The master and servant of the red note did not dare to carry the lantern, and went to the back garden by the path, and the red note quietly asked, "Is the old woman who guards the door done?" ”

"It's okay, it's the old Xia Pozi who is on duty today, Xia Pozi likes to drink a few sips, I gave her the money to let her drink, she was so happy, she said vigorously to let the slave take her to thank the girl for breaking the fee, saying that the girl can rest assured, it's dark, she stays at the door, she just had dinner this time, and no one goes near the back corner door in the garden."

"Be careful, don't let the intellectuals in that room go." Red Note is a little uneasy.

"Don't worry, master, the slaves and maids in that house are not outside."

"Tell the old Xia woman not to talk outside, fornicate with a foreign man, say it, let the young lady and the master know the way, and they will definitely be blamed."

"Mrs. Xia said, let the girl hurry up, don't delay, I'm afraid that someone will pass by and see it, and she won't be able to tell it all over her mouth."

The two said while walking, they didn't expect to follow Aunt Ying's master and servant not far behind, the red note master and servant walked to the back garden, looked at no one left and right, and ran to the northwest corner door, sure enough, there was no one there, the corner door was locked, and the red note said: "The old woman went there, why did the door lock, what did you tell her at the time?" ”

Yu'er looked around, but the old Xia Pozi didn't even have a shadow, and said strangely: "It's obviously said, why is the door locked." stepped forward, moved the copper lock on it, twisted it and turned it open, and said happily: "Girl, Mrs. Xia really didn't break her promise and kept the door." ”

Yu'er took off the lock, pushed the corner door, and with a 'squeak', the master and servant were startled, seeing that there was no movement around, and hurriedly slipped out of the corner.

Just look not far under the big tree, there is Wu Tanggui, Wu Tanggui was waiting a little anxiously, heard the door ringing, hurriedly greeted him, and said in a low voice: "Sister, for my brother, I thought you were not coming." “

The red note took the package in Yu'er's hand, handed it to him, and said, "There are a few clothes in it, worth a few dollars, pawned, and five taels of silver, that's all, there is a letter in it, give it to my brother." ”

Wu Tanggui was a little disappointed when he heard the five taels of silver, took it, and said, "Sister, I make money in business, I will definitely pay you back, and I will come to Beijing to see you in the future." ”

The two were close, and the red note saw his slightly disappointed eyes, and his tone was not affectionate, "You go quickly, if people can't see it." ”

Her cousin hurriedly took his leave.

Hongjian watched him walk away and followed Yu'er into the corner gate.

This scene was seen by Aunt Ying and Chunxiao, the two hid behind the tree, and waited for Hongjian and Yu'er to go away before coming out from behind the tree, Chunxiao said: "Do you want to tell the master, fornicating with a foreign man, if the master knows that Lu Dao can't spare her,." ”

Aunt Ying thought about it and shook her head, "Don't talk about it for the time being, I'll naturally say it when it's time to say it." ”

Wu House

Aunt Zhang hurriedly came out of the upper room, and Shen Wanzhu waited outside to greet her, "Auntie, how is it, did my father promise to give the silver?" ”

Aunt Zhang whispered, "Let's go, go to my house and say go." ”

The mother and daughter came to the small courtyard where Aunt Zhang lived, entered the house, beat the little girl out, covered the door, Aunt Zhang sat on the kang angrily, and said: "Your father wants to give you silver, but you can't stand your mother's sideg, I said from the east that she blocked me from the east, I said from the west, she blocked me from the west, and she was justified in both horizontal and vertical directions. ”

Shen Wanzhu was also deflated when she heard this, sat on the chair, and said angrily: "That's good, I'll take it out and take a look at my aunt, the clothes are often worn at home, and they are worn into the palace, and they don't make people laugh." ”

Aunt Zhang said: "You see the third girl marrying into the Bofu, you don't know how many times better than her, but not as good as her, if you don't enter the palace, the wife will not marry you to a good family, the aunt wants you to enter the palace, or you can fight, maybe you can mix up, even if you are a concubine, a concubine, an aunt can also raise her eyebrows, your brother will not fall into the name of the wife so far, but also the name of the concubine." ”

