In just a few days, Minglan had heard four or five different versions of the story about the mother-in-law’s misfortune during childbirth. (·~) Some said that Aunt Zou murdered the principal wife in order to strengthen the family, or some said that the uncle-in-law neglected the principal wife and caused the death.
Zhang was suffering from depression, and it was also said that the loyal servants left behind by Mrs. Zou secretly acted in secret because they were afraid that Zhang would threaten the position of the young master... Mr. Lingling, Minglan's face turned green after hearing this.
But generally speaking, public opinion favors the Zhang family.
At this time, we can see the role of family status and reputation. Half of the capital is the Zhang family's in-laws and old friends.
On one side is the family of the founding hero who has stood for generations, with outstanding military exploits and a reputation for giving alms and porridge regularly every year; on the other side is the nouveau riche who made his fortune from the harem and has not done many good things since he entered Beijing. The Zhang family is autistic and the little Zou family is qualified.
It's not enough. The bad things are not less than the Zou family's contribution. Minglan asked herself, what would ordinary people think when they first heard that there was a household dispute between the two families?
Gu Tingye told Minglan that the emperor had neglected the queen recently and reprimanded the first and second emperors for playing and neglecting their studies.
Minglan was surprised and said: "Hasn't the British Duke recovered from his illness and returned to the court? The emperor still refuses to give up. Could it be that the Zhang family..."
Although the emperor also took in several concubines, he thought of the couple in need and would go to the queen's palace from time to time. The relationship between the emperor and the empress was always good. Now they have been punished and demoted, and the little Zou family is still locked up.
, the relationship between Zhang and Uncle Shen has eased, how can we still...
Gu Tingye said: "That's not true. Regarding this matter, my husband has no intention of pursuing it. Instead, he advised the emperor not to worry about it."
After the British Duke went to court after he recovered from his illness, the emperor saw that the old man was hunched over and was more than ten years old. He couldn't help but feel guilty, so he planned to comfort him with a few words. Unexpectedly, the British Duke said: "Your Majesty is the lord of the world, so he wants to be open to the public."
The family fought bloody battles on the battlefield, and fought for their lives. Which of the sons would frown? Whenever His Majesty's wishes are directed, the sword of the veteran is pointed at it. This is the duty that the minister should fulfill. Not to mention the mere marriage of his children.
Your Majesty, please do not be disturbed by a woman’s crying.”
The emperor was very moved by the ironclad words of these words, and repeatedly said: "My love for you is the rock of the country, and I am lucky for you."
After returning to the palace after being moved, the emperor slowly came to his senses.
In the same marriage, the Zhang family was not happy, but they still fulfilled their obligations. A concubine, the daughter of a British official, was riding on his head, but the Zhang family did not complain and forced themselves to endure it. Why is this?
This is showing loyalty!
The Shen family is just the opposite.
It was the emperor's intention to marry the Zhang family, and it was the Shen family's intention to repay the Zou family. Now you and your brothers are always looking up to the little Zou family and treating the Zhang family lightly. What do you mean? Could it be that you are dissatisfied with the holy will and cannot openly disobey orders?
So take revenge privately?!
"...Old Duke, what a great skill..." After a while, Minglan said calmly.
Gu Tingye said: "Jiang is very old." Seeing that the British father looked like a loyal elder, kind and tolerant, he could say such sharp words. He directly raised the family affairs of his children to a matter of loyalty. This is not good.
Ignoring the queen and reprimanding the emperor were like a signal, and all the censors took action after hearing the news, and took part in Shen Congxing's "not cultivating private virtues, misbehaving internally, harming the rules of the concubines, and harming human ethics and etiquette." There was also a brilliant official who jumped over Shen Congxing.
, went directly to catch the pigtails of the in-laws of the uncle's house, and participated in more than a dozen of the Zou family's "seizing people's property and harming the people" and so on.
The sky over Weibei Hou Mansion was once again covered with dark clouds.
Gu Tingye frowned. He and Shen Duan, Zhong Geng and Liu were all former ministers of the emperor, and their honor and disgrace were closely related. This time, the group of officials participated in the performance fiercely, and there could be something fishy in it...
