Early that morning, the old man of the Deng family wanted to lead his children and grandchildren to visit Su Tao, the magistrate of Jingzhou, and introduced his father, whose name was Confucian Su Zheng. All three of them were wearing brand-new clothes, and happily went out to mount their horses. Suddenly they heard "creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak, creak
"A few sounds, as if something was about to break, caused the few boys who followed them to look around. After waiting for a while, there was no movement, so everyone just pretended that nothing happened and drove their horses forward. After walking about twenty steps, only
He saw a large sycamore branch protruding from the high wall of Deng's house "plop" and fell down, just in front of Mr. Deng's horse. The old man was shocked, and the steward hurried forward to take a look. The branch was extremely thick and he didn't know how it fell.
Theoretically speaking, it should not be judged; if someone broke it off, not to mention that no one was seen, who would have such strong hands? The steward was puzzled. Mr. Deng sat on the horse and looked at it for a long time, but he could not figure it out, so he ordered
Move it to the roadside.
After walking forward for a while, someone ran out of the house again, shouting: "Old Master! Master! Something happened in the ancestral hall!"
Old Master Deng was shocked and reined in the horse's head: "What happened to the ancestral hall?"
The man ran out of breath: "Just now, a puff of white smoke suddenly appeared under the confession in the ancestral hall. The servants were so frightened that they couldn't move. After a while, the white smoke dissipated and they went forward to check carefully. There was nothing!"
Mr. Deng frowned: "Nothing?"
The man lowered his head and said, "The servants were all wondering if we were being deceived. There was a strange noise outside, and we were so frightened that we ran out to see what was going on, but there was nothing outside. When we returned to the ancestral hall, we saw the ancestral tablets.
It fell all over the floor. The boy who didn't go out said that he suddenly felt a chill on his back, and saw the signs suddenly falling down one by one, and he was so frightened that he ran out quickly."
Mr. Deng immediately turned his horse's head: "Go and have a look!"
Everyone then returned to Deng's house and went straight to the ancestral hall. No one dared to touch the tablet that fell on the ground. The servants guarding the ancestral hall only dared to kneel around it. Mr. Deng personally checked the tablet and found that it was not broken. I just didn't know that it had fallen down.
What was the reason? The old man hurriedly packed up the tablets and put them back. He also checked under the confession, and found that there was really no trace of them.
Master Deng questioned several slaves for a long time, and everyone said the same thing. White smoke was coming out from under the confession, there was a strange noise outside, and the tablet fell off by itself. He also checked the sycamore tree with the fallen branch, but he couldn't see anything.
Why did it break? There hasn't been any strong wind these days, so it shouldn't have been broken by the wind. The old man concentrated for a long time and felt unlucky. But he had already made an appointment with Su Tao, so he had to go. So he made some arrangements.
One or two, the three of them have already gone to Su's house.
When they arrived at the Su Mansion, Su Tao personally welcomed them into the hall and met Su Zheng. As expected, Su Zheng liked Deng Ming very much and had a pleasant conversation with Mr. Su. Seeing that everything was going well, Su Tao felt relieved.
He was also happy and brought up the marriage.
Su Zheng thought for a moment and said: "When my son left Beijing to go to work, he was first the magistrate of Licheng County, then transferred to Huzhou, and then moved to Jingzhou as an official. I was afraid that as an old man, I would be desolate in the middle of the capital all year round, leaving behind my big
Granddaughter. The child was raised in front of me. Brother Deng, with all due respect, she is not suitable to be the mistress of a wealthy family."
Everyone was shocked. Su Tao said first: "What did father say?"
Su Zheng said: "The eldest girl has a lively temperament and cannot be restrained. As a mother, she has to be in charge of the family, treat others, be mature and prudent, and be good at dancing. She doesn't know how to do that at all."
Before Su Tao could speak, Mr. Deng laughed first: "Why should I think it's a reason? Which girl in the family is not like this? When you are older, you will understand."
Su Tao hurriedly agreed: "That's right! Which woman didn't come from the little girl's house?"
Mr. Deng added: "No one is born to be the mistress of the house. They only learn from their elders. With Miss Su's intelligence, she learned it within three to five months."
Su Zheng shook his head: "I don't have to stop you. I like this kid Deng Ming very much, but..." He thought for a while, "It's not too late. Your female relatives haven't seen the eldest girl yet.
Why don’t we meet some other day and talk about it first?”
Su Tao was a little anxious: "Father, the eldest girl is the most lovable."
Su Zheng said: "Our eldest girl is naturally lovable. Mrs. Deng will also like her when she sees her. If you talk about Mrs. Deng, other female family members will also like her." Su Tao was a little confused and looked at him.
Su Zheng sat up straight and said, "That's it, let's meet first." He thought for a while, "Have the female family members in Jingzhou done anything to enjoy the flowers and watch the theater recently? Let the eldest girl go and join in the fun."
Su Tao and the three descendants of the Deng family looked at each other for a while, and then the old man Deng said: "In that case, I will ask my granddaughter to invite Miss Su to go out for a walk later." Su Zheng nodded.
