Chapter 249: Life and Death, Honor and Disgrace

There are thirteen people who are difficult to seal the marquis, and the Marquis Mengshan of Baoding ranks third. After that, Meng Shan guarded Liaodong for seven years, and when he returned, he had to be white, and he died not long after. Now the heir to the title of Marquis of Baoding is Meng Shan's son-in-law Meng Ying, although he does not have his father's ability to guard the army, but with the grace of his father, he is still cautious in dealing with people, and he is the in-law of the Zhang family, and the holy family is not bad. However, since the Chinese New Year, the compound of this mansion with three rooms and five gold-lacquered beast-faced tin ring gates has not been peaceful.

Early in the morning, Zhang Qing and her husband Meng Jun had just come back from asking for good morning from her parents-in-law, when she saw a young housekeeper's daughter-in-law running over in a panic. Seeing this scene, she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows and asked, "What's the matter?" ”

"Grandma, the third young master and the fifth young master are here again!" After the daughter-in-law curtsied, she sighed and said, "The two young masters are sitting in the flower hall in front of them, saying that if the old man doesn't give a word of approval, he won't leave, and he also left a lot of unpleasant words. They also said that the Meng family is the prince of the hairpin, if they don't care about the eldest lord, if they really can't help it, they have to go to the drum, and then maybe who will not have the face to ......"

"Say no more!"

Meng Jun, who was worried about his eldest uncle Meng Xian, who was still in the Jinyi Guard, was still thinking about the great turmoil in Qingzhou, and when he heard that the two cousins were actually coming to the door, his head suddenly exploded with a bang.

After snorting, he took a deep breath, and then instructed Zhang Qing beside him: "Those two little ones are unreasonable, I really don't bother to talk to them anymore, you go and persuade them again." In addition, Brother Chao and Brother Qi seem to be discussing something there for the matter of Qingzhou, you have to call them over when you are free, and tell them well. Alas, if I had known this, I should not have been quick to speak for a while, but should have gone straight to your grandmother. ”

"I understand, you can rest assured to go to the Governor's Mansion, there is me at home."

promised Meng Jun with a mouth, and sent him to the door again, and after turning around, Zhang Qing immediately lost his smile and replaced it with a dignified and cold face. She didn't go to the flower hall in front of her first, but went to the council hall to first order the housework that needed to be disposed of that day, and checked the important money accounts again, and then took the two girls to the flower hall. Sure enough, as soon as she entered the door, she saw the two brothers sitting on their chairs in a puff, and their gnashing expressions seemed as if someone owed them three or five hundred taels of silver.

Seeing that neither of them saw her, she coughed lightly. At this time, a few small servants standing next to them raised their heads and saw that the people who came hurriedly knelt down. And Meng Tao and Meng Fan also stood up immediately, and opened their mouths to call the second sister-in-law.

"You all go down." After retiring a few little guys, Zhang Qing looked at the two teenagers in front of him, and finally sighed hatefully, "I told you everything I should have said, why do you bother to make trouble here every day?" You don't know your second uncle's temper, after being reprimanded by the emperor last time, how can you talk again at this juncture? Your eldest brother has been inquiring about the news these days, and I heard that the uncle did not suffer from Jinyiwei, and waited until the news passed......"

"But who knows when the rumors will pass? Naturally, our brothers can wait for three years, five years, but my mother can't wait! Meng Tao interrupted Zhang Qing's words, and suddenly knelt down on his knees, "Sister-in-law, I beg you, you beg for mercy in front of the second uncle, let him think of a way again!" My fifth brother and I also learned that after my father was dismissed and questioned, my mother and fourth sister were actually kicked out of the Yamen of Shandong Dusi, or Brother Yue took them in, and now they are in a very bad situation there. ”

Meng Fan looked at his brother in everything, and hurriedly knelt down at this time and said: "Sister-in-law, the fourth sister sent the wind to Beijing and said that my mother's illness is just a day of delay, if she is allowed to go with hatred, how can we be worthy of her!" ”

Zhang Qing's face was already pale at this time, and seeing that the two brothers were begging for more, she had to sink her face and say, "Get up!" The boy has gold under his knees, and if your father knows about it, he will have to be reprimanded even when he comes out! Don't say that you are Brother Jun's cousin, even for the sake of the third brother, I won't stand idly by, but now...... Now is not the time. ”

Compared with Meng Ying and Meng Jun's father and son, Meng Tao and Meng Fan's brothers have always trusted Zhang Qing's sister-in-law, not only because she is a member of the Zhang family, but also because she is fair and has always had a trustworthy character. So, the two who came in a hurry were obediently pulled up by Zhang Qing one by one. When he sat back in the chair and listened to Zhang Qing's explanation, the two looked at each other, and the outspoken Meng Fan blurted out: "Doesn't that mean that Brother Yue is also in danger now?" ”

"You're right."

"What then!"

Meng Tao originally got along well with Zhang Yue, and deep down he faintly hoped that Zhang Yue could become his brother-in-law, and even his anxiety about his father was transferred to Zhang Yue a lot. After thinking about it, he couldn't sit still anymore, paced back and forth in the hall for a few steps, and smashed his fist with his fist: "The fourth sister also wrote a letter to say that this time thanks to the sister of the Du family to help take care of it, if Lord Du is really bad...... This world is really blind, why are good people always not rewarded! ”

Seeing that Meng Tao was so angry that he didn't choose to speak, Zhang Qing sighed in his heart, and comforted the two of them again. It was easy to persuade the two of them, and told them to be cautious in their words and deeds during their stay in Beijing, and it was best to go out less at home, and she personally sent them out of the Hanging Flower Gate. When the person was out of sight, she rubbed her temples wearily.

