In Chunhui Hall, Zhang's mother took a few lists to report to the Zhu family: "The three Zhuangzi in the suburbs of Beijing have failed to harvest this year, 3,000 stone of rice, 70 pieces of green stem rice, 50 pieces of purple rice, 30 pieces of wild rice, 500 chickens and ducks and other livestock, three pockets of bear's paws, preserved chests, deer tendons, yellow lip gum, leopard fetuses, mink, wild boars, jackals, and geese...... There were also fifty sable skins, or seven thousand taels of silver, which was ten percent less than last year. Zhang's mother said that her voice was weak, pinching the list and rubbing it, her fingers were sweaty and astringent, and she couldn't move.

"Year, there is a lack and abundance, enough for the expenses of the house, this year is very good, there are twenty more sable skins than last year, leave a few left, and go back and let the tailor come home to make a few pieces," Zhu sipped slowly with a cup of tea.

These three Zhuangzi have been in arrears for two years in a row, and the Zhu family doesn't seem to care, and they don't want to check whether they are greedy for ink by the people below or they are lazy and lazy, or if the past few years have not been good, and the horizontal and vertical are enough.

The master's grandmother didn't care, and Zhang's mother's tense heartstrings were also loosened, and she took out a handkerchief and rubbed it twice on her fingertips while she should be with her, and then retreated.

Then Zhu instructed Mother Kong on the side to take out dozens of silk from the warehouse to make winter clothes, and as she was talking, she suddenly heard a crisp sound of ticking outside. Zhu waved away Mother Kong, got up and walked to the door, and saw Lin Qian carrying a golden frame into the door, and the ticking sound came from here.

Zhu was so frightened that he took two steps back from his heart, pointed to the frame and asked, "What is this?" ”

Lin Qian glanced at Zhu smugly, carried the Western clock to her, and said with a smile: "I haven't seen it, I also see it for the first time, and I said that it was for timing." ”

Only then did Zhu carefully take the Western clock from his hand, put it on the mahogany table, and looked at and touched it.

"The Shen family sent it, not only me, but also the Lu and Zhao families," Lin Qian stroked the outer frame of the carved golden peony, and the eagle beak pointer in the frame turned unhurriedly, "The southwest border is not very peaceful, this year's patrol was handed over to Mu Yun, according to the meaning of the saint, the errand of patrolling salt in Yangzhou should fall on me and Lu Zhao, if it is me, I am afraid I will have to go out for a while." ”

Zhu Shi withdrew his hand, vigilantly took the Western clock to the side, and said righteously: "You can't ask for this thing, the Shen family is the salt merchant in Yangzhou, can he give gifts for nothing?" I will ask you to do things in the future, although I don't understand the doorway of your officialdom, but I have also heard my father say that Yangzhou is a puddle of mud, you will be dragged down by them, and you will not be able to wash it clean by jumping into the Yellow River! ”

Lin Qian originally came to show off in front of his wife, and he didn't want to be poured a basin of cold water, he shook his beard and snorted coldly: "What do you know about officialdom as a woman?" Whether I should be charged or not, I don't know how to do it? Give it to you and you will take it, if you don't want it, someone else wants it! ”

"I'm not uncommon for anyone to give it to whomever they want!" Zhu Shi took the Western clock, threw it in Lin Qian's arms, pointed to the door and said angrily: "Go, send it to Suo Chunju, hum!" The dog bites Lu Dongbin, he doesn't know the hearts of good people, you go, you go quickly! ”

Lin Qian put a Western clock on the mahogany table, and the "bang" made Zhu shiver, and he sat back in the rose circle chair.

Lin Qian was also stunned, but he was still proud: "What's the matter, I love to let you go here, I won't let anyone there, just let you go here, you move it and try it!" ”

Zhu Shi glared at him, staring, she couldn't hold back a sneer, she pulled out a handkerchief to block, and still shouted: "Don't let me go here, return it quickly!" ”

Lin Qian also smiled, stretched out his hand and pulled the person over into his arms, patted her back and pressed her in shock, but his mouth was still full of words, "Yangzhou is indeed a puddle of mud, can I not understand your advice?" It's just that things in the officialdom can't be clean if you want to be clean, Hong Cheng, you remember, patrol the salt once, 30,000 taels of silver into the pocket, and the five or six corrupt officials who should be done can also be done easily, and the saint will also be rewarded, you don't know that the saint is also greedy for silver? But people are sensible. Look at Lu Zhongqing again, that is a ruthless character, he doesn't take a copper plate, and he plays a copy of dozens of officials from Zhixian to Zhizhou, do you say that these people, will the saint kill or not? In the end, what happened, he was framed and received the money, this official is clear enough, and he will be beheaded at noon! ”

Zhu Shi was stunned when he heard this, and he broke out of Lin Qian's arms and looked at him blankly, as if he was puzzled and as if he understood.

Lin Qianzhong hugged the person back into his arms, his chin rested on Zhu's concentric bun, and said earnestly: "Don't put your posture too high, otherwise people will be defensive of you, I came to say hello to you today, and the Shen family will also go to the old lady's birthday banquet in a few days, if they want to slap you up, don't throw face at others." ”

Zhu rubbed it in Lin Qianxin's mouth, which was regarded as a promise.