The pleasant meeting between the in-laws and the family broke up on bad terms, and Su Tao and the Deng family were all in a bad mood. After sitting for a while, the Deng family took their leave. After sending them out, Su Tao came back and asked, "Father,
,don’t you like this child very much?”
Su Zheng said: "I like this child very much. Think about it, if Cheng'er could be our mistress, I wouldn't have made a reservation for her with the eldest grandson of Rongguo Mansion. Even if the child is younger, doesn't he still have a second wife?
The eldest grandchild? She is about the same age. She is used to being casual and cannot be a mistress. It is most suitable to find a second-born and third-born child, and leave everything to my sister-in-law to arrange everything, so that she can have a good time."
Su Tao said: "Who can live a lifetime of leisure?"
Su Zheng said: "Anyway, let the female family members of their family meet me first so as not to complain later." Although Su Tao felt uncomfortable, seeing his father's firm tone, he became a little more flexible.
He turned around and walked to the study. On the way, he saw his youngest son passing by with red eyes, saying that he wanted to go to the study to find an ancient book. Su Tao gave some instructions. The child looked at his father pitifully, with his face hanging down.
He left silently. Su Tao was suspicious, fearing that he had been bullied in some way, so he ordered the people following him to inquire. A boy immediately said: "I know!"
"What's up?"
"Um...that..."
Su Tao looked at him: "Say it quickly!"
The boy hesitated and recounted the gift given by the eldest lady yesterday. Finally he said: "The gift given to the two girls and the two young men is far worse than the gift given to the maid in the wife's house. I heard,
The third girl went to visit the eldest daughter yesterday and was extremely envious when she saw the decorations in her house! The eldest daughter was disgusted with her appearance and had no experience of the world, so she sent her away."
"Hiss——" Su Tao took a breath of air. Is the eldest girl such a personality? She was clearly elegant and generous when she went to Beijing to meet her in the past few years. He also knew that his parents and daughters lived a prosperous life in Beijing. It was not that Su Zheng had a high salary,
In fact, his three junior brothers who are famous all over the world are good at making money and respecting their husbands. His family and the Rongguo Mansion have been involved for a long time, and the decision to make this marriage is somewhat intended to win over the Deng family. If the Jia family has any intentions, the Chu State
It would be a good idea to help here. If the girl is so ignorant, I don't know if it will be too late to polish her at the last minute.
But at this moment, another boy said: "Sir, the eldest lady had something to say yesterday. It has been spread throughout the whole house, but now I'm afraid it has spread to the outside world."
"What words."
The boy then said exactly what Su Cheng said, "How dare I marry them?" and "The whole family will be killed." Finally, he said, "When I was waiting outside just now, I listened to the Deng family.
People say that something happened to their family this morning. A large branch fell out of thin air to prevent the old man, master, and uncle from going out. White smoke was emitting from the confessional in the ancestral hall, and the ancestral tablets fell all over the floor for no reason. Is it possible?
It's the ancestors of the Deng family who have appeared, so they shouldn't agree to the marriage."
Su Tao changed his face this time. He turned around and chewed on what his daughter said. He looked arrogant, but every word of it was true. Didn't King Yan's second son play the piano in the garden of the Su Mansion in the early years? She really can do it.
The crown prince's concubine; if she doesn't become the crown prince, she has no choice but to marry into a scholar's family. If the Deng family gets her, it will be like a three-year-old child passing through the market with money, fearing that the kings will covet her. This child's heart is like a bright mirror. He then thinks too much.
He asked: How could such a transparent daughter not understand etiquette? Could it be that she deliberately gave those gifts to her younger brother and younger sister, just to make the Deng family mistakenly think that she was not suitable to be a mistress? Thinking of this, Su Tao suddenly felt a little nervous
I felt bad: This marriage was decided in a bit of haste. I frowned, went to the study with my hands behind my back, and sat in a daze.
At night, he went to an aunt's room to rest. The aunt cried and complained that the gifts Su Cheng gave to him were not as good as those given to his servants. Su Tao wanted to be his daughter because he deliberately ruined his reputation. Hearing this, he said angrily: "Cheng'er again
I don't owe you anything! It's her business to give you what you want." She walked away with a puff of sleeves. The aunt was stunned and didn't come back to her senses for a long time.
Su Tao turned around and went to the Zhang family's courtyard. Zhang family had already prepared it. If Su Tao asked about the gifts Su Cheng gave yesterday, he would have said that the child was still young and ignorant, and he had no one in the capital these years.
Brothers, sisters, etc., then ordered people to buy some things outside and give them to them in the name of Su Cheng - anyway, Su Cheng gave her several large silver notes yesterday, and it felt really good to be rich. Who knew
Although Su Tao was worried about it, he never mentioned the incident. Until the two of them slept peacefully, Su Tao acted as if he didn't know anything about it. He mentioned that Su Cheng also liked her very much and praised the child as a lovable person. Mrs. Zhang
He was wondering, someone had obviously filed a complaint, right? Since he didn't mention it, Zhang didn't ask, so the money he had prepared to buy things was saved.
