Dressed properly, under Xiao Tao's resentful eyes, Minglan held Caihuan's hand and slowly crossed the threshold. Caihuan lowered her head and glanced at the pearl bracelets on Minglan's wrist. Each one was as big as a thumb and round.
Clear, bright and dazzling.(·~)
She was shocked, secretly thinking that the Gu family was really rich, with such big beads and beautiful shapes, even the Wang family could only have a few to set on her hairpins and bracelets. She didn't expect Minglan to get a whole bunch.
Just hang it casually on your wrist.
Before Caihuan finished thinking, the master and servant had arrived at the side hall of Jiaxi Residence. Next to the big red pillar were two dense emerald begonia trees. Even in the weather in March and April, there was a refreshing coolness.
, glass that is rarely seen in ordinary homes, is here made of whole pieces as window sash, as transparent as glass, making the entire hall very bright and clear.
Stepping into the hall, I saw the fifth old lady and her two daughters-in-law already sitting inside, and the maid was holding a tea tray to serve tea. Minglan went in with a smile, relaxed and said: "The fifth aunt is here, Minglan is here.
It’s too late, don’t be surprised.”
The fifth old lady was sitting upright, wearing a purple-red brocade embroidered with the Sea Water Ruyi Three Treasures pattern. She looked more wealthy and peaceful than the last time we met. After hearing this, she said lightly: "You are very busy today, don't blame my wife.
Just come and bother me."
Minglan smiled slightly and simply said: "How dare you." Then she turned around and said hello to the other two women in a gentle manner. Mrs. Yang and Mrs. Di both responded respectfully.
After the ceremony, the four of them all sat down. Mrs. Di Er was quite young, only twenty-six or seventeen years old. She was fair and beautiful, dignified and wealthy, with a smile on her face. Seeing that the atmosphere in the hall was a little cold, she said: "Say.
Come on, this is my first time back here? What a magnificent house! I originally thought that no one has lived in this house for a long time, and I am not sure how to clean it up! It seems that I have not seen much of the world!"
Minglan smiled modestly and said: "Not only the second sister-in-law thought so, but I also thought so. Later I found out that this place was originally under the care of the imperial supervisor. Although it has been uninhabited for many years, it has been repaired quite neatly, which saved us a lot of trouble."
trouble."
The fifth old lady's eyes flashed, and there seemed to be a slight disdain at the corner of her mouth, and she said politely: "Since the emperor's grace is so great, why are the furnishings in this room so simple? It is not good to look empty."
Seeing the move, Minglan lowered her head with a little embarrassment: "This is what your nephew meant. He said that after the manpower in various parts of the house is determined, it will not be too late to open the warehouse slowly, so as to avoid things happening in a hurry.
Wrong; I, I can’t refute him..."
Mrs. Di Er covered her mouth and chuckled: "Brother Ye is still the same temper! It really hasn't changed at all, I can't blame you."
Minglan joined in the fun and laughed a few times too, and the atmosphere in the hall became a little more harmonious for a while. Minglan glanced sideways at Mrs. Yang next to her, and saw that she still looked reserved, huddled aside to eat tea.
, and dare not say anything.
Minglan felt strange. Gu Tingyang was obviously the direct eldest son of the fifth house, so why...
After a few words of greeting, the fifth old lady always had a cold face. When she heard Minglan talking about the affairs in the mansion, she put down the tea cup and gently pressed the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief: "Since this mansion still needs so many decorations, you
Why didn't you send people to do it earlier? They just did useless things."
Minglan pretended to be confused and continued to smile modestly: "My nephew-in-law is very stupid and is afraid of making mistakes. Anyway, she is not in a hurry. She simply takes her time and finds out the person first before talking about other things." She was very curious about this person.
How does Obasan, who prides himself on being gentle, start a quarrel?
The fifth old lady's face darkened, and she clenched a hand into a fist on the table: "Do you know what I am doing today?"
"I came here to see my nephew-in-law. What else could I do for?" Minglan smiled very cutely.
The fifth old lady choked for a moment, and said in a strange tone: "I don't dare to take it! Brother Ye is so prosperous now, why would he still take my wife seriously? It's better if you don't step on her!"