Shen Wanzhu lowered her head and fiddled with the corners of her clothes, "What should I do now?" Ming'er Everyone is dressed in gorgeous clothes, and I wear shabby clothes when I enter the palace alone, not to mention the jokes, even the palace stewards and eunuchs and grandmothers look down on them, so they can still get ahead. ”

When Aunt Zhang heard this, she became anxious, "How good is this, I will enter the palace at noon tomorrow, so I have to take out two peaches from the clothes that my wife bought for you." ”

Shen Wanzhu wilted and muttered, "I have to do this." "Stood up, went to her house with Aunt Zhang, and took out all the things that his wife had purchased, put them on the kang, and picked them up, none of them were agreeable.

Aunt Zhang weighed this piece with her hand, put it down, picked it up again, looked at it, put it down, and sighed, "This looks bright, and people who know the goods are not good materials at first glance, they are all parallel goods, that is, tell the master, the lord A big man can't tell the good from the bad, the wife will say that the material is bought in a big store in the capital, and my private money will be given to you, but it's too late to make the clothes." ”

The mother and daughter were both sitting, coughing and sighing, Shen Wanzhu was out of her mind for a long time, and suddenly said, "Auntie doesn't have a good thing to press the bottom of the box?" ”

Aunt Zhang said with annoyance: "Mrs. picks the money tightly, the master secretly gives you all the patches, there is some private money in hand, but my clothes are made by Shandong tailors, that is comparable to the capital, if you wear it out of the gang, it is the daughter of an official from afar, the capital is a number of famous ladies, crowding out outsiders." ”

Aunt Zhang suddenly clapped her hands and remembered, "Yes, the third girl doesn't have two good clothes, they don't go out of fashion when they enter the palace, they don't go out of style, you might as well borrow them to wear them." ”

Shen Wanzhu also remembered and said: "The third sister wore a tulle and crystal pearl shirt and a gold skirt woven by a hundred birds that day, saying that it was the wife's reward, and the wife's dowry, with these two things, there is nothing to worry about." ”

As soon as Aunt Zhang heard the spirit, she hurriedly grabbed Shen Wanzhu and left, "Go find the third girl to borrow it and wear it." ”

Shen Wanzhu became happy at this time, and said next to her aunt: "Thanks to my aunt for helping Zhang Luo, otherwise I would be alone in Beijing, and no one would stand up for me." ”

There was still a while before the family banquet, Shen Wanzhen rested in the west ear room of the upper room, Xiuju led Mama Yan in, Shen Wanzhen sat up from the couch, and said happily: "Mom is here." ”

Mama Yan stepped forward, knelt down respectfully and kowtowed to Shen Wanzhen three times, with tears in her eyes, "The old slave didn't expect to see the girl again, and he closed his eyes when he died." ”

Shen Wanzhen was busy embroidering chrysanthemums and Qiao Shan and said, "Help my mother up." ”

Xiuju moved a short pestle for Mama Yan to sit on, Mama Yan didn't sit alive or dead, "When people are old, they can't forget the rules, the master is also the master when he is young, and the slave is also a slave." ”

Shen Wanzhen was not reluctant, and after saying goodbye, Mama Yan sighed: "The girls are all married this time, the old slave can't follow the girl, take care of the girl." "There is a fixed number of Shen Wanzhen's maids and mothers-in-law to marry, two maids, two servants, the Ran family's leave, accounting for a sub-example, Shen Wanzhen is not good at asking for Yan's mother-in-law, and she is reluctant to be loyal to Yan's mother-in-law, so she thought about it: "Look at the opportunity to make it convenient for me and my wife to ask my mother to go over." ”

Mama Yan couldn't let go of the girl in her heart, so she lay on the ground and kowtowed, "The old slave just hopes to be able to serve the master, and has nothing else to ask for." ”

"The girl stared at her for a while, and the old slave didn't bother the girl." Mama Yan got up, walked out, walked to the door, and looked back lovingly.

Xiuju covered Shen Wanzhen with a futon, put down the tent, and tiptoed out.