Just when the topic of the Shen and Zhang families was hotly discussed in the capital, Uncle Wang and Haishi returned to the capital. Haishi was holding a chubby baby boy in his arms, and it was Chun Geer who was born in Renzhang.
"Why hasn't Big Brother come yet?" Minglan looked left and right, but she couldn't see Changbai.
Haishi smiled: "The canal in the county will be healed in the next few days. Your eldest brother is worried and insists on seeing the seal with his own eyes. He asked me and your nephew to come back a few days earlier."
"I'm afraid of falling short if I work hard for a long time. It's great, Bai'er is so good." Sheng Hong felt proud, but refused to show any of it.
"Brother-in-law has made outstanding achievements this time. Not only has the people been safe, but he has also built dozens of miles of canals. I heard that the performance evaluation of the Ministry of Civil Affairs has been approved as 'excellent'." Gu Tingye said.
Minglan said happily: "Big brother is really amazing, then...will there be a Wanmin Umbrella?"
"Hey, those are just false reputations, not worth worrying about." Sheng Hong shook his head and said with a smile, "As an official, the most important thing is to be able to benefit the people of one place, to relieve worries for the talent at the top, and to relieve the difficulties of the people at the bottom, it is not in vain to be called a sage."
Minglan looked at her father in silence; it had been a long time since she heard such high-sounding and righteous words.
Then her mind automatically translated it into the truth: All people’s umbrellas are empty and there is nothing to worry about - this sentence is sincere, the following should be - for one term of office, the most important thing is to be able to do well in the examination and be promoted to the title. , if you can make a fortune and increase production, it will not be in vain for ten years of hard work.
Mrs. Wang was the happiest at this time. She just cried with joy over her brother whom she had not seen for a long time, and then she hugged her little Sun Le and blossomed. Unfortunately, within a few days, the limelight was snatched away.
On the fourth day of June, Mrs. Liu gave birth to a girl. She was a little unhappy because her first child was not a baby. Unexpectedly, Chang Feng liked her very much. She held her newborn daughter in her arms and praised her non-stop. Mrs. Liu, the mother-in-law, was completely moved.
Master Liu patted Chang Feng on the shoulder and said lovingly: "My dear son-in-law, please study hard and come back next spring to gain fame for your wife and children."
When the girl's eyebrows began to grow longer, everyone was shocked to realize that she looked very much like Hua Lan. She also had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and was heroic and generous. Even her temper was like that of Hua Lan when she was young. She didn't cry or make trouble, and she also liked to attack people. Smile, she is even more like Hua Lan than her biological daughter Zhuang Jieer.
At the baptism ceremony, Hua Lan was so fond of holding the baby that even Aunt Lin's old grudges were relieved a little. She gave Mrs. Liu two generous gifts in succession. Mrs. Wang couldn't help but feel displeased and made some sarcastic remarks. What's there to show off in a girl's film?
Old Mrs. Sheng saw that she was being petty again, so she said to her privately: "You just want to think about how her father was not like this when Hua Lan first came into the world. ~To be honest, I'm afraid he was even more disgraceful at that time. "
Wang Shimo. At that time, Sheng Hong loved Hua Lan so much that he could not bear to part with his babbling daughter and even carried her to the Yamen. Thinking of the beautiful time during their first marriage, she couldn't help but feel sad - what would have happened if there was no Aunt Lin. OK.
Seeing that Chang Feng gradually reconciled with Hua Lan, her aunt Mo Lan was left out in the cold. She only resented Liu's scheming and fawning, which caused discord between their brother and sister. She then had another quarrel with Chang Feng, and then left angrily. , and refused to take another look.
State affairs and family affairs seemed to be ebbing and flowing like this. When Minglan felt the fifth glutinous rice tooth emerging on the little fat gum, the "Shen Shen" in the court had come to an end.
The Zou family was in bad luck this time. Two people were found dead, and a lot of people's land was occupied. The censors kept saying that they wanted to kill people to pay for their lives. Uncle Shen Guo wanted to intercede again, but he heard that the clan government had detained him and reported it to the chief. After seeing the rules of the world, he hesitated.