Out of this mansion, the Zhu family represents Lin Qian, and whoever she gives a good face is who Lin Qian gives a good face, especially in the face of those official wives, what face is right to whom, that is all particular.

"Qian'er Zheng'er told me that she didn't take Rong Jin to the last banquet, and she is almost in time, so you can take her to the birthday banquet in Chengfu this time," Lin Qian said.

Lin Qian has her own opinions, although she is not close to Rong Jin, as long as she is a daughter, she will be useful. Regardless of his concubine, he only hopes that every daughter will get married, so that he can give those two ignorant brothers a hand in the future.

Since he has spoken, what else does the Zhu family have to say, if he refuses, her husband thinks she is partial.

In fact, there is a difference between distance and proximity, even if Zhu's heart is biased no matter how many sage books he has read. If the son is not successful, he can only rely on his daughter in the future. Although she wants Rong Qing to enter the palace, she can choose to show up next year, and there may be any changes on the way, so it is best to prepare for both hands and find a good family for her daughter in advance.

If it comes to color, she thinks that she is not inferior to others, and she leads her out of the door, which is incomparable to many officials and nobles. But the last time she saw Rong Jin after she was dressed up a little, she had to admit that although Rong Jin and her mother were only born in a small jasper, this daughter was somehow so smart, and if she brought it out, she would definitely steal Rong Qing's limelight!

So at dinner, Zhu mentioned the birthday banquet of Mrs. Cheng, and said that Rong Jin was about to arrive, and it was okay to take him out to meet the scene, but the rules had to be stepped up these days.

Rong Jin's heart was full of joy, but when he caught a glimpse of Zhu's face, he could only suppress his joy and lightly thank him.

She remembered that at the last dinner table, Rong Zheng said that she had begged her father to let her bring her, although she knew that the eldest sister had her own purpose, she was still grateful, and after dinner, she followed Rong Zheng and thanked her.

"Since you know that I helped you, you don't play with Rong Qing less, you don't know what kind of person she is? You were stupid before, but you can't be stupid all the time," Rong Zheng raised his eyes and stared at her condescendingly.

Rong Jin raised her eyes, and the reddish lantern fire hit the eldest sister's pointed jaw, like an awl.

The eldest sister belittled her, saying that she was stupid too many times, like taking a knife and cutting her heart, she could bear it with two strokes, and she would be bloody after three or four strokes.

The night concealed Rong Jin's true emotions, and she gritted her teeth and replied: "Sister Xie, mention it," and she didn't want to stay for a moment, and hurried to the other side of the verandah like a stumbling under her feet.

If Rong Zheng's condescending reprimand falls on Rong Qing, she will definitely disdain it, because she is a concubine and enjoys the honor and favor that others do not have.

But Rong Jin lives in a low place, and he can't bear to be looked down upon anymore. With the hurtful words of the eldest sister, Rong Jin still favored Rong Qing in her heart.

"Rong Zheng is not good at speaking, fourth sister, don't go to your heart," came out at the end of the verandah, a man in a dark uniform, who was as faint as Zhu's, gradually emerged from the darkness, he was a little clumsy and sluggish when he walked, because his limbs were too long.

This is Lin Zhengze, the sister-in-law of the Lin family, who brought Rong Zheng back from Xujiaxiang at the beginning. After returning to the house, Rong Jin didn't recognize anyone, and when she encountered trouble, she asked for help, and then she gradually became familiar with the rules of the house, and she didn't dare to look for him.

"Big brother," Rong Jin's expression changed from worry to joy, and he stepped forward a few steps and almost rushed into his arms, but he paused in embarrassment, "You...... Did you hear what the eldest sister said? ”

"I didn't hear clearly," Masanori looked down, staring at his sister with inactive eyes.

In fact, he has been standing here for a long time, but the quarrel between sisters is not easy for him to mix, and he feels that he is not worthy of mixing. After all, an autumn boy failed three times, studied hard day and night without the slightest benefit, and in the end, his father had to spend thousands of taels of silver and face to get the eldest son of a seven-grade idle job, a nominal waste, even in front of his family.

"My brother has made Jin Wuwei's left division, and my sister hasn't congratulated you yet!"

"Not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning."

"Now that my brother has a position, do you still study at night?" Rong Jin's eyes blinked like stars.

Zhengzheng pinched the "Notes on the Four Books" with his hand behind his back, and he said, "Look, read some idle books." ”

Rong Jin let out a long sigh and winked at him playfully, "It turns out that Brother Zhengzheng can also read idle books, so have you watched "Dream Shadow"." ”

Regal shakes his head.

Rong Jin then introduced the idle books she had read over the years to Zhengzheng like a few treasures, and agreed to lend him her long-cherished "The Legend of the West Chamber" in a few days.

Zhengze smiled bitterly, in fact, he had never read idle books since he was a child, and everything he read was for the title of the gold list one day. But now he doesn't dare to look at it in front of people anymore, he is afraid that the people in the house will laugh at him: What's the use of reading books every day? Isn't it still that you can't even pass the Jinshi exam? So I had to take the book and read it on the brightly lit verandah.

When he was speechless, the expression on his face was gloomy, and this melancholy temperament was engraved in his bones. Rong Jin just looked at him, and felt sad for no reason, not only her, but the night breeze stopped blowing, and the lanterns on the porch also dimmed.

Rong Jin stood silently with him for a while, and then returned to the room with a few words of relief.