are also good, she is also thinking about the lifelong events of Xichun and Baoqin, seeing that Daiyu invited Xichun, Baoqin and sister Qiao to come out to meet everyone but did not mention it, she smiled and said: "Toffee , my two younger sisters are good, you old man is well-informed and compassionate, so be careful tomorrow, how about talking about marriage for my two younger sisters?"

Both Xichun and Baoqin blushed, they were so ashamed that they could not wait to step back immediately, and stood at the bottom with their heads bowed, not saying a word.

Concubine Nan'an was also taken aback, and said: "What are you anxious about, kid? After all, it's time to leave the court, not like the girls in the old days." Most of the people present here are smart people, and they all understand why the girls appear. Those who are interested will inquire about themselves, and then propose marriage, so Daiyu called a few girls out but did not ask everyone to pay attention to the marriage for them.

Daiyu hurriedly said: "It's my birthday today, why does Sister Shi only think about them? I'm still waiting for you to pay my birthday greetings." After some difficulty, the conversation ended, and everyone started chatting and laughing again without mentioning just now.

After tea, everyone was impatient to watch the play again, so they went for a stroll in the back garden. Concubine Nan'an supported Xichun's hand, smiled and said to Daiyu: "Although it is not as spacious as the Grand View Garden, it is more interesting and more elegant. , I still remember that before Wei Jiedu got married, many people said that he was too caring."

Daiyu blushed and said, "How long ago did it happen, the concubine still remembers it."

Concubine Nan'an said: "I remember it for 100 years. You can still see Mr. Shan Ziye's handwriting here, but the Grand View Garden may not be the case. The Grand View Garden cost millions of years ago, and it was really clever to build. I thought who in the court My family is lucky enough to go, and we still have time to visit the garden. We can live up to the beauty of the spring there. I don’t want the court to sell the land of Ningrong and Rongfu at a price. A big salt merchant in the south of the Yangtze River bought these two places together with the Grand View Garden. I heard that It needs to be repaired and honored to King Mingxiao, I don’t know if it’s true or not.”

Daiyu smiled lightly, and said: "The century-old mansion has long since disintegrated. Fortunately, people's lives have been preserved. The mansion and gardens are all belongings outside the body. It is a good thing to sell a huge amount of money and enter the treasury. It is not a pity." Originally, Rongguo Mansion It is the land that was built by imperial edict, and it will be taken back if no one assumes the title. The Grand View Garden was built for visiting relatives. Even if the house is not confiscated, it is difficult for Jia She to live in a room.

Seeing a trace of melancholy on Sister Feng's face, Daiyu invited Grand Concubine Nan'an and others to the table. Princess Nan'an did not refuse as she did when Jiamu celebrated her birthday, and did not leave until the end of the banquet. This is the case in every family.

After all the guests were sent away, Xichun also went home with Sister Feng. Daiyu was exhausted, so she went back to her room and lay down with her clothes on.

Wei Ruolan had already sent Jia Lian and Baoyu away. When she came back and saw her, she pushed her and said, "Get up and take off your big clothes. I have ordered people to boil hot water, put some things to put in, and soak in it to relieve fatigue."

Daiyu sat up and leaned against the big pillow, "I don't want to move."

Wei Ruolan smiled, held her hand, and said, "Wash together."

Wei Ruolan earlier ordered someone to dig a pond in the side room near the bedroom, and he could borrow a water tap from outside the room to fill it, so there was no need for maids to serve in it, and after pulling out the cork, the used water could be poured into the ditch outside the courtyard. Fearing that the jade would be cold, they embedded red sandalwood in the pool. Although it is not as good as Huaqing Pool, and it is difficult to attract hot spring water, the interior is spacious and bright, and it is several times stronger than the bathtubs commonly used at home.Hearing that the servant girl came to report that hot water, soap, clothes and other things were all ready, she picked up Daiyu and walked into the ear room.

When she came out after washing for more than half an hour, Daiyu gave Wei Ruolan a sideways glance. Wearing a red jacket, she let Wei Ruolan hold a big towel to wring her hair with her, and loosely tied a homely bun.

Turning around, Daiyu wrung out Wei Ruolan's hair again.

Wei Ruolan took out the things he had prepared long ago and gave them to Daiyu as a birthday present, needless to say in detail.