Although the Shen family is not an old family in the capital, as a family of eunuchs, the door is also one of the best in Chongshanfang, and there is an endless stream of cars and horses who come to give gifts every New Year's Festival. £∝ a top novel, but since Shen Cang's death and Shen Zhou's southward journey, he has been a little lonely. "People go to tea and cool", it is nothing more than that.

In the outer study, the chief housekeeper sat on a low stool, his face was a little ugly: "Second master, this time, the Mid-Autumn Festival gift list needs to be greatly changed......

Originally, the Shen family was a scholar of Shangshu, not to mention the annual salute of the subordinates of the ministry, even the palm prints of the other six Jiuqing Yamen also had many official exchanges, plus the Shen family was from Jiangnan, and the Beijing officials and foreign officials brought out by Su Song were also willing to cling to the Shen family's "hometown friendship"; Then there are the friends who Shen Cang and Shen Zhou brothers met all the way in the imperial examination, regardless of the level of official quality, and they wished to be "in the same year" and "same door" with the Shen family brothers.

"The same ya", "the same township", "the same door", "the same year", plus the old in-laws, the Shen family's relationship network can be seen.

Shen Cang is the head of the family, and before he died, he should have explained the interpersonal relationship of the Shen family to his heir or younger brother, but although Shen Rui is the heir, he is young and has a low seniority, but he is just a talent and fame; Shen Zhou is a foreign official, and whether he can return to Beijing in the future is still a matter of opinion. Although Shen Run has become a soldier, he is a lowly official, and his body is here, so he is not able to fight in his career, and his future is limited.

Like those who are attached to the Shen family, the relationship is faint, and some families who benefit each other need the same weight to maintain. After Shen Cang's death, the Shen family was not enough. Shen Cang also knew this place before his death, and he was not reluctant, so he transferred it to his sister-in-law Yang's family. In the end, he stayed in Shen Ruizhong, either because of his family, or as an in-law.

Shen Rui put down the two account books in his hand and said, "It's just expected." However, there are several in-laws, and this time there are only a lot more gifts than in previous years, and don't forget to increase them during the Mid-Autumn Festival. ”

The chief housekeeper sighed: "That's right, it's still the lord and the wife have a good vision, and there are many relatives, and they only have good friends with these families, and they also choose a good family for the second master and the eldest girl." ”

This year, there are many families who have reduced the New Year's gift or not given it, most of them are general friends in the officialdom, and there are two Yang families and Mao families who have increased.

The Yang family and the Shen family in Dali Temple are in-laws, and they have been mentioned a lot by the Yang family, and now when it is time to turn back and protect the Shen family, Shen Cang left his connections in the officialdom to his sister-in-law; The Yang family of the university scholar is Shen Ruiyue's family, and the Mao family of Zhuangyuan Mansion is Sister Yu's mother-in-law's family, these two families are the in-laws of the younger generation of the Shen family.

As for those who do not increase or decrease, regardless of whether it is due to human affection and reluctance to appear snobbish, or other reasons, they are finally kind.

The big housekeeper is already an old person, trembling and long, he has long been in a state of semi-glory, if it weren't for Shen Cang's death, he was worried that Shen Rui's uncle and nephew would not be able to support it, and he would not be able to support it.

Shen Rui couldn't bear it when he saw it, and pondered for a while and said: "There are not a few Zhuangzi left in the family, and Li Sheng will be useless to take care of that side again, so he will be transferred back to the mansion in the future and take over the beach in the hands of the second housekeeper." ”

The Shen family used to have a few Gyeonggi fields under their names, and later they married Sister Yu in two places and divided two places for the third master, and now there are only a few small villages in Gyeonggi fields left under the name of Xiao Changfang, which is also Shen Cang's arrangement. Broken into zero, there are more fields in the province that are an eyesore, after all, good fields in Gyeonggi are rare, and for the Shen family who lost Shen Cang, Datianzhuang may not be able to keep it.

Li Sheng is the son of the chief steward and one of the external stewards of the Shen family. Now Shen Rui sent a message to ask him to go back to the house to pick up the second housekeeper, which is to promise him to be a second housekeeper.

The chief housekeeper saw that his son's future was settled, and his face was also happy, so he hurriedly stood up and said, "Thank you for mentioning the second master, it's just that he is still young, and he has some experience, so he should learn from a certain good student." ”

The master and servant were talking, when they heard a little maid at the door say, "Second master, Second Master Ling is here." ”

Shen Rui got up and called for invitation, and the chief housekeeper also said goodbye.

While talking, Shen Ling came over with the little girl.

Seeing Shen Ling's gloomy face, Shen Rui wondered in his heart and said, "Second Brother Ling, what's wrong?" Did the He family not give face to the sixth brother yesterday? ”

Yesterday, Shen Li Xiumu wanted to take the two Shen Ling brothers to the He family, and Shen Rui heard Shen Li mention it two days ago, so he asked this question.

Shen Ling smiled bitterly: "Brother Six Clans went by himself, and he didn't take me to ......"

"Huh?" Shen Rui was very surprised, this was originally a matter of the third room, Shen Li just came forward to help say a few words, how could he take it all? Not to mention Shen Li, who has always been lukewarm to his relatives, even if Shen Hui is in Beijing, he will not be so enthusiastic.

"Shen Zhu's words are not inferior, which annoys the six clan brothers, and the six clan brothers are angry, and they don't even bring me. The brothers of the six clans said that the left and right only came forward this time, and the people with or without three rooms were the same. also said that if you don't take it as an example, the matter of the third room will not be in his ears in the future. Shen Ling drooped her shoulders and lost her strength when she spoke.