After a while, the door was gently pushed open again, Shen Wanzhen was lying with her eyes closed, she heard the door ringing, she thought it was a few embroidered chrysanthemums, and she didn't open her eyes and asked, "What's the matter?" ”

"Girl, it's our mother." Shen Wanzhen opened her eyes, and through the tent, she saw Aunt Zhang's mother and daughter standing in front of her.

Hurriedly turned over and pulled the tent open, "Auntie, please sit down." He pulled Shen Wanzhu to sit on the bed, and Aunt Zhang sat on a chair.

"Auntie was tired all the way, didn't squint for a while?" When Shen Wanzhen lived in the same house with this mother and daughter, she rarely interacted, and Aunt Zhang was favored, and she didn't take her as a motherless concubine in her eyes.

"The five girls will enter the palace tomorrow, and there are no decent clothes, the five girls remembered the pearl shirt and the gold skirt woven by the birds that their aunt wore that day, and wanted to borrow it, but the five girls were afraid that their aunts and grandmothers would not borrow, so I said that when the three girls were at home, they would loosen their hands and not value money, and their sisters were affectionate, and their aunts would not be stingy with a piece of clothing.

Shen Wanzhen looked at her today, Shen Wanzhu smiled very close to her, she really looked like a sister, this sister has never regarded her as a sister, but if she doesn't borrow it, she seems to be stingy, she is saying that a dress is not worth anything, but she doesn't like to wear it, it is too eye-catching, she thinks, Shen Wanzhu is outstandingly dressed, it is not a good thing, she will become a target in the palace, when she said this, the mother and daughter couldn't listen to it, and the words came to her mouth and swallowed back.

Xiuju served tea, and Shen Wanzhen said, "Send someone to fetch my pearl shirt." ”

"And that white bird woven gold dress." Aunt Zhang raised her buttocks and hurriedly added.

"I'm sorry, auntie, that skirt was washed by the laundry room in the house." Shen Wanzhen smiled apologetically, and took the tea handed over by Xiuju in her hand.

Aunt Zhang and Shen Wanzhu looked at each other, probably thinking that she was reluctant to borrow, "Just wash it." Aunt Zhang smiled a little reluctantly, and Shen Wanzhu held the cup with an unnatural expression.

Seeing this, Xiuju knew that the two of them were careless, and said on the side: "The people in the laundry room have never seen this kind of skirt, and they can't wash it, so they wash it badly, and the master is benevolent, and he didn't let his subordinates pay compensation." ”

Shen Wanzhu sighed in her heart, and Aunt Zhang smiled and said, "It's good to have a shirt." ”

"Find a little guy and go back and let Feng'er find out, saying that there is an emergency." Shen Wanzhen instructed again, Xiuju was a little reluctant, Shen Wanzhen gave a look, and she went out slowly.

Wu's maid Su Lan was ordered by his wife to look for the three girls everywhere, and a mother-in-law pointed to the west ear room, "The third aunt and grandmother seem to be inside, and I see the two girls of the third girl's grandmother going in and out." ”

Su Lan walked quickly from the verandah of the west wing to the main room, walked to the door of the west ear room, and said loudly: "Is the third aunt and grandmother in the house?" ”

"Who? In. Shen Wanzhen's clear voice came from inside, Su Lan went in, and saw Shen Wanzhu's mother and daughter stunned, Shen Wanzhu's mother and daughter stood up and were about to leave, Aunt Zhang smiled and said: "Miss Su Lan is here, is there something wrong with the third aunt and grandmother?" The fifth girl and I won't bother. Aunt Zhang's mother and daughter saw that Shen Wanzhen sent someone back to the house to get it, but for a while, they couldn't come back, and they couldn't wait, so they had to say goodbye first and go out.