Empress Shen originally went to the Empress Dowager Sheng'an to cry, but when the news came out that the emperor had intentionally stopped admonishing the palace, she suddenly realized that her husband was now a nine-five-year-old man, not the one he had when he was in the vassal land. The prince is here.
However, Empress Shen still had two brushes. As soon as she realized the seriousness of the situation, she immediately gave in. She took off her phoenix crown, took off her phoenix robe, and knelt in plain clothes at the gate of Qianqing Palace to apologize. She only said, "It is my concubine's fault that I am unable to control my mother's family." '.
In fact, the emperor missed the old relationship very much. After all, they had gone through it together. Seeing his wife crying like this and remembering the difficult times in those years, the emperor softened his heart and stayed at Kunning Palace that night. Then the British prince recommended two famous scholars in the world to be the second emperor. The emperor was pleased to accept the report and conferred the title of Taibao to the British Duke. The son of Zhang was granted the title of second-class Qingqi Captain.
The wind vane has turned again.
The result of the final compromise was that the eldest uncle of the Zou family fled three thousand miles to the southwest, the second uncle had 30 pieces of land, and more than half of the family property was confiscated as compensation. Uncle Shen was reprimanded by the imperial edict, fined a year's salary, and had to spend three days behind closed doors to reflect on his mistakes. moon.
During this period, Minglan visited Xiao Shen twice, and saw that she was also frightened like a frightened bird. Her belly was huge, but her body was extremely thin. Mrs. Zheng was very uneasy, fearing that it would be difficult to give birth in the future.
In this way, when the Zhang family's twins were full moon, the Zhang and Shen families planned to hold a grand full moon banquet to not only eliminate bad luck, but also boost their momentum, and at the same time show to the outside world that the two families had reconciled as before.
A few days before the Full Moon Wine, Mrs. Zhang invited Minglan to come to the house so that she could inquire about the trivial matters of the Full Moon Wine. The visitor paused and said, "Long time no see. My uncle is very concerned about Gu Hou." Two altars with flower carvings.
Gu Tingye smiled bitterly, turned around and said to Minglan: "Brother Shen is probably too bored at home. He was ordered to shut himself up and think about his mistakes, and not many old brothers come to visit. Forget it, I will go there with you today."
As the mistress of the Weibei Hou Mansion, Mrs. Zhang, who has been reclusive for a long time, decided to prepare the banquet alone this time to make her debut again. The drinks, meals, how to entertain guests and other tedious matters were guided by her mother, Mrs. Zhang. However, she was not familiar with any of the family members of Shen Congxing's brothers, so she asked Minglan to talk to them in advance.
Ming Lan talked about it one by one: what is the Duan family's background, Mrs. Duan comes from a famous family in Shu, General Duan is talking about marriage, Mrs. Zhong and Mrs. Geng have slightly different ideas on the issue of 'virtue', why do Mr. Liu Zhengjie's female relatives look so... Lao, not Mrs. Liu, but Mrs. Liu, don’t get me wrong, because she was born as a child bride, and the eighteen-year-old bride is three years old...
Mrs. Zhang wrote seriously, and occasionally made up a few sentences to talk about the past events in the capital, which seemed to have come and gone. Mrs. Zhang was born in a wealthy family and was accustomed to expressing private matters in a subtle way without revealing any trace; Minglan He was a master of Zhuang Lao, and he was also good at converting unheard things into allusions from scriptures. The two of them were matched in chess, and when they talked about something interesting, they couldn't help but smile at each other.
While they were talking, a woman came in from outside and said respectfully, "Madam, the Marquis is going to have wine with Mr. Gu, and he wants to bring out two jars of the bamboo leaves and greens sent from Japan earlier."
Zhang said: "The Marquis said that the wine will become more fragrant the longer it is stored. It has been buried underground in the warehouse. Please ask Mother Fan to ask someone to dig it up and be careful with the hoe so as not to break it."
The old woman blessed her and said, "The Marquis also said that he wanted to show Mr. Gu the newly acquired Longquan sword."
Mrs. Zhang said: "The Marquis needs to dance with his sword every morning, and he probably hangs it in my brother's room again. I'll ask someone to send it to him."
The old woman responded and went out.
