There was a click, and the door was locked from the outside.

Cheng Yingyu looked up, an old man with gray temples sat behind the bamboo curtain, unable to see his face clearly, but he seemed to be in poor health, leaning on the couch, and there were servants serving the medicine stove, decoction, spittock, etc.

There were no lights in the room, and the window sashes were covered with thick gauze paper, and even in the daytime, the daylight penetrated with difficulty, and finally fell to the empty glazed brick floor, leaving a thin and misty layer.

Ahem. Behind the curtain, the old man coughed.

"In the shopkeeper of the auspicious shop in Xiashengjing, Hua Er, I have seen the head of the Cao family in the first generation." Cheng Yingyu retracted his gaze and made a guest salute first, and as soon as the words fell, the echo reverberated in the room.

Shout. Her vest was covered with sweat.

Dimmy, cold, isolated. Where this small room is the medicine pavilion, it is simply a private prison.

"Lady Nan...... We didn't enter the wrong door......" Cheng Ying lowered her tone and glanced at Qin Nanxiang beside her.

Qin Nanxiang didn't speak, she bowed down quietly, I don't know if it was an illusion, the already dim light reflected on her face a little darker.

"Give her the medicine. And then let's get started, ahem. Cao You said in a rough and sullen voice, ignoring Cheng Ying.

Then the door to the inner room opened, and seven or eight old men with crutches walked in, standing in a circle around Qin Nanxiang, condescending, with a solemn face, and the corners of their eyes were hanging down.

Cheng Ying became uneasy.

But the elders ignored her, all the undercurrents were locked in Qin Nanxiang and left, a box and a bowl of soup were placed in front of the woman, and the sound of touching the brick floor made people feel worried.

Qin Nanxiang first opened the box and counted it in front of everyone, it was medicine, it was divided into daily doses, and after eating a basket, just a month, he had to go to Cao Mansion to get it.

"Ahem, drink it." Cao You waved his hand, and the eyes of several old men around him suddenly lit up, like a wolf in the night, staring at Qin Nanxiang to death.

Cheng Ying glanced at the bowl of soup and couldn't tell what it was, but just by the smell, her heart was beating in a hurry.

"Nan, Mrs. Nan...... Does this soup smell scary? Cheng Ying leaned over and said in a low voice, compared to the various abnormalities around him, Qin Nanxiang was very calm, I don't know if it has been like this for several years, and he is used to it.

Qin Nanxiang stretched out his pale fingertips, touched the decoction that night, and suddenly froze again, and turned his head to look at Cheng Yingyu: "Can the second girl go out and wait for the slave?" ”

"Madame, you don't need me to be there? If anything is against you, I'll ......" Cheng Yingyu rolled up her sleeves.

"No, the old rules, the slave knows it very well, and it will come out in half an hour." Qin Nanxiang shook his head slightly.

"Mrs. Nan, are you sure?" Cheng Yingyu always felt that her heart was very hanging.

"Hmm...... When the time comes, the slave will not look good...... I don't want you to see that, girl. Qin Nanxiang's eyelashes drooped, casting two dark shadows.

Cheng Ying's heart sank again. Because at that moment, Qin Nanxiang frowned, the first time she saw it, this woman would also frown.

Cheng Yingyu had to say goodbye, with a click, the door was locked again, and there was no sound inside, and the sun shone down at the door, like two worlds.

Cheng Yingyu waited restlessly, the medicine pavilion was full of people, seeking medical advice, so she caught a decoction boy, reported his name, and pretended to be fierce and vicious.

"Oh, it turned out to be a guest sponsored by Su Liulang, and it has been spread all over the house in the past few days." When the boy passed the words "auspicious paving flowers", the vigilance on his face quickly dissipated, "The thing the girl asked is not very secret, it is easy to say, every month, every year, everyone in the house knows it." ”

Cheng Ying was stunned. She was also surprised, with the identity of Nian Nujiao, how could Cao Fu give face so much. It turned out that her uncle and Nian Nujiao were together with Zhang Luo, and her uncle followed the head of the family, and Cao Fu really didn't dare to stop him.

So the boy spoke eloquently, telling a few words like a story, and Cheng Ying's hands and feet were cold.

"It's not fatal, it's just that in order to monitor whether Mrs. Nan is taking medicine obediently, every time Mrs. Nan comes to Cao's Mansion, she will pour a special soup, and after drinking it, Mrs. Nan will vomit desperately. Because I take medicine all year round, it seems that what I spit out, no matter what, will have a peculiar black color. If you don't follow it, you won't get that black color. The ancestors and elders confirmed with their own eyes that they were all very eye-catching. ”

Cheng Ying was shocked: "The thing that spit out is black, isn't the body ruined?" ”

"That medicine is not an ordinary medicine, I drink it every day, and after drinking it for so many years, my stomach is blackened!" The boy laughed.