Minglan smiled and used the tea lid to skim off the tea residue: "Auntie, you are joking again, what are you talking about? My niece doesn't understand. ~" She glanced sideways at the other two, but saw that the two sisters-in-law were moving very much in unison.
Lower your head and eat tea.
The fifth old lady took a breath, turned her face several times, and slapped her palms on the table: "Okay! Let me ask you, Brother Ye just insists on living in another house, and we don't dare to stop him.
, I was afraid that you, the young couple, would not have the right people to take care of the house and it would be difficult to manage such a big house, so I kindly gave you a few rooms to live in! It’s better for you, you just let it go for several months, and as soon as you walked in, you still
Within a few days, they were interrogating those old family members just like interrogating criminals!" As he said this, he snorted repeatedly.
Minglan looked at the actions of the fifth old lady with cold eyes and was not angry. To be honest, since the last time they had an argument, she found that the two old aunts of the Gu family had very interesting personalities.
The fourth old lady looks lively and loves to joke, but in fact she is very cautious and does not say a word when she is not supposed to talk. The fifth old lady looks elegant and elegant, but in fact she is impulsive and will ask others to provoke her if she doesn't like it.
, and immediately took action to export.
Sure enough, people cannot be judged by their appearance.
"I asked why? It turns out to be this." Minglan stopped playing with the tea bowl, just looked at the fifth old lady quietly, and suddenly said loudly, "Have everyone been called?"
"Everyone is here, madam." A respectful female voice sounded from outside.
"Please come in, everyone."
The apricot-yellow thin brocade curtain with carved bamboo pieces was gently opened.
Now, their expressions changed, and the four people looked at each other with different expressions. Xia He put down the curtain, took out a stack of paper from his sleeve, and handed it to Minglan respectfully.
After Minglan took it, she looked at it briefly, was slightly startled, and smiled secretly in her heart. Then she put away the paper, looked up at the four people with a half-smile, and said: "The fifth old lady responded so quickly, you just asked me this morning.
If so, aunt will be here right now."
The faces of the four mothers became even more serious, and the other three looked straight at Diao's mother, as if accusing her. In full view of everyone, Diao's mother's face turned purple, and her head almost dropped to her chest. Seeing this, the fifth old lady
She was very dissatisfied. She didn't expect Minglan to be so agile and call people over as she spoke. She actually had the attitude of confronting him in front of the court.
"What? Can't I ask?" the fifth old lady said loudly.
Minglan seemed to find it very interesting, and her voice was still sweet: "I just asked a few questions, why should aunt care so much? Just now, aunt said that these houses were given to me by my family, and now I can't even ask a few questions?"
"
The fifth old lady was even more furious and stood up: "If you only asked a few questions, I wouldn't say anything; but you asked me to get to the bottom of it, wishing to dig out all eight generations of their ancestors. Tell me, don't you believe us?!"
If so, just say it's okay and I'll take them away immediately without bothering you!"
Minglan continued to play dumb: "What's the point? What does it matter whether you believe it or not if you ask a few questions?"
"What do you have to question about this person who was given to you by your elders?!" The fifth old lady simply became rogue.
Minglan slowly put down the tea bowl, straightened her posture, and said respectfully to the fifth old lady: "Aunt, do you know, what is the first thing that the current emperor does after he ascends the throne? Hey... it is to ask the staff to make arrangements.
I received a performance appraisal of hundreds of officials in the past ten years.”
The fifth old lady was stunned and looked at Minglan. She didn't know what she meant. Minglan continued: "According to auntie's opinion, wouldn't it mean that the emperor cannot trust the late emperor if he is like this?"
"Nonsense! When did I say that?!" Mrs. Wu was startled, wondering why the topic had gone there. She was anxious for a moment and said loudly, "Don't blame me!" Minglan
He smiled happily: "But the officials were also left by the late emperor. The emperor still wants to inquire. Isn't that what aunt means?"
The fifth old lady bit her lip, her chest was rising and falling. Minglan smiled even brighter: "Oh, by the way, I heard Mr. Zhuang say that when the late emperor came to the throne, he also asked the officials to hand him over.
