After the first snow in winter, the weather in Gusu became colder and colder, and it was approaching the New Year, and Jia Min was getting busier and busier here. She was worried that her husband and son were freezing, so she deliberately turned out the big hairy clothes for the two of them to wear, and sent Mr. Yuan's clothes over, and then called the next person, and gave a careful order, before she was slightly relieved.

Jia Min sat on the couch, wearing a silk red peony pattern narrow jacket, taking advantage of her black hair like clouds, phoenix eyes shining, more than in the past, the little servant who served Mr. Yuan hung his hands, stood honestly outside the screen, and listened to the soft voice of the wife inside asking: "How is the appetite of Mr. these days?" How much do you eat in a day? How long can you sleep at night? How many times have you woken up? ”

"Back to Mrs., the old man has a good appetite these days, and he can use a bowl of braised pork by himself. I slept well at night, but I only got up once in the past few days and nights, and then I fell asleep again. The little guy spoke very clearly, and told Mr. Yuan about his recent situation one by one.

Jia Min put his mind at ease, "Remember to let Mr. use two bowls of mutton soup every day, and also, he is old, you can't make him happy, so let him eat more meat, you should persuade him to use more vegetables." ”

"Yes, the little one has been noted."

"If there is anything wrong with Mr., I must report it to me immediately, and I must not delay."

"Yes."

"Alright, you can go down."

Some time ago, Old Man Yuan occasionally felt a cold, and he didn't take it seriously, he just asked someone to cook ginger tea and eat it, and he wanted to hide it from others. In the end, the little guy who was waiting around him didn't dare to wait slowly, so he secretly came and told Jia Min. Jia Min immediately sent a letter to Lin Ruhai, and invited the doctor back early, Lin Ruhai pressed the old man Yuan to see the doctor, and his son watched him lie in bed for ten days, and after drinking half a month's medicine, he let him go.

The old gentleman saw that he was getting older and older, and he followed them to Jiangnan again, so they couldn't help but be careless. You must know that the physical resistance of the elderly is getting weaker and weaker. Even if it is a small disease, if it is not treated in time, it may develop into a serious disease, and if you are not careful, it will kill you. Especially in winter and spring, it is most likely to cause various chronic diseases, so we must always be careful and careful.

The closer the year passes, the more strange the atmosphere in Jiangnan becomes, and there seems to be a nervous factor floating in the air. At the New Year's party, everyone is smiling. He became more and more cautious in his words and actions, especially towards Lin Ruhai's family, and his attitude was several times more attentive than before. And the cause of all this is an edict issued by Emperor Qixiang on the eighth day of the lunar month, he finally announced to the world, set up the seventh prince Ning Wang Xiao Jin as the crown prince, and set up a ceremony on the ninth day of the third month of the new year.

At that time, as early as two months ago, there was news that Qixiang was cold to all his sons. only recruited Xiao Jin into the palace, whether it was a court meeting or a meeting with courtiers, he took Xiao Jin with him, and even asked him to go to the Temple of Heaven to worship the heavens on his behalf. These are all telling the courtiers a piece of news, the crown prince must be Xiao Jin.

Even though he had known for a long time, Xiao Jin couldn't help but reddened his eyes on the day Emperor Qixiang issued his decree. For this day. He suffered for a long time. The court issued an order, and within a few days, the governors and governors of various provinces received a court record, but Lin Ruhai received a secret order. Jiao Jixun, the current governor of Liangjiang. The party attached itself to King Lu, privately intercepted the tax silver, and let Lin Ruhai investigate it in detail.

Lin Ruhai really didn't expect that King Lu was very powerful, and even the governor of Liangjiang was encircled. If it weren't for Emperor Qixiang's secret decree, he really hadn't found out about it, he always thought that Jiao Jixun was a royalist, a diehard loyalist of Emperor Qixiang.