Mrs. Zhang turned around and gave some instructions. Two maids took out a sword from the baby room next door and quickly walked out of the door. Mrs. Zhang turned around and saw Minglan looking at her quietly. She couldn't help but blush. Hua Zhaohua said, "That wine is pretty good. It's green in color, rich in aroma, and not overpowering at all. I'll take two jars back with you later."
Minglan said honestly and continued to look at her. She looked healthy and rosy. Although her brows were still slightly depressed, the past paleness and thinness had been replaced by a dignified and capable person.
Madam Zhang feigned anger and said, "Just say what you want, why are you staring at me like that!"
Minglan said: "It's nothing, but I think Uncle Guo's habit is really good. If a child is familiar with swords since he was a child, he will definitely become a little general in the future. It's really good, really good."
Mrs. Zhang glared angrily, and Minglan returned her innocent look. Mrs. Zhang soon lost her temper and said with a wry smile: "You are the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens. I'm afraid she won't be able to become a fairy in this mortal world."
On the fourth day after giving birth, the husband stepped into the house for the first time. The couple felt as if they had just died, exhausted physically and mentally. The two sat in silence for a long time, ignoring their mother's warning, and threw themselves into her husband's arms. I cried hard - I don't know whether I was crying about my helpless compromise or the fate of women in the world.
Minglan was silent for a while, "Yes, there are no real fairies in this world."
…
Coming out of Zhang's house, Minglan walked out calmly.
The short exchange between Mrs. Zhang and her mother-in-law just now revealed a lot of content - Shen Congxing now rests at Mr. Zhang's place every night, gets up in the morning and goes to the courtyard to do a sword dance, and then takes the sword to look at his son, coaxing him. While they were having fun, they casually hung the sword on the wall of the child's room. ~The husband and wife are harmonious and the father's love is deep. In this way, everyone is happy.
It is better to survive in smooth compromise than to wither and wither in arrogant persistence.
Minglan's mouth was bitter and she didn't know what she was feeling depressed about.
When I walked to a door with hanging flowers, I suddenly heard the quarrels and curses in front of me. It seemed that the voices were familiar. Po, who was leading the way next to Minglan, was a little embarrassed and said with a smile: "The front is a little dirty, let's go this way."
Minglan nodded, she didn't want to get into trouble.
As soon as I turned my heels, a group of people cheered and cheered. A young woman in disheveled clothes seemed to want to rush forward, but a group of maids behind her tried hard to stop her.
"...If any of you dare to stop me, I will die here...!" The young woman held a hairpin to her throat and shouted sternly, "I want to see the Marquis, and none of you are allowed to stop me! ...let go...let me go..."
Minglan took a closer look and saw that it was little Zou.
We can't blame her for her poor eyesight. In the past, little Zou always wore heavy makeup and couldn't see her true face clearly. But now, not only does her hair become messy and she is in a mess, the corners of her mouth are also broken, and there are two large purple patches on her originally delicate cheeks. The scar is a bit like the hard scar formed after a pimple pops. But Minglan knows that this should be the mark after the cheek was severely swollen and broken.
This is very ugly, and half of the face is ruined.
"Mrs. Gu...?" Little Zou finally recognized the person, and immediately rushed towards him, shouting loudly, "Mrs. Gu, please save my brother! They are going to kill him!"
Minglan's arms were so painful from being hooped, "It's just a move and a stick, why did it cost their lives?!"
"The miasma is everywhere in the southwest, and there is no need for human life..." Little Zou was about to continue, but Minglan quickly interrupted, "Aunt Zou must be careful, the Gu family and the Zou family are not related, so what should be done, where is the turn?
Gu family? If word spreads out, wouldn’t it make people laugh at the Gu family for being so selfless and ignorant of etiquette!"
Little Zou also realized that he was talking nonsense, so he pulled Minglan's arm and said: "...My Lord Marquis treats Lord Gu like a brother... Please Mrs. Gu, please say a few words for me!"
Cui Wei, who was following Minglan, tried her best to push Xiao Zou away, and all the ladies also pulled and pulled, but Xiao Zou grabbed Minglan's arm like pig iron, which actually hurt Minglan.
.