Cheng Ying said with a cold face: "Why are you still laughing at such a bad behavior?" Don't learn well at a young age! ”

The boy shrugged his shoulders and said indifferently: "Mrs. Nan is the daughter of a prostitute, it is her honor to be able to contribute to the family in this way, how can it be called a bad practice!" ”

After that, the boy went to take care of the medicine stove, and before he had told a joke, the slaves who had heard it around him dispersed, complaining about the clichés.

At this time, there was a movement in the closed door of the small room, Cheng Yingyu immediately rushed up, kicked it open, and when he broke in, he saw Qin Nanxiang lying on the ground.

The woman's little face was terribly white, the sweat was sticky to the strands of hair sticking to the sideburns, the hairpin rings were scattered, the skirt was messy, obviously after a painful struggle, her weak eyes turned around, and when she saw Cheng Ying, she hurriedly struggled to wipe off the remaining filth from the corners of her lips.

And the elders of the Cao family, who are clubbed like heavenly soldiers and generals, are like looking at a woman looking at a kitten and a puppy, and there is satisfaction in their eyes, and they are also the kind of satisfaction that they have completed the task well.

There was a strange smell in the house, and there were things on the glazed tiles that had not had time to be wiped off, black and mixed with blood, bright red, and shocking (Note 1).

The beautiful woman of the southern country who used to smile and smile gently was so embarrassed that she completely lost her personal appearance.

"Very good, you all drink medicine obediently. Take the new medicine back, and conceive an heir for the Qian family as soon as possible, otherwise you will know the end. ”

Cao You left a gloomy sentence, then retreated with the support of the slave, and faintly heard: "The old man asked Xili to greet her in person today, did Xili do it?" In case she gives birth to an heir one day, she will be the mother of the Qian family, if she is angry with my Cao family's actions today, she will still be able to take care of the brother and sister who cherishes the gift at that time...... Over the years, Xili has done a good job in front of people, and the people have praised her, if she dares to turn this article in the future, heh, she will be spurned by the world first......"

Everyone in the Cao family left one after another, their backs were cut off in the dim light and shadow, but the words that echoed in the room were still cold and lasted for a long time.

It turned out that Cao Xili personally greeted him, which was pretended, or deliberately designed, a move.

And he didn't shy away from saying it in front of Qin Nanxiang at all, and he deliberately let her hear it clearly, this move was already dressed in the skin of the people's heart, and it was considered her dead.

"Mrs. Nan, you, how are you?" Cheng Yingyu rushed over and helped Qin Nanxiang to get up, her voice trembling.

Qin Nanxiang didn't look up, and quickly wiped his stained face, as if he didn't want Cheng Yingyu to see this appearance, but said in a low voice: "It's okay...... It's like this every month, just go back and rest...... Second girl, don't look at the slave ......"

"What kind of elixir is that!" Cheng Yingyu poured a cup of warm water for Qin Nanxiang.

"Medicine for conception." Qin Nanxiang sipped warm water, and his breathing was slightly smooth, "It's a pity, no matter how much you drink, let alone your stomach, everyone is black, and slaves are not so easy to conceive......"

Cheng Ying was taken aback: "Yes, I'm sorry." Am I asking what I shouldn't have asked? ”

"The slave used to be the maid of the Cao Mansion, serving the aunt Cao Xi, the girl Cao. The girl used to be a good person, but after being locked up by the head of the family for three years and released, things were not quite right. Beat and scolded the slave, all kinds of means, the slave's body has not been good since then. ”

Qin Nanxiang replied seemingly calmly, but he stroked his lower abdomen with his hand, and his fingertips trembled like a chill.

"What does the Cao family know? If you knew, I wouldn't have forced you to drink medicine. Cheng Ying said busily.

Qin Nanxiang shook his head and smiled bitterly: "That's why they asked for those medicines that are not drunk by people at all." As long as there is even the slightest glimmer of hope, they will not let the slaves go. ”

"The Cao family has so many daughters, healthy and healthy, just send a woman who is the head of the Qian family......" Cheng Yingyu really didn't understand.