Lin Ruhai arranged manpower here, but it was not something that could be verified in a moment. He easily got out of the government office and went home that day, and as soon as he entered the main courtyard, he saw that there were account books everywhere in the house, and Jia Min was frowning slightly to check the accounts. The two have been married for many years, and Lin Ruhai knew at first sight that his wife was in a very bad mood at the moment, "What's wrong?" But someone is playing tricks? "Well, it's normal, they are now in Jiangnan, the industry here, the accounts are quite clear, and the shopkeepers and village heads everywhere don't dare to fool people, after all, when Jia Min came, he had already packed up a group of people. But if you are far away, you dare not guarantee it. Especially outside the Guan, the more than ten Zhuangzi were originally the old property of the Lin family, and they have always been managed by Lin Hou's people, Jia Min and Lin Ruhai have never been there, and they have not been replaced in line with the principle that it is better to use raw than cooked.

In previous years, when they were in the capital, they began to look quite honest, and slowly, as if bullying them for being young and knowledgeable, the Zhuangzi outside the gate was affected from time to time, and the harvest was not as good as a year, and when they came to Jiangnan, it became even more Bengali. Last year, it was only one-third of what it was in previous years. Looking at his wife's appearance, I'm afraid it will be less this year.

Jia Min closed the account book casually and bent his lips, "The more you raise your courage, the more greedy your heart becomes." "Today, even a few places in the capital have been tempted, which really makes her sigh. If she hadn't seen it today, or had been lenient, then they would only have changed their lives one by one. calculated, it has only been a few years since their husband and wife cleaned up their family, and there will be another group of people with floating hearts.

Lin Ruhai sat down beside her casually and took Jia Min's hand to play, "What does Madam want to do?" ”

"Where are you going?" Jia Min did not answer the rhetorical question.

Lin Ruhai scratched his head, "It's not easy to do, Jiao Jixun is very cautious, and there is not much evidence to collect." ”

"Then I'll take a break here, and I'll talk about it when you're done." Jia Min was very crisp. If she wants to clean up people, she naturally wants to use a few people, but they are now lacking in skills. "Alas, there are still too few people in our hands who can use it."

Lin Ruhai hugged his wife and put his chin on Jia Min's shoulder, "No way, this has to be saved slowly." ”

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Mr. Xu's wife arrived and posted a message to me, saying that the eldest queen was going to set up wine. Jia Min received the post today, she thought about it and decided to go again. I have to see what kind of person this chief soldier's wife is, so that I can plan how to get along in the future.

Lin Ruhai lazily closed his eyes slightly, and even his voice was sleepy: "I also received it, saying that I went to their house to watch a play and eat wine the day after tomorrow." "Lin Ruhai is the most annoying to listen to dramas in his life, it is simply torture. But nowadays, there are a lot of people who love drama, from emperors to commoners, from white-haired old men to weeping children. In order not to look too different, Lin Ruhai had to look at it with a smile on his face, trying not to fall asleep. God knows, what's so nice about that kind of twisted and elongated singing, I can't understand it at all!

"I won't take Rui'er with me that day." Jia Min heard that Mr. Xu's wife had brought her son-in-law and daughter-in-law, but she still felt that it was safer to let her son stay at home.

Soon the day came, Jia Min instructed his son to take a good look at Mr. Yuan, who had been very awkward recently, and the little boy nodded obediently, "Don't worry, mother." I'm at home. ”

Jia Min rubbed her son's hair funny, "Then please Rui'er." ”

"Hmm." Although Lin Rui tried his best to make a serious face and want his mother to trust him more, the smile in his eyes really couldn't be suppressed at all, and it was clearly revealed.

"Madam, the master is here to pick you up." Lin Ruhai still went to the yamen today, and only got out near noon and rushed home to pick up his wife.

Jia Min came out in a bright red cloak. Take a warm sedan chair to the door first, Lin Ruhai has been waiting here for a long time, he sent his wife to the car, and he came up himself, there are deep folds between his eyebrows, and there is tiredness in his eyes.

Jia Min rubbed his temples for him distressedly, "No matter how busy you are, you have to pay attention to rest, when you are an iron man?" ”

Lin Ruhai smiled slightly and shook Jia Min's hand. "It's okay, you can't be busy for a while before the New Year, and it'll be fine after the New Year."

Jia Min said: "When you come to Xu's house in a while, you don't drink a lot." That's it. Three glasses of wine, what to say the master, be careful to reveal what should not be said, pit yourself. ”

Lin Ruhai hurriedly said. "Don't worry, don't worry, never drink more for your husband."