Are you going to evaluate the performance of hundreds of officials? Oh, maybe... Auntie feels that the late emperor cannot trust Emperor Wu? Oh, maybe Auntie doesn't mean this, could it be Fourth Uncle's intention?"
The fifth old lady's scalp was numb when she heard it, and she was shocked and scared. She didn't dare to be angry anymore, and quickly waved her hands and said: "Don't talk nonsense, I have no intention of doing this! ... Just ask, it's no big deal, I
, I didn’t say anything~! Just ask!”
Minglan knew that it was not good to go too far, so she gave up when she saw fit, then straightened her stance and said sternly: "Although I am a female prostitute, I also deeply feel that the late emperor and the current saint are extremely wise. The so-called supervision is to protect the clarity of political opinions."
, to protect the well-being of all people, the official department is evaluated every three years, and the performance is evaluated every five years, for the sake of the prosperity of heaven! Auntie, do you think so?"
——You have already talked about whether the emperor is wise or not. What else can the fifth old lady say? Of course she responded in reply, sweating profusely. Mrs. Di Er on the side also helped her mother-in-law to speak, and Minglan of course also said so.
Received with a smile.
The four women standing next to them looked at each other with vigilance in their eyes and lowered their heads.
Laughing again, Minglan felt that if she didn't stab Obasan again, she might come to disturb her nap next time, so she took out the stack of papers and said with a smile: "Since Auntie is here today, I have a problem.
Wherever I go, I hope Auntie will clear up my doubts."
Seeing Minglan change the subject, Mrs. Wu breathed a sigh of relief: "Niece-in-law, just say it."
Minglan's tone was still gentle, she pointed to the side and said with a smile: "Since this Diao mother followed her aunt into the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion, she has received five errands in total, including three months of kitchen shopping, and two months of makeup.
Purchasing hair oil, taking care of the backyard for half a year, working night duty at the courtyard for four months, and finally having the new girl to discipline her mother for five months. My niece-in-law found it strange that Diao’s mother didn’t do any of her errands for a full year.
?”
In order of oil and water levels, Diao’s mother slid from the heavy oil base all the way to Qingshui Yamen.
After saying these words, Mother Diao almost knelt down! The fifth old lady's face was also purple and black, and she looked embarrassed. She coughed a few times, but she didn't know how to say it, so she turned to look at her two daughters-in-law.
Mrs. Di Er quickly realized that something was wrong and said: "My brothers and sisters don't know. Diao's mother served her mother-in-law in the early years and suffered some hardships. Her health... was a little bad, so my mother-in-law sympathized with her..." She said this herself.
I can't go on anymore. I recommend a helper to Gu Tingye and his wife, but I recommend a sick man from the past?! Should I help or troublesome people?
Unexpectedly, Minglan actually nodded, as if she believed it: "I see! Fortunately, my niece-in-law asked, otherwise, asking Mother Diao to do that hard work, wouldn't it make her sicker?"
Diao's mother suddenly became anxious and said quickly: "Second Madam, please allow me to interrupt! I was indeed in poor health a few years ago, but I have recovered in recent years!"
Minglan waved her hand very magnanimously, pointed to the words on the paper, and said with a smile: "Mom, don't worry, I know your loyalty and good intentions, but judging from the years of these errands, mom, you are not in good health."
It has been more than ten years, but it only started to improve two years ago. We should take care of it more and don’t let outsiders say that our Gu family is not considerate of our servants!"
Diao's mother felt like she had coptis in her mouth and her forehead was sweating. The other three women all looked at Minglan secretly. They felt that although she was young, she was really capable. They couldn't help but feel panic in their hearts. They didn't expect this new lady to be so tough.
Minglan still had that gentle and gentle expression, and said in a very kind tone: "Auntie, look, you should ask more questions, right?"
The fifth old lady was furious, but she couldn't say a word, so she nodded with difficulty.
Ming Lanyan smiled at Yan Yan, turned her head, and fixed her eyes on Lai's mother. Lai's mother made her look panicked and said in a trembling voice: "Second Madam, what are your orders?"
Minglan picked up the tea bowl and slowly flipped the tea lid: "On a fine day, I made my aunt angry for no reason, which is unfair to say the least. I didn't hit or scold you, but I just asked a few words, aunt.