Su Lan looked at the backs of the two of them disappearing at the door, wondering what the two of them were doing, turned her head, and said to Shen Wanzhen: "Mrs. is looking for the third aunt and grandmother." ”

Shen Wanzhen went to the room with Su Lan, and the Wu family was alone, looking at Shen Wanyun's dowry, seeing Shen Wanzhen come in, opening the box and putting things in the same way, Shen Wanzhen was inconvenient to interfere, saluted, and stood aside, "Mother looking for me?" ”

Wu put the last piece of material into the box and closed the lid, "I heard that you have a girl named Feng'er, I want to come over, I don't know if you can make it convenient." "Aunt Zhang went to the room to find the master, and Wu temporarily made up a girl to say that she was optimistic about her husband in order to envelop her husband, but in fact, Mrs. Jin talked about it that day, and she hadn't mentioned it to Shen Wanzhen.

Shen Wanzhen didn't know when she fell in love with Feng'er, she went back to her parents' house last time to bring Feng'er here, Wu's eyes were poisonous enough, but Feng'er was good. People are clever and good-looking, but the Wu family has no shortage of maids, it must be for Master Shen, the next person is also a person, marrying someone is a lifelong thing, Shen Wanzhen doesn't want to take the maid to give favors, Feng'er is young, give Master Shen a room, and ask Feng'er if she is willing.

shirked and said: "My daughter is back to her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Feng'er is not the person who was sent over by my Shen family." ”

"Your mother-in-law won't say anything, don't worry that I won't treat her badly, you know that I am soft-hearted and treat my subordinates leniently."

Shen Wanzhen lowered her head and smiled without refuting.

The next day, at dusk, the family sent Shen Wanzhu to the car and rushed to the Shenwu Gate of the palace as a candidate.

The carriage walked away, and everyone turned around to leave, only Aunt Zhang was not at ease and looked in the direction where the carriage disappeared.

At this time, the two cars stopped in front of the Shen Mansion, and everyone saw that it was the carriage of the Bo Mansion, and a small servant stepped forward and saluted, "On the orders of the eldest young lady, take the second young lady back." ”

"Zhen'er, your mother-in-law's family is here to pick you up, so go back!" Master Shen spoke.

Shen Wanzhen knew that she couldn't hide, so she had to say goodbye to Master Shen and Wu, and took a few embroidered chrysanthemums to the car.

Shen Wanzhen sat in the carriage, looking at the carved wooden car wall, uneasy.

The closer I got to Bofu, the more uneasy I felt, and as soon as I got out of the car and entered the gate of Bofu, I met the third young lady Cao Shi on my back, and Cao Shi ate and smiled, "The second sister-in-law is back." ”。

"Brother and sister are going out?" Shen Wanzhen saw her smile darkly, and guessed that it must be the matter of her and Zhan Shaoting's round house, and it spread in the house.

"Go to the shop, the little couple will fight at the end of the bed." Cao Shi leaned closer to her ear and said, "Second sister-in-law, go back quickly, there is someone waiting for you in the house" said, giggling.

When the two stout mothers-in-law saw the master, they carried the soft sedan chair over, and Shen Wanzhen stepped into the sedan chair, only to feel that her legs were heavy and she was flustered.

Shen Xuanzhen bypassed the glazed wall, Feng'er saw it in the yard, so she ran over, a group of joy, and whispered closely: "The master has moved back, and the master has been waiting for the master in the house for a long time." ”

Shen Wanzhen looked at the palm lamp in the room, and there was a figure shaking in the window of Xinuan Pavilion, paused, took a deep breath, and walked in with her legs raised.

Qiushuang took the basin and came out of it, and saw her kneeling down busily, "The slave maid greets the young lady." ”

"Get up!" Shen Wanzhen said as she lifted the curtain and walked in.

Zhan Shaoting sat cross-legged on the kang, saw her enter the house, and asked, "Why did you come back?" Is your father-in-law okay? ”

Shen Wanzhen listened to him call her father-in-law to listen awkwardly, hummed, and stood in the middle of the Xinuan Pavilion.

"Sit down." Zhan Shaoting squinted at her and said in a commanding tone.

Shen Xuanzhen said to the embroidered chrysanthemums who followed: "You guys are going out." ”

A few people exited, and the autumn frost in the hall also followed, and the embroidered chrysanthemum gently closed the door, and Mrs. Qian was a little worried, looking at the dark sky, worried, sticking to the door panel and listening to the movement inside, and couldn't hear anything inside.