Outside the carriage, the head of the driver shouted at the livestock. It was as if he didn't hear the conversation between the husband and wife in the car behind him. Soon, he arrived at the door of Xu's house, Xu Zongbing stood at the door with two young people in their twenties to greet the guests, and when he saw Lin Ruhai getting off the car, he hurriedly took his son to greet him. After seeing the hustle and bustle on both sides, Mr. Xu introduced his two sisters-in-law to Lin Ruhai, "This is my eldest son Shuren and second son Shuqian, who came from my hometown and didn't understand anything, which made Lord Lin laugh." ”

Lin Ruhai looked at the two young men, their stature was medium, and their facial features were ordinary, but they saluted and answered calmly, and they were not nervous. From the son to the mother, it should be good to think that Mrs. Xu Zongbing. "Hey, Lord Xu is too modest, I see that the two sons are very good, and the tiger father has a dog! In the future, I'm afraid that the achievements will still be above the adults. ”

"I lend you good words." Xu Zongbing smiled very happily, even though he knew that Lin Ruhai was just a face, but the father didn't like to hear people praise his son. He beckoned, "Lord Lin, please." ”

"Lord Xu, please." Lin Ruhai returned the gift and was personally sent into the mansion by General Xu Bing. When Lin Ruhai sat down, he confessed his guilt and returned to the door.

Jia Min's car entered from the side door, changed the small sedan chair until it stopped in front of the Neiyi door, the little guys all retreated, and several daughters-in-law who were dressed very decently stepped forward to open the curtain, Jia Min helped the girl's hand and slowly came down, and met a woman of forty or forty, dressed in a silver mouse gown embroidered all over the silk, and took advantage of a purple, red and dark pattern horse-faced skirt, standing there with a smile on her eyebrows, and her voice was soft: "It's Mrs. Lin, please come inside." ”

Jia Min said with a smile: "Hello Mrs. Xu." ”

"It's cold outside, get inside." Mrs. Xu smiled very gently, directly took Jia Min's hand, entered together, and whispered as she walked: "Our aunt is from a small family, and the rules are poor. ”

Jia Min smiled: "It's all in the past, who remembers." ”

"And our kid, he is the youngest, it is inevitable that he will hurt a little more in the past, and it really makes me ashamed to have such a personality." Mrs. Xu lowered her head.

Jia Min hurriedly said: "Madam, don't say that, whose boy didn't fight twice when he was a child?" As the saying goes, if you don't fight, you don't know each other, let's worry and feel sorry for them here, they have long forgotten there, and they are like a good person. ”

"Who's to say it isn't." Mrs. Xu also smiled.

While talking, the two entered the house, and a warm fragrance came to their faces, and Governor Jiang's wife Yang smiled when she saw Jia Min: "Why did you get to the end today, you can be punished for wine in a while!" ”

When she spoke, the women sitting naturally echoed, and Jia Min smiled: "This is not good, I just saw Mrs. Xu today, and I was drunk, and people still treat me as an alcoholic, what should I do if I don't invite me to the door next time." ”

"She doesn't invite, I will." A crisp and tactful voice sounded, but it was a beautiful woman of twenty-seven or eight years old, who was the stepwife of the Qian Governor's Mansion who was disliked by Lin Ruhai in various ways. She smiled at Jia Min: "The plum blossoms in our home are blooming, although there are not a few famous plants, they are also fragrant, I will post it in a few days, you must come, you can't shirk it." ”

"Yo, the New Year. Who's family has nothing to do, you are in a hurry to invite guests before the end of the year, it can be seen that you are insincere. There is no need for Jia Min to reply, naturally someone took over the conversation, but it was Tu Shi, the wife of Jiangsu Xuezheng. This Tu family is said to have grown up in a scholarly family, but he was born with a straightforward temperament, and Jia Min has a good relationship with her.

Qian Zhifu's stepwife's surname is Mao, and many people in the wife circle of Jiangsu officialdom know what kind of character she is. is lower than the position of the prefect of Qian, so he has to avoid flattery. The wives of the governors, scholars, and political envoys did not talk to her much. So just now she talked to Jia Min by herself, and Tu immediately came out to help Jia Min block it, which can be regarded as a good sale with Jia Min, and then get closer to the relationship between the two families.