Little Zou was still holding the hairpin in one hand and waving it was very dangerous. Seeing that she was about to suffer disaster, Minglan quickly asked everyone to stop and said to little Zou: "Aunt Zou, do you still remember what I told you that day?
What about the story of the princess consort and her concubine?”
Little Zou was a little confused, and Minglan said, "I told you before that if anything happens, you will be the unlucky one. Why didn't you listen?!"
"But that day..."
Minglan said simply: "Stop that day. If you had the intention to give in, things wouldn't have ended like this."
Little Zou came to his senses and put her hand on Minglan's arm like a life-saving straw: "My sister used to be kind and took great pains to remind me. It is obvious that my sister cares about me. Now please..."
"You are wrong." Minglan interrupted again, "I am not doing it for you, but for the Shen family. Uncle Guo is an important minister of the country and is responsible for state affairs. But now for you, I am bothered with trivial matters at home all day long. For the Zou family, the three
Impeached every day."
Little Zou was speechless.
Minglan said with a straight face and no mercy, "Also, don't call me sister, you are the aunt of the Shen family, not the Gu family. If you are not good, there will be so many gossips spread, it will make me panic!"
Little Zou was furious, "You...!"
At this moment, Minglan saw the opportunity and pulled out her arm. Little Zou became angry and loosened her hold on the hairpin. The women around them rushed forward, grabbing the hairpin, twisting their arms, and hugging their legs.
Hugging his legs, he finally caught the person.
A woman in charge of dressing up said: "Aunt Zou, Mr. Hou has been so tired from you that he has been shutting up and thinking about it for three months. I say you should calm down for a while. Isn't this all-day commotion hurting us?" Several women took advantage of the chaos.
He also twisted little Zou's body several times.
"I won't go back! I won't go...you want to lock me up again..." Little Zou struggled crazily, raising her neck and crying sharply, "...Master Hou, Master Hou...are you worthy of my sister! My sister is
How much hardship have you endured... You shouldn't have done it even for her... I want to see eldest brother, eldest sister, come quickly, your aunt is about to be trampled to death!"
On the other side, Cui Wei rubbed Minglan's arm distressedly, and the women apologized repeatedly.
Minglan waved her hand gently and turned around in amusement and said: "Aunt Zou knows that the original approval document for uncle Guo's request to be established is about to come out, so the clan government has detained the matter. You
Do you really want to call eldest brother here? You have the honor to see him."
Little Zou suddenly became speechless.
Minglan sighed: "If your sister has a spirit underground and knows that her brothers and sisters are not good for her children, do you think she will blame you or my uncle?"
Little Zou slowed down her struggle, her eyes full of despair, and she slumped down, letting her mothers-in-law pull her in. Seeing that the people blocking the road finally walked away, Minglan walked out again. After taking a few steps, someone behind her The sad and sharp cry of little Zou came again——
"...Sister, it would be great if you were alive! There are no consciences in the world. Once someone leaves, the tea will get cold. Who will remember your friendship! If you weren't taking care of the queen mother, how could you have passed away at almost full term? How could your child lose his life?! Now that the Marquis has a new wife and a child, he has forgotten your grave and its desolation. Sister, why do you want to dig out your heart and lungs for the person named Shen... If you had saved your life, you would not be able to enjoy the glory and wealth you have now..."
The voice gradually became softer, thinking that the person who came was already far away.
Minglan's steps faltered for a moment, feeling as if she couldn't breathe.
Cui Wei saw that her expression was wrong and said softly: "Madam, do you feel unwell?"
The mother-in-law on the side also said very cleverly: "It's probably too hot, and Madam is overwhelmed by the heat. Why not go to the front pavilion to rest for a while. I will bring Madam an ice bowl."
Minglan felt her chest was filled with nausea and waved her hand, "No need, I'd better go home and rest."
When he was approaching the concierge, Gu Shun walked up a few steps and said, "Madam, the Marquis is still inside having wine with my uncle..."
Minglan said impatiently: "I'm going back first, you just wait for the Marquis."
Gu Shun saw that Minglan looked unhappy and didn't dare to ask any more questions. He just ran all the way to the front room and saw that Gu Tingye was still pushing cups and changing cups with Shen Congxing. It’s very hot and muggy, so I’ll go back first.”