"What? Are you afraid that I will eat you? Zhan Shaoting was dissatisfied, and looked at her as unwilling to sit opposite him.

"The concubine has a few words to say." Shen Wanzhen said lightly.

"What do you want to say? Threaten me? Zhan Shaoting sneered and looked at her with a very disdainful look.

"The concubine told her mother-in-law that she wanted to become a nun, and there were many women in her backyard, and she didn't care about the concubine, and the concubine was physically and mentally strong." Shen Wanzhen said.

Zhan Shaoting grabbed the watermelon on the table and took a bite, stopping his movements in surprise, "What did you say?" You repeat. ”

"The concubine wants to become a nun, if it is really in the way of the face of the uncle, the concubine is in a secluded clean room here, eats fasting and recites the Buddha in the morning and evening, and leads the practice." Shen Wanzhen said patiently, the sound was as calm as the ancient well.

Zhan Shaoting put down the watermelon in his hand, grabbed the handkerchief on the table and wiped his hand, raised his head, looked at her deeply, and snorted coldly for a while, "I'm so annoying to you, I'd rather be a monk than share a bed with me." "Say it, look away angrily, don't want to look at the certainty on her face.

"Since the husband asked, I will tell the truth, when I first got married, the husband had a heart, but even if there was a little respect for the concubine, or the husband and wife had different dreams in the same bed, they respected each other like guests, and the concubine accepted her fate, but now it is too late, and the concubine is physically and mentally dead." Wanzhen said what she said from her heart, in ancient times, the two sides stayed together, and the unswerving love was extravagant, unless she was too poor to marry a daughter-in-law, and those with a solid family background were all wives and concubines in the same house, even if it was an ordinary family, the family background was average, as long as you could afford it, you would marry a concubine back.

"Father's order is hard to disobey." Zhan Shaoting may not know himself, but he just uses his father's life as an excuse, and deep in his heart, it is a man's possessiveness.

At this moment, Xiuju outside the door shouted into the house: "Master, young lady, Mother Ruan is here." ”

"Mother Ruan, please come in." Shen Wanzhen screamed, and with the slight sound of the door, there was the sound of grinding against each other when walking, but the footsteps were very slight.

Shen Xuanzhen walked to the opposite side of Zhan Shaoting and sat down across the kang table.

The sound of footsteps approached, and a corner of the indigo satin skirt was revealed under the half-cut curtain, and Zhan Shaoting was sitting.

The door curtain flickered, Ruan's mother walked in with a smile, stepped forward and saluted respectfully, "The old slave asks the master and the young lady to be safe." ”

"Mom, please take a seat." Shen Wanzhen pointed to the chair in front of the window.

"Embroider chrysanthemum, pour tea for mom." Shen Xuanzhen shouted outward.

Xiuju came in, walked to the square table, picked up the teapot, Ruan's mother hurriedly pressed her hand carrying the pot, "Girl, don't be busy, how can the old slave be so blind, pass a few words and leave." ”

Ruan's mother didn't sit down, took out a snow-white silk cloth from her arms, shook it off, and Shen Wanzhen saw that this silk cloth was dazzlingly white, and immediately understood, and her face couldn't help but blush.

Ruan's mother folded it again, walked over, and put it on the kang, the meaning was obvious, and the old face smiled like a blooming chrysanthemum, "Young lady, the old slave doesn't need to say much, the old slave will come and get it tomorrow morning." ”

"The old slave won't bother the master and the young lady, * a moment is worth a thousand gold." Say it, squat down and leave.

Zhan Shaoting saw this snow-white cloth and smiled, "What else do you have to say this time, don't round the house, how to explain to your mother, let go of your idea of becoming a monk first." ”

Shen Wanzhen didn't answer, her eyes stared at the mahogany square table under the window, on which there was a round and green watermelon to be cut, and a sharp long-handled knife lay next to it.