Mao was intercepted by Tu's words, but there was no trace of displeasure on his face, he still smiled with jealousy, and said very tactfully: "If you say so, then I will wrap the banquet in the first month." But don't go home, but stay in our house. ”

As soon as these words came out, the ladies, including the Yang family, were a little stiff on their faces. The idea of the Qian Governor's house is a mess. They have all heard a little, who wants to set foot in the Qian family. For a while, I couldn't continue to say this, and it was a little cold.

Jia Min leaned back and hugged the small cloisonné enamel hand stove in his arms. smiled and changed the topic directly: "Today, the sisters only came by themselves, didn't they bring a few daughters and sons from the family?" ”

Xu Zongbing's wife's maiden name is Xu, and she smiled and beckoned to her daughter when she heard this. "This is my youngest daughter, the fourth in the family of sisters, and her father named her Xu Yue."

Then he called his daughter, "Meet the ladies." ”

Xu Yue was born like her mother, not very beautiful, but she looks very likable. Especially the little girl is only thirteen or fourteen years old, she is still a Lori, with fair skin, bright eyes, and a smile on her face, which is comfortable to see.

Jia Min had already prepared, and after the Yang family and the Tu family pulled the little girl to finish speaking, they also called people to him, asked a few words cordially, and gave a gift. As for the daughter of Mr. Xu's concubine, the people present just didn't know.

In a small courtyard to the west of the backyard of Xu's house, Xu Pei was stomping his feet and scolding, and he was going to quarrel with the doorkeeper again. She finally stayed in the house for a long time, and Xu Zongbing favored her again, and when she made trouble, several mothers-in-law guarding the door hesitated a little. In particular, Xu Pei was making a fuss about dying or living, and cried loudly, "My aunt has served the master for more than ten years, and there are a few of our sisters and brothers, there is no credit and hard work, why did my wife rush to this dilapidated yard as soon as she came." "I completely forgot that her father threw her mother here.

"My younger brother is literary and romantic, and he is a disciple of Chen Shanchang, who doesn't praise him in Jiangsu, but his wife doesn't seem to see it, and he doesn't ask us to go out when there are guests at home, for fear that our sister and brother will embarrass her!" It's really a line of crying, a line of reading, when I was having a good time, a fifty-year-old grandmother came in, and she didn't smile on her face, and she looked very stereotyped. She stood up in the house and commanded directly, "The girl is sick, and she will not serve the girl to rest!" ”

Immediately, two stout daughters-in-law came up, lifted Xu Pei, pressed it on the bed in the middle, and took off their clothes neatly, leaving only the close-fitting clothes, covering the quilt, leaving no clothes and shoes, all of them were taken away, and then the door of the inner room was locked, and Xu Pei was allowed to quarrel in the inner room, but he didn't hear it. Wang's also handled it in the same way, but she was even more miserable, and Mama passed on the words of her wife, saying that it was close to the New Year, and she wanted to pray for her family in front of the Buddha, but she had guests to entertain, so she was replaced by Wang. Wang was also pressed in front of the Buddha by two mothers-in-law, reciting a scripture, swallowing his head, and picking up a Buddha bean. just knelt down and passed the New Year, and even Xu Pei was sent to the house for a New Year.

Throughout the New Year, Jia Min didn't see the Wang family and her children, it was always the Xu family who came out, and Xu Zongbing seemed to have forgotten that he had a concubine, two sons and a daughter.

After the first month, Xu and several wives in Jiangsu officialdom are familiar with each other, and often bring their daughters out to socialize, until the beginning of April, the prince has been on the throne for a month, and he gradually saw the rest of the children of Xu Zongbing.

The crown prince was newly established, and Emperor Qixiang was very happy, although he did not amnesty the world, but he also added Enke. Jiangsu's Gongyuan is in Suzhou Mansion, and for a time, Suzhou Mansion immediately became lively, with many students wearing shirts and scarves coming and going.

After Lin Ruhai's New Year, with the crown prince taking the throne, he seemed to be getting busier and busier, and often stayed in the yamen until almost nine o'clock before coming back. But the busier he is, the brighter his eyes become, and the whole person is full of energy.