So he came to your door, saying, "I don't believe the Hou Mansion. Hey... you are all noble and decent, I really can't use it. If there is any trouble in the future, and someone comes to stand up for you, I won't use it either."
I'm the housekeeper." Her eyes always fell on Lai's mother, her eyes like needles.
Lai's mother felt her heart beating suddenly, but Minglan said again: "But yes, after all, I have served you for many years, so I feel sorry for you; Lai's mother..." Lai's mother was excited, and immediately stood respectfully, only listening to Ming Ming
Landao: "I have spoken to you twice today. Are you dissatisfied?"
Lai's mother quickly said: "Second Madam is training me, how dare I dissent?"
"You are an old man doing things, how can you be wrong?" Minglan's eyes were clear and her meaning was very clear.
Lai's mother gritted her teeth and said, "You are all an old slave who is confused. He dares to refute Madam just because you are old. You are guilty of the following!"
Minglan nodded with satisfaction: "Then tell me, am I wrong?"
Lai's mother quickly asserted: "Of course Madam is right, this old slave shouldn't do it!"
"That's not right." Minglan shook her head, "Even if the Lord is wrong, you shouldn't refute it in public." Everyone was stunned.
Minglan continued: "Especially the second time, you clearly know that I have just entered the door and my prestige is low at this time. It is the time to establish a reputation. Don't say that what I said is just some innocuous trivial things, it means that I am really wrong.
Well, you shouldn't refute me in front of many people, you should slowly persuade me afterwards! Sister-in-law, do you think so?"
Mrs. Di Er looked at Minglan with a rather profound expression and smiled: "My sister and I couldn't be more right."
Minglan put her hands on her hands and said with a smile: "I am reassured by your sister-in-law's words. It seems that Mrs. Tai will not come to discipline me."
The fifth old lady's face darkened, knowing that those words just now were actually meant for her. Firstly, she shouldn't have come to show her the first day as a director, and secondly, she was not her mother-in-law, so she was lecturing her nonsense!
At this time, suddenly there was a female noise outside. Minglan frowned, and Caihuan winked. Seeing the posture just now, she knew that Minglan was not easy to mess with, so she immediately went out spontaneously, turned around and came back and reported: "Madam, there is something going on outside.
...She is Miss Fengxian's girl, she wants to see you."
Everyone in the room had different expressions. Mrs. Yang looked at Minglan with a worried look, Mrs. Di looked calm, and Mrs. Fifth showed obvious expectations, as if she wanted to get things back together, with a look of expectation on her face.
Minglan looked at her funny, feeling that if she didn't ask that girl to come in, this Obasan would definitely have something to say, so she simply said: "Ask her to come in."
A girl of seventeen or eighteen years old came in. She had a pretty pink face and a slender waist. She looked up and knelt down in front of Minglan and said, "Greetings to Madam."
"Get up, tell me if you have anything to say, there are guests here."
The girl hesitated to speak, but seeing that Minglan had no intention of compromising, she had to say: "We girls know that Madam is busy, so we don't dare to disturb her. I thought that since Madam has already met everyone in the house, it's her turn.
We are girls, so she asked me to come and ask for an audience with Madam, so I can at least propose a cup of tea to Madam."
Minglan smiled and did not answer. Instead, she turned to the four mothers-in-law: "Moms, what do you think we should do about this matter?"
Lai's mother's forehead jumped. She didn't quite understand what Minglan meant. Before she could think clearly, Hua's mother next to her had already taken a step forward and yelled: "You are so rude, little girl! Madam's tea."
Is it possible to pay tribute casually? It requires the approval of the elders, the nod of the master, and the satisfaction of the wife. Can you just touch it and it's over?"
Minglan had a happy face and looked at Hua Mama with a smile. When Hua Mama saw this look, she straightened her chest and felt quite proud.
Seeing what the maid wanted to say, Tian's mother also figured it out. She immediately went over, grabbed her arm, and said loudly: "What is your girl's status now? A concubine is not a concubine, and intercourse does not count as intercourse.
How do you ask Madam to meet you, and what etiquette do you use to meet me? Stop talking nonsense, get down quickly, and wait for the master to say something!"