Gu Tingye nodded and Gu Shun stepped back.
Shen Congxing heard a few words, pointed at him and said with a smile: "Look at what you are like now, you don't have half of the spirit of Gu Erlang back then! Nowadays, people say that Gu Hou and his wife go in and out together, no matter what When we go out for a drink, you have to send your wife back home, okay, okay, I know, Wenrou Township is the Tomb of Heroes..."
Gu Tingye was quite thick-skinned and said calmly: "If Mrs. Zou's sister-in-law is still here, I'm afraid Brother Shen will be the same."
Shen Congxing was silent for a while, and suddenly said sadly: "I can't help her. When she was alive, she never thought about my blessings. She was heartbroken and suffered a lot. But now...I...can't even think about her." Even my family can’t protect me!”
Gu Tingye picked up the large sapphire jug on the table and slowly poured wine for himself: "If you love someone, you can harm someone. If Brother Shen is really doing the best for the Zou family, he shouldn't indulge in it anymore. Now his life has been saved, but There will always be times when you can’t protect them.”
Shen Congxing was stunned: "How come I haven't tried to persuade them, but as long as they... mention your sister-in-law, there is nothing I can do."
"Brother Shen is becoming more polite." Gu Tingye picked up the wine glass with a sarcastic smile, "If you don't listen, you will be punished, if you don't listen, you will be beaten... Nowadays, the Zou family is not involved in production. Except for Brother Shen, there are Can anyone else rely on you?"
The color of the wine was as clear as a mountain spring. When he drank the wine slowly, he felt that the wine was fragrant and refreshing. After putting down the wine glass, he stared at Shen Congxing: "Brother Shen just now said that I no longer have Gu Erlang." But I want to say that since Brother Shen was granted the title of Marquis, he has become more and more cowardly. How can he still have the majesty of being the leader of the Five Tigers on the Sichuan border!"
As he spoke, he threw the wine glass heavily to the ground, making a short clear sound on the cold and hard blue brick floor.
Shen Congxing was quiet for a while, then slowly raised his head, "Since I came to Beijing, I have made mistakes everywhere and every step. Fortunately, you guys are the brothers and the emperor is considerate. Otherwise, I don't know how many times I would have died."
He picked up the wine glass in front of him, drank it up, and said in a deep voice, "After Aqin passed away, I failed to marry her sister as my wife. This was the first mistake I made. Since I couldn't marry her sister, I should treat her as my wife." My sister, find a good wife for her, but I took my sister-in-law as my concubine. This is my second mistake. From now on, every time I see the Zou family, I feel ashamed, ashamed, and unable to restrain them!"
After saying that, he slammed the wine glass to the ground, causing broken porcelain to scatter everywhere and leaving a white mark on the blue bricks.
Gu Tingye looked at him for a while, emptied the two soup bowls in front of him, and poured wine into them respectively, "Brother Shen, don't blame yourself too much. In my opinion, this was the plan of the Zou family. Based on this, it got worse. Now Brother Shen wants to understand Now, it’s easy to say anything.”
Shen Congxing raised the wine bowl and took a sip, frowning and saying, "I'm afraid the emperor is also angry with me now."
"Not necessarily." Gu Tingye picked up a chopstick and tapped the bowl lightly, "If it were just a matter of private residence, the emperor might not have the leisure to ask. This time, Mr. Zhang put the word "loyalty" on the table and said seriously Brother, you know that this is the time to use the Zhang family, but you still indulge in the inner house and don't take the holy will to heart at all, how can the emperor not be annoyed?"
Shen Congxing apologized: "I was negligent and failed the Holy One..."
Gu Tingye shook his wine bowl and said, "We in the capital are all people with no family background and no foundation..."
Before he finished speaking, Shen Congxing burst out laughing: "What do you mean, you have no family background and no foundation, you are a dignified prince..."
Gu Tingye shook his head and said: "It is better to have a family than to have no family, and it is better to have relatives than to have no relatives."
Shen Congxing knew the inside story of the Gu family and secretly felt sorry for him and said nothing more.