On the other side, the three descendants of the Deng family returned home. Before they could discuss what Su Zheng meant today, someone else came to report: "Old Master, Master, Master, it's not good!"
Mr. Deng put down the tea cup in his hand: "What's wrong!"
The man knelt down from a distance, fearing that he would be harmed by Chiyu: "Just now, someone came quickly to retaliate... to retaliate..."
Mr. Deng pointed at him: "Say!"
"The people guarding our ancestral graves heard someone crying in their dreams last night... I woke up this morning and took a look..."
Ancestral graves! Old man Deng stood up: "What did you see?"
"A large piece of grass died in front of the old lady's grave for no reason! It was still green yesterday."
"Boom!" Mr. Deng was so frightened that he fell down on his chair. He looked at each other with his children and grandchildren for a long time, and all three of them turned pale. No one said anything in the hall for a long time. A steward suddenly came forward and kowtowed: "Old man, my servant is here today.
I heard something outside...I don’t know whether I should report it to the old man."
Mr. Deng waved his hand: "It's whatever you say."
The steward then told what he heard about Su Cheng's fear of causing a lot of trouble for the Deng family. "When you guys are going out today, the branches and the movement in the ancestral hall seem to be unwilling to let you go.
Could it be that the temple in our house is really small and cannot accommodate such a big Bodhisattva?"
Old Master Deng took a breath slowly. He knew very well that the Heavenly Family has been ruthless and unjust since ancient times. The King of Chu was young and weak, so he was only busy wooing the Deng family and had no power to stop them from marrying a wife. But who
He doesn't know what it will be like in a few decades. As the eldest girl from the Su family said, if they don't have an army and only have so many servants, how can they defeat Western fire and guns? He suddenly remembered that he heard that Fan was a maritime merchant.
Everyone can buy Western firearms and guns, and Rongguo Mansion is a big businessman. If we can get married and buy firearms and guns through Rongguo Mansion, then what kind of money-making method does Miss Su have in her hands?
There’s no need to be afraid of King Chu, right? Several thoughts were running through the old man’s mind and he couldn’t make up his mind.
Then he discussed with his children and grandchildren. Deng Ming was also shocked. He thought he was just marrying a daughter-in-law, but he didn't know that this daughter-in-law would not only bring wealth, but also bring disaster. The king of Chu was in decline, so he didn't need to take it seriously.
The things that happened this morning seemed like a warning from our ancestors. The three of us frowned for a long time, but finally Master Deng said, "It won't be too late to discuss this after we see the girl tomorrow."
Originally, the Deng family wanted to see their grandson's daughter-in-law, so they asked Miss Deng to invite young ladies from various families in the city to come and enjoy the flowers, and Su Cheng could be among them. But now, what Miss Su said has spread throughout the city in the blink of an eye, and the Deng family has ancestors to warn them.
, I was worried for a while and didn't dare to invite her here easily. So I changed my approach and asked the Deng family's in-laws to ask a family named Wang to be the host. I just said that their wife invited the ladies from various families to enjoy the flowers, and by the way
I posted messages to both the Deng family and the Su family.
That day, the men of the Deng family didn't go anywhere, they just waited at home. They finally waited until the ladies and girls came back, and hurriedly pulled Mrs. Deng to ask. Mrs. Deng sighed softly and said to her man: "That girl,
It’s really a good look!”
Master Deng asked anxiously: "Who asked you what you look like? What's your temperament like?"
Mrs. Deng said: "I don't want to marry into our family."
Master Deng frowned: "How did you tell?"
"Her mother doesn't want to either." Mrs. Deng said, "The two of them are dressed up today..." She couldn't help but feel envious in her eyes, "They are like concubines and fairies. Everything they wear on their bodies and on their heads is of great value."
There are girls all over Liancheng and the garden...talking about girls so much that even the ladies of the houses can't hide their jealousy."
Mr. Deng disapproved and said, "Don't you want to dress more decently?"
Mrs. Deng lowered her head and said: "Even if our family is rich, how can we dare to dress like that? We are afraid of attracting people's attention, right?"
"Mr. Su is supported by the men of the Rongguo Mansion in Beijing. She is used to it. Anyway, if she marries into our family, she will naturally follow our family's rules."
Mrs. Deng whispered: "Is that why she doesn't want to marry?"
Mr. Deng waved his hand and said: "This is nothing. Is there anything else?"
"The two concubine girls in their family are dressed in ordinary clothes." Mrs. Deng said, "This shows that Miss Su has no intention of running the family fairly."
"Those born from a concubine are considered to be of a lower level than those born from a direct wife, so this is nothing."
Mrs. Deng felt that she was being compared to others, so she could only say: "That girl is so smart. If I marry her, I'm afraid I won't be as good as her."
Mr. Deng stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Wouldn't that be better? You also have a helping hand." Mrs. Deng glanced at him and shut up.