As he spoke, he pushed the maid out and asked Xia He to drag her out.
Minglan was very satisfied after seeing this, with a smile on her face: "This Fengxian girl was sent from outside, I can't say anything. Thanks to you, you have been my mother for many years, and you really know how to be polite and powerful!"
She didn't specify who it was, but her eyes only looked at the two mothers in the flower field. They both immediately looked grateful and humble.
According to ancient rules, people who go to Liangshan must submit their names. These four-room people belong to the transfer company. Before they can be trusted by the new owner, they have to show something, such as ability, determination, loyalty, etc. You can't just let the new owner trust you for no reason.
Reuse it; someone like Diao’s mother, who is in Cao’s camp and her heart is in Han, is the worst person to use.
The four mothers retreated. Minglan still smiled and asked the maid to have more tea and snacks, but the fifth old lady's face was very ugly. She could be said to be a complete failure today. She didn't catch anything and was ridiculed a lot. But she couldn't be angry, otherwise
She just thought that the emperor was not wise; how could the emperor be unwise, so she was the only one to shut up.
Minglan looked at her uncertain face and understood it in her heart: among the three sisters-in-law, only the fifth old lady was the original wife. She had children and a daughter, and her husband was well-known.
She is the second person to fill in a house, and the fourth old lady is not only filling in a house, but she also has only one daughter. To be honest, her waist is taller than the two of them.
Therefore, she often does things without planning.
The purpose of her provocation today was very simple. She was just dissatisfied with Gu Tingye's rising momentum, and wanted to overpower Minglan and take advantage of Minglan's faults to determine the Ningyuan Houfu's advantage over Gu Tingye and the right to make demands.
.
She couldn't understand this point, but just now the two mothers in Huatian saw it clearly.
Minglan and the Second Mrs. Di joined in the fun and joked for a while, and the fifth old lady and her group were about to leave. Before leaving, Minglan only whispered: "Auntie, Minglan has offended a lot today, please don't
Take it to your heart; just think about it, why are you the only one in the entire Ningyuan Hou Mansion?"
Even if old Obasan doesn't understand this sentence, I hope her two daughters-in-law can understand it.
On the way back, the fifth old lady was in the same car with her beloved second daughter-in-law as usual. She said angrily: "Huh! She still wants to provoke, your fourth aunt is useless, she doesn't want to see other people's faces, so she doesn't dare to come
! But your eldest aunt couldn't be more nice. Brother Ye clearly doesn't want to see her, so how can she have the nerve to talk about his wife! Of course I'm the only one here!"
Mrs. Di Er did not agree. The fact of who provoked whom was not important. What was important was that now Gu Tingye was more powerful and more helpful to his children... it was best not to offend him.
Mrs. Yang was alone in the little carriage at the back. The girl next to her said softly: "This new lady is so powerful. She made the old lady speechless with every word. This is the first time I have seen her, but...
It’s really refreshing.”
"Don't talk nonsense!" Mrs. Yang changed her cowardice and scolded her with a stern face, and said again, "You don't know how dangerous this new lady is today!" Seeing the confused look on the maid's face, she whispered: "Actually, mother-in-law
There is no good reason to seek bad luck, and there is not much reason that can be explained. What really matters is that the so-called parents in the world are all wrong, and the elders are at fault, and it is not easy for the younger generation to face criticism
. She is a little daughter-in-law who has just entered the house a few days ago. She starts jumping around and making noises with her aunt. No matter who is right or wrong, once word gets out, it will all be her fault!"
The maid whispered: "Oh, I understand. If Mrs. Ye Ye tolerated this matter, the old lady would have confirmed her mistake and had an excuse to talk about it; if Mrs. Ruo Ye refused to swallow her anger, she would argue with the old lady.
The last time, it was disrespectful and unfilial! Unfortunately, the new wife is also very smart, smiling all the time and not angry at all."
Mrs. Yang took a long breath, looked up at the roof of the car, and murmured to herself: "That person is really powerful, scheming..." Then she chuckled twice, "But that person is not
It’s so easy! When she heard that she was going to marry a concubine, she was so happy...hehe..."