Shen Wanzhen walked over, grabbed the knife in her hand, and walked to the kang step by step, Zhan Shaoting couldn't sit still, so he moved in in fright, and his voice changed a little, "What are you going to do?" ”

"Want to stab your husband?"

Shen Wanzhen got closer and closer, Zhan Shaoting was so frightened that he jumped up suddenly, stood in the kang, pointed at her and said, "Murder is a capital crime." ”

Shen Wanzhen ignored him, calmly walked to the kang, lifted his sleeves, revealed the white wrist, his left hand clenched into a fist, his arm was raised, his right hand held a knife, the blade was aimed at his arm, pressed down, the cold light flashed, Shen Wanzhen's snow-white lotus arm showed a red line, and bright red blood gushed out in an instant, flowing along the scratched wound, 'tick tock' splashed on the snow-white silk cloth spread on the kang.

Zhan Shaoting's eyes widened in shock, and it took a long time to breathe a sigh of relief, sit down, and stare at the snow-white silk cloth stained red with blood, silent.

Looking up, I was surprised to see that Shen Wanzhen's arm was still bleeding, Shen Wanzhen's lips were pale, and the knife was thrown and pierced on the kang table in front of Zhan Shaoting.

I saw Shen Wanzhen open her middle clothes, tear them with her teeth, tear off a strip of cloth, wrap her arms around her neatly, and didn't look at him, and said indifferently: "Master can make a deal this time." ”

Then he turned to leave, and the sound of small footsteps went to the east, and then the sound of the door shut, and the latch of the door was inserted.

Zhan Shaoting stared at a stack of bright new brocade bedding on the kang, on which a big red satin was sprinkled with gold embroidered quilts, festive and auspicious, he turned his face to see the knife on the table, stretched out his hand to pull it out, the knife was deeply embedded in the mahogany table, and the line did not move.

Shen Wanzhen was lying on the kang in the east room, her arm ached faintly, she listened to the movement of the Xinuan Pavilion, put on her clothes and went to the ground, and looked at the West House through the crack in the door, the West House was already dark, thinking that Zhan Shaoting was probably resting.

Still a little uneasy, he walked to the windowsill again, and by the moonlight, he found a pair of scissors in the sewing basket and held it in his hand.

Walked back to the kang, put the scissors under the mattress, did not take off his clothes, lay down with his clothes, was very sleepy, and fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, there was a 'snap', Shen Wanzhen woke up, her heart was beating wildly, she saw that the room was gray and black, listened, there was no sound, probably because the wild cat outside the window touched something, Shen Wanzhen put her heart down and went back to sleep.

Aunt Ying got up early, put on a clean dress, changed the dirty clothes and pants, and wanted to wash it with the skirt, suddenly, she found that there was a red spot on the dirty pants, she took it and looked at it, there were dots of red on the dirty pants, and her heart suddenly touched her lower abdomen, nothing unusual, she wanted to be more careful, sat for a while, opened the tent, and shouted, "Chunxiao." ”

Chunxiao walked in, "The girl calls the slave maid, are you going to get up?" ”

Aunt Ying poked her head out of the tent, "When you go back to your grandfather today, you will say that I am a little unwell and want to ask the doctor to take a look." ”

Chunxiao agreed, so she tied the tent with silk hanging on both sides, hung it on a silver hook, and when Aunt Ying got up, she bent down to clean up the bed, rolled up Aunt Ying's changed clothes, and threw them into the basin, wanting the fat girl to take them to the laundry room to wash.

Aunt Ying tied the skirt and said, "The skirt that was washed last time in the laundry room has not been brought back, and it will be delayed for several days, so you can take it to the well to fetch water to wash." ”

Chunxiao was not very reluctant, but the master didn't dare to disobey his orders, so he took the basin, went to the edge of the well, carried a bucket of water, and squatted to scrub it.

Peony's girl Yu'er also came to the well early in the morning to fetch water, watching her wash her stuffy hair, her eyes staring at the dirty pants that Chunxiao was rubbing, and said: "The blood stains on the pants can't be cleaned, and they will leave marks." ”

Seeing Chunxiao squatting and only caring about washing, he didn't talk about it, and he left with a basin.