Gu Tingye continued: "Six years ago, Brother Duan came to the capital to submit a message to his distant relative An Guo Gong's mansion. Unexpectedly, he couldn't even get in. But now, who in An Guo Gong's mansion is not scrambling to curry favor with Brother Duan? We have risen through the ranks, and we have shown great success. What does the director rely on? It's just the emperor's trust." Maybe in ten or eight years, they will be able to establish their own business, but the foundation is still too weak now.
Shen Congxing nodded solemnly: "That's a good thing, brother. Isn't that why Old Taishan is willing to marry my family?"
"Not only... but also... in the future."
Shen and Gu looked at each other for a moment and knew each other's intentions - from the current point of view, the emperor was still satisfied with the emperor and the emperor.
"Then...what should I do in the future?" Shen Congxing poured a bowl of wine for Gu Tingye.
"No need to do anything."
Shen Congxing was stunned: "What did you say?"
Gu Tingye picked up two chopsticks and said, "Brother Shen looks dangerous this time, but he is actually safe. Firstly, the emperor still wants to use Brother Shen's, just for beating; secondly, the British government will not really look at Brother Shen." Something will happen, otherwise, not to mention that my daughter will have a hard time, if the emperor in the future..." The two of them knew what was going on and there was no need to say more.
"Therefore, Brother Shen really doesn't have to do anything now. He only needs to cultivate himself at home." Gu Tingye put down a chopstick first, "The emperor is a man of love. After all, Brother Shen has been with the emperor through thick and thin in his dormitory for more than ten years. As time goes by, the Emperor will surely remember the past, and will pity Brother Shen for being soft-hearted and being dragged down by the Zou family."
Besides, the emperor still wants to use you.
Shen Congxing nodded and whispered: "This time, the Queen is also hurt by me."
Gu Tingye put down his chopsticks again flatly, "The British Duke is a distinguished person. He has prestige, foundation, and connections, but lacks the trust of the new emperor. How can he be willing to break Brother Shen's arm? As long as Brother Shen clears the inner house, the people around him will be able to do it." The Zhang family will settle the matter."
Two chopsticks were placed parallel to each other on the table, and Gu Tingye placed a bowl upside down on the chopsticks, "This way, Brother Shen will be safe."
In fact, if Shen and Zhang are like a family, the emperor may not be happy, but if there is a falling out, the emperor will be angry and disrespectful. Shen Congxing marries a daughter of the Zhang family, which may seem good at first, but in fact it is a double-edged sword. When he first married Minglan, the emperor found out that he was just the concubine of a middle-level civil servant, which was both a pity and a relief.
Shen Congxing looked at the steady bowl and was silent for a long time, "Purge the inner house?"
Gu Tingye said quietly: "The reason why the Zhang family is as powerful as a rainbow is that it is upright and confident. Brother Shen is the first to deal with mistakes. How to make a decision? Brother Shen knows clearly?"
One is the wife of the wife granted by the imperial decree, and the other is just a concubine, but can control most of the uncle's house. If Mrs. Zhang wants to stand up for her daughter, she has some excuses, but she just tolerates it. Even inside and outside the capital, even the palace knows it. Aunt Zou was domineering and Uncle Shen was partial, which led to the incident. This was not a trick, but a conspiracy. The Zhang family wanted to tell everyone clearly that they cooperated with the emperor wholeheartedly and had no intention of half-heartedly taking responsibility.
Shen Congxing picked up the wine cup, his fingers were trembling slightly, and he said in a trembling voice: "When Aqin passed away, she just looked at me and didn't say anything. I know that she was only worried about the children..."
Gu Tingye said: "The eldest nephew is fine, he is a man after all; but the nieces will be married in the future."
As long as Aunt Zou is around, Mrs. Zhang will never be able to act as mother. When they get married in the future, only one Shen daughter will be raised by a concubine, and those well-matched and good families will have to stay away. And judging from Aunt Zou's behavior these days, From the looks of it, she does have bad conduct and how can she raise any good children.
It would be better to let Zhang take care of her from now on, and be able to come forward to negotiate for the girl in the future - a woman who can be angry with her husband for so long should essentially disdain those sneaky tricks.