Jia Min didn't want to ask him what he was busy with, the secret decree of the saint before, he had finished it, but he could hand it over. Since I couldn't ask, I had to care about my husband's diet and daily life, and often ordered the cook to cook and send it to the yamen. Thinking that in the past, it was the husband who worried about his food, but now the two of them are upside down. Alas, what a fortune!

On this day, after Jia Min's family affairs were sorted out, she was thinking about getting her husband something delicious to eat, so she heard the girl report, "Mrs., Mrs. Xu sent someone to post it." ”

Jia Min was surprised, "Didn't you get together two days ago?" While asking, he reached out and took the sticker, looked for it, and said that the spring was just right, and the two daughters of the family were blooming red, and invited her to come over to enjoy the flowers.

Jia Min played with the post, and her heart turned away, why did Xu invite her to come over? Just for the sake of cherry blossom viewing? This Xu's mind is delicate, the means are enough, and the temperament is even more rare considerate and smooth, only a few months after she arrived in Gusu, she is already very familiar with the top and bottom, and no one says that she is good. This alone is worth learning from Jia Min.

She was thinking about it, when the soft curtain of green embroidery thread on the door was raised, and Lin Ruhai walked in with a smile. Jia Min subconsciously looked up at the window, and saw that the sun was still hanging in the sky, so he said strangely: "What time is it, you are back?" ”

Lin Ruhai paced square steps, walked to the edge of the soft couch, and paralyzed directly, "After staying up for these few months, I finally have some eyebrows." He was lying on the couch now, and he felt that his bones were ringing, and he should have gotten up and moved, but he was so tired that he didn't even bother to lift a finger.

Jia Min originally wanted to ask a few more questions, but he didn't think that Lin Ruhai was so tired that almost as soon as he lay down on the soft couch, he snored. Jia Min waved her hand and asked the girls waiting in the house to go down, and took a thin quilt for her husband to cover.

Lin Ruhai slept until the moon was on the willow for a while, and then woke up with a touch on his stomach.

Jia Min originally thought that Lin Ruhai couldn't wake up today, she had finished washing up and was about to go to bed, but she got up, and her stomach was still growling.

Lin Ruhai held his stomach, "I'm starving, do you have a snack, let me pad two pieces." ”

Jia Min herself loves to eat dim sum, and Lin Rui is also a sweet tooth, so she has the most dim sum in this house. She got up and took a plum blossom heart box, put it in front of Lin Ruhai, and then went to the warm bucket to take tea and poured him a bowl.

"Just put on the mat first, I'll ask someone to set the meal." Jia Min put on her clothes again and went to call the girl who was waiting outside.

Waiting for dinner...... Uh, it's time to call for supper, Lin Ruhai drank a bowl of soup first, only two bites, killed three steamed buns, and then drank two bowls of porridge, only to feel that there was some food in his stomach, and he was no longer hungry.

In the end, it was night, it was not good to use it too much, so Lin Ruhai ate a full meal, and stopped using chopsticks. Cuizhu took people to pack up their things, fetched water again, and after washing Lin Ruhai, he retreated with people.

Lin Ruhai turned around the ground with his hands behind his back, and while eating, he was also sorting out his thoughts.

Jia Min didn't urge him, took the book by himself, and read it carefully under the lamp.

"Reading and writing less at night hurt my eyes." Lin Ruhai came back to his senses, walked to the bed in a few steps, snatched the book in Jia Min's hand and threw it aside, and climbed onto the bed himself, biting his ear with Jia Min in a small voice, "Qian Guangji, this kid, can't be out of it for a few days." There was a pride and joy in his voice.

Jia Min glanced at him, even if that Qian prefect was disgusting, he wouldn't be happy like this, right? She reached out and grabbed one of Lin Ruhai's ears, "You say, what did the person surnamed Qian do?" ”

"Ga ......" Lin Ruhai felt like he had been struck by lightning, "Wife, how do you know that he made a bad move?" "It's amazing, it's been suppressed a long time ago, and he didn't tell anyone?

Jia Min twisted it casually, took her husband's ouch as a lullaby, and chuckled: "I don't know him, but I know you very well!" (To be continued......)