In the past, when Uncle Zhang Fu was there, he seemed to have confidence in everything, and sure enough, it was the backbone of all the Zhang family. If Zhang Fu was still in Beijing now, no matter how big the matter was, there would always be someone who would have an idea, and it would not be like this. Father Zhang Xin is not there, the second uncle Zhang You and the third uncle Zhang Zuo are not there, and Zhang Chao and Zhang Qi can't count on it. Husband Meng Jun is still responsible, but he is a junior after all, and his father-in-law Meng Ying can't even save his cousin, let alone other things!

"Big grandma!"

Hearing this call, Zhang Qing couldn't help but turn around. After looking at it, she saw a small guy kneeling outside the door at some point, and she followed Meng Jun out this morning, she couldn't help jumping in her heart, so she asked urgently: "What happened, why did the eldest young master send you back?" ”

"The eldest young master just heard a news in the Governor's Mansion, so he sent the little one back to Yu Ming's grandmother. I heard that the Governor's Office of the Five Armies had just agreed with the Ministry of War on the matter of changing the guard, and I heard that it was General Zhang Youzhang who was about to return to the DPRK to take up his post. ”

"Second uncle?"

Zhang Qing raised her eyebrows, but she was distracted for a moment. She grew up in Nanjing since she was a child, but Zhang You has been fighting everywhere, so she and this second uncle don't have a deep relationship, but after all, they are a family whose blood is thicker than water. Now that Zhang Fu is training in the Xuanfu, I don't know how long it will take to come back, if the second uncle Zhang You can come back, the Zhang family will at least have one more person in charge.

Nodding her head, she sent the man back, and she walked back thoughtfully. When she went to the small council hall and took care of the rest of the housework, she went back to Mrs. Baoding, and took a few girls and daughters-in-law to Zhang's house adjacent to Wu'an Hou's mansion in a sedan chair. As soon as she entered the second door, she felt that something was wrong with the atmosphere at home, and she didn't ask much after a while. When she came to Gu's upper room in the north courtyard, she found that several little girls under the corridor had a calm face, and she suddenly had a bad premonition in her heart.

The two little girls raised the curtains high, and as soon as she entered the house, she found that there were people sitting and standing in the room, her mother's second aunt and younger sister Li Yun were there, and Aunt Luo also took Zhang Yi to stand aside, but there was no trace of her grandmother. She hurriedly stepped forward to salute one by one, and when she was about to open her mouth to ask, Feng Shi sighed and said: "Qing'er, you came back just in time, the old lady suffered from the wind and cold last night, and now the doctor has just left, saying that she wants to recuperate for a few days." The old lady is still talking about you, you can go in and take a look. ”

Zhang Qing chuckled in her heart, smiled reluctantly, and hurried to the room. Gu's house has always been plainly cleaned, with a celadon vase on the high table in the corner, a few flowers that had just been folded down in the morning, and a variety of things on the treasure shelves. On the large rosewood bed against the wall, an ink painting tent hangs, and two girls are standing in front of them.

She stepped forward lightly, winked at the two of them, then sat down at the head of the bed, and called softly, "Grandmother, I have come to see you." ”

"Is it a sunny girl?" Gu Shi opened his eyes slightly, and when he saw that it was Zhang Qing, he smiled, "I'm old and useless, but I didn't cover the quilt last night, and as a result, I made such a scene." It is said that the year is more than half a hundred years old, and one year is less than one year, and I don't know if my old bones will last until the day your father comes back......"

"Grandmother, don't say that, Daddy will always come back, and you will definitely see that day!" Zhang Qing wiped her tears vigorously, and said with a smile, "I have good news for you, I heard that the second uncle is going to be transferred back from Jiaozhi, and he should serve in the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies in the future, and he will be able to serve you all the time when the time comes!" ”

"Really? It turns out that the second child can come back......" Gu Shi lost his mind for a moment, and his eyes revealed a deep loneliness, "Your second uncle has also been in that place for many years, if it wasn't for your father, he would have come back a long time ago...... He was born with a stubborn temper, and he was silent and didn't know how much he had shared for his family, but he was an iron-clad man. ”

Even though it was daylight, the room was still lit with bright candles, and the dim light reflected on Gu's gray hair, refracting a pale light that made people's hearts palpitate. Zhang Qing instinctively felt a sense of ominousness, but still persuaded a few words politely. Just as she wanted to persuade her grandmother to have a good rest, Gu suddenly said something again.

"This big family has never been able to treat everyone equally, among the three people in your father's generation, I naturally prefer your father, your second uncle is second, and your third uncle has always been a marginal person. It's the same in your generation, the long house, the second room and the third room are just a wheel, but I didn't expect it to be an exception for your third brother. Your fourth brother is smart, but his heart is too high, even if he inherits the family business in the future, he will have to help your third brother. Last night, the British Duchess sent Rong Shan over, and it is said that the recital of the King of Han has also arrived in front of the emperor, and the honor and disgrace of life and death may be in a thought......"