Shen Congxing stood up and kept pacing around the room with his hands behind his back. He suddenly stopped and said in a deep voice, "I want to marry the Zou family and find a good family for her to marry."
You are in the first year of junior high school and I am in the fifteenth year. Who will say that he spoiled his concubines and destroyed his wife in the future? Many people will secretly speculate that the Zhang family is jealous and the Zhang family is too powerful to tolerate others. As for the Zou family, it is a matter of course. In his hands, just take good care of it from now on.
"Brother Shen, you should make your own decisions regarding family matters."
Gu Tingye took a sip of wine. The husband and wife were suspicious of each other and plotted against each other. The Shen and Zhang families were right. "If there are any motivated brothers in the Zou family, Brother Shen will teach them martial arts, which will comfort my sister-in-law's spirit in heaven."
After making this determination, Shen Congxing seemed to have drained all his strength and sat down in defeat.
Gu Tingye walked over slowly and whispered: "Listen to my brother, the Eighth Prince, he is already the emperor."
Shen Congxing looked sad - the emperor is now in the prime of life, and the little emperors are coming out one after another. No one can say what will happen in the future, so he really has to be careful.
"And we are not who we used to be." Gu Tingye stood up straight and sighed softly, "Old Geng is afraid of Yan Guan. Now he has to think about it three times every time he says something."
The eighth princess became the queen, and her husband was no longer a husband, but a king; Shen Congxing also became the uncle of the state, and the brother-in-law was no longer a brother-in-law, but a master. From the border to the capital, from the palace to the palace, the past grassland Brothers, we all hold great power now, and everyone must change their role.
Shen Congxing recalled sadly, "Do you still remember that year, a few of us went to the top of Qingya Mountain to have a drink..."
"It's still ten cents a bottle of bad wine."
"Haha, what kind of good wine can Zhengjie get?" Shen Congxing laughed.
"I was drunk all night, and when I woke up on the top of the mountain the next day, everyone had a splitting headache, but they refused to go home." Gu Tingye said with a smile, "Even brother Cheng Qian, who prides himself on being a man, did not dare to go back to see his mother-in-law. In the end, I ended up throwing punches."
"I'm unlucky, so I have to take you back to my house. When Aqin saw us in this state, he made a big pot of hangover soup."
Thinking of what happened that day, Gu Tingye still couldn't help but gasp: "My wife is so cruel, she asked my mother-in-law to twist our noses and drink it down one by one. To be honest, we all woke up from the burn."
"Yes...yes..." Shen Congxing murmured, recalling the deep love between husband and wife in the past, and suddenly choked up, "Aqin, why did you go so early..." As he said this, he fell at the desk and cried bitterly.
Gu Tingye put a hand on his shoulder and comforted him: "Brother Shen, be more open-minded. From now on, you and Mrs. Zhang will have a good life. As time goes by, your family will be happy..."
"No, never again." Shen Congxing shook his head sadly, "No one can deceive others about whether they are sincere or not; most good couples in the world just deceive themselves and others."
Gu Tingye stood there for a long time before moving - did he deceive himself?
The most intoxicating thing is drinking wine, and it didn't take long before Shen Congxing was completely drunk.
Gu Tingye slowly drove his horse back to his house. At this time, the sky was already dark, the wind was cold and the stars were sparse. The chill in his face had dissipated most of the smell of alcohol. He silently returned to the house, only to find that the house was pitch dark. He did not call anyone, so he started to light the fire himself. Light the candle.
"Why don't you light the lights?"
Minglan sat in front of the window, looking sideways at the sky, then slowly turned her head and said, "Master Hou, I need some food."
Gu Tingye shook his head and sat at the table with his arms propped up, looking at the dancing candlelight. A moth was shaking its trembling wings, weak but firm, slowly approaching the flames.
"Come here, let's... talk for a while."
Minglan nodded, moved to the table and sat down, "Okay, Lord Marquis, let's talk first."
The author has something to say:
It’s the most convulsive network in the world. I originally wrote Monday’s chapter in the afternoon, but I was so convulsed that I didn’t post it until I was about to go to bed. By this time, I had almost finished writing the second chapter.
In order to avoid suffering once, I simply posted the two chapters together.