Shen Rui thought about Shen Zhu's temper, and didn't know how to persuade him, so he said: "What the sixth brother said is not wrong, you have to stand up by yourself, who can rely on whom for a lifetime ......"

Shen Ling diǎn diǎn head: "I know this is the truth." In the final analysis, it's all self-inflicted, greedy words. Since the separation of several elders, the old lady is eccentric, and the uncle has the lion's share, not to mention the dozen or so shops, seven or eight large and small Zhuangzi, thousands of hectares of fertile land, and it is enough to chew for several lifetimes. If you keep your business, where will you cause trouble? Is it greedy and insufficient, and I don't want to think about what confidence I have? How many people are worried that if it weren't for the surname Shen, the clan would have been swallowed up a long time ago...... It's hard to toss, and when the relatives are gone, it's not far from the broken home......"

Shen Ling has always been good-tempered, but the mud bodhisattva still has three points of fire. As the eldest son of the embarrassed family, it is not easy to come over step by step from being in charge of things in the shop to now, how much thought has been spent and how much care has been accompanied, so that he has a little dignity in front of these relatives. was ordered by her great-grandfather to go to Beijing, Shen Ling also really wanted to help, seeing that the clan relatives did not stand idly by, and the task was completed, but she didn't expect it to be the current situation, and she couldn't help complaining.

Although Shen Rui didn't like to act up and down in the three-room small long room, he didn't answer Shen Ling's words, and only listened silently.

However, Shen Ling herself was embarrassed to get up, sighed and said, "It's me who is verbose." I'm coming over today, it's to say goodbye to my aunt, I'll leave Beijing in a while, and I'll go over to my uncle and aunt in the fifth room, and you can ......help me accompany me when you go over."

"Why are you in such a hurry? Tomorrow is the holiday, and we have to leave after the festival......" Shen Rui said in surprise.

Shen Ling gritted his teeth and said: "It's not the living ancestor, he ran out after disobeying the six clan brothers yesterday, and he never came back, hindering the six clan brothers, and he didn't make much noise, so he only told the chief entourage to inquire around, and just now I got the letter, and I knew that he went to Tongzhou yesterday, and he had boarded the boat to return to Songjiang this morning...... He is the lifeblood of the old lady, regardless of whether he understands or not, since the old lady has ordered me to take him out, I will always send him back safely......"

Shen Rui looked out the window, it was already afternoon, Shen Ling went out of the city to Tongzhou today, and chartered a boat to go south overnight, if it went well, it would take three or two days to catch up with Shen Zhu.

Due to the tight time, Shen Rui didn't say much, and took Shen Ling directly to the backyard.

Xu Shi was surprised that Shen Ling was in a hurry, but after knowing the reason, he still said: "Since this is the case, you should really follow and see, although Shen Zhu is the crown, but he has never walked outside alone, and it is more reassuring to follow ......the past."

Shen Ling also asked if she would bring something to Shen Zhou here, and where would the Xu family follow it, but she didn't need to. The waterway from the capital to Nanjing is convenient, and it is convenient to send anything to the south.

Shen Ling came and went in a hurry, and after Shen Rui finished sending people off, he was called to the main room by the Xu family.

Xu frowned and said, "What the hell is going on?" What Shen Ling said vaguely just now, did Brother Li say something, or did he send a message to sweep their brother out of the house? He doesn't seem to have a temperament that is patient with his relatives. ”

In the end, it was an old man, and from Shen Ling's reluctance and trembling when she said goodbye, Xu saw something unusual.

Shen Rui heard it in Fang Cai's study.

Xu Shi listened, frowned slightly, and sighed for a while: "Brother Li'er's temperament, I really don't like this, now that I have spoken, I have also made a decision, and I will not interfere in clan affairs again, and in the future, the few houses in Beijing will be the scene of the past, and each family will take care of its own family, and it will become a plate of scattered sand......

Even if it has been several years in the Ming Dynasty, Shen Rui is still a modern person in his bones, and he has no sense of belonging to the clan, so he can't help but defend Shen Li, and said: "The Shen family has nine rooms, called clan relatives, but the inner and outer rooms have long been out of five rooms, but the patriarch has managed it well before, so that each room has not been divided...... A family is connected to a family, if you really look for the sixth brother for everything in the future, the sixth brother will have no time to think about anything else......"

The so-called relatives are relatives on the outside, and it is difficult to say what they are internally. Shen Li was embarrassed when he was a child, in addition to losing his father, it was mainly his cousins who took the property, so it was strange that he could get close to his clansmen. 、

A few years ago, the Shen family's Zongfang, Wufang, and Jiufang all had people in Beijing, and the second room had settled in the capital early, and it had already had a foundation, so that all the houses came to get close, and the relatives seemed to be warm, but in fact, there were also sayings between the houses. Not to mention others, it is Shen Hui of the clan, for Shen Li, a clan brother who is of the same age and outstanding everywhere, he is afraid of the relationship, for fear that he will envelop the clansmen and threaten the status of the clan. Therefore, knowing that the people in the ninth room had the intention to please Shen Li, Shen Hui did not come forward to make peace, but he was unwilling to let Shen Li help.

It wasn't until Shen Hui was released and lost control of the people in the capital that he remembered Shen Lilai. Thinking very well, when he was away, let Shen Li be the leader, cage the people of the capital clan, and carry the glory of the Shen clan. In that case, in addition to protecting the clansmen, they will inevitably become the strong reinforcements of the clan, plus they will be backed by the Prime Minister's Mansion, and Shen Li will be counted on Shen Li to return to Beijing in the future.

Obviously, Shen Li is not so selfless and doesn't play with him......