Qin Nanxiang's smile became even more confused, and he shook his head: "Those who follow that man, such as the Cao family, who are not respectful and awe-inspiring." Get close to him, it is easy to make a profit, and it is easier to fall into the abyss, the so-called companion is like a tiger, he is not a king, but the most evil tiger. The last example is Cao Xigu, who almost made the relationship between the two families gap. Do you think the Cao family will recklessly send the Cao family's daughter in again? ”

Cheng Yingbu stopped talking. I always feel that it is wrong to ask anything, the fate of the world is like a chessboard, and the life of being a chess piece, what qualifications can she use to spy on it.

"Bother the second girl to help the slave out, this house smells bad, and it will be a sin to dirty the girl's good clothes."

Qin Nanxiang regained his warm expression, stretched out his hand apologetically, Cheng Yingyu patted his head, and hurriedly helped the woman out, sitting in the shade of the verandah to slow down.

The people who came and went in the medicine pavilion glanced at it for a while, and then turned their heads over, obviously it was not the first time they had seen each other, the two of them had a long rest, and no one came to greet them.

"The slave's mother, surnamed Qin. is a prostitute in the Fengyue Field, and her stage name is called Yi Qin'e. and the second girl, Lingtang Linjiang Xian, and Yulin Ling, are all the same batch of famous prostitutes. and Cao You*** was good, had a slave, and then his mother redeemed herself and moved into Cao's house. But the background of Hualiu Lane, in a famous official family like the Cao family, is worse than a slave. My mother, who had no name, was sent to wash clothes, and soaked her hands in cold water all the year round, even in the middle of summer, and the rotten sores on her hands could not be cured. Later, the slave had no mother. ”

The breeze is blowing, the golden cinnamon is fragrant, and Qinnan Township is telling the story, and the voice is misty and trance-like, as if talking about old things that have nothing to do with him.

"Famous prostitute, remember Qin'e?" Cheng Ying remembered that the boy had mentioned it just now, the daughter of a prostitute.

"Yes, so as soon as the slave was born, he was not a daughter, he didn't even have the surname Cao, he followed his mother's surname Qin, and was sent to be Cao Xigu's maid, and the ugly words in the house are terrifying, and it hasn't stopped for more than ten years." Qin Nanxiang smiled coolly, "A certain dynasty finally entered the eyes of the master of the family, saved the slave from this prison, and became a pawn of the Cao family again." ”

Cheng Ying chuckled in her heart. I always feel that Qin Nanxiang told her about these unbearable things in the past, and there is a big purpose.

's mother is also a famous prostitute, she, Zhao Xiyan, Qin Nanxiang, seems to be on the trajectory of fate, reflecting the ending of going to different distances, and the sorrow is endless.

She suddenly understood why her uncle and Nian Nujiao arranged for her and Qin Nanxiang to come to Caofu, people with the same fate are each other's other possibilities, and they can't start again.

"So the slave is the cheapest and best chess piece. If you can do things, you will become the best, and if you don't, the family can immediately clear up the blood relationship. Qin Nanxiang's voice was hoarse, "This is the fate of the fireworks girl's children, especially the girl's fate." ”

Cheng Ying bowed her head, silent, and her heart tingled. The famous prostitute Oiran looks beautiful, but in the eyes of the official eunuch family, it is a cheap status that once he puts on his pants, he doesn't even bother to give his eyes.

Boys such as Zhao Xiyan, with their heads down, can still survive, and girls, I am afraid that they will walk on the Shura Road, which is not even a job.

She alone Cheng Yingyu has become an outlier, because Linjiang Xian was almost cruelly cut off, her bond with Qin Huai, and the rouge marks of Concubine Xiang Liang Daodao are all thoughts that cannot be revealed.

Cheng Yingyu trembled, she understood everything, the tip of her nose couldn't stop being sour, she understood her mother's hard work, understood the layout of this memory buried, understood how stupid she was in the past, and complained about her mother's abandonment.

After Linjiang Xian sent her back to Chengfu, she didn't follow, didn't ask, and completely lost this daughter. And General Cheng is worthy of the trust of Linjiang Xian, although she is locked up, the treatment she should have is according to the girl's, recognizing her ancestors and returning to her ancestors.

So the rumors about the origin gradually weakened, diluted, and finally dispelled, and it took more than ten years for another possible "Qinnan Township" to live into a "Cheng Thirteen".

Cheng Ying's eyes were red. The years are gentle, she has always been gently guarded.

What a blessing she didn't miss in the end.

"Thank you, Mrs. Nan." Cheng Yingyu stood up, slammed his back, and leaned down deeply. She understood the arrangement of her uncle and Nian Nujiao, and she must have greeted Qin Nanxiang and untied her knot.

"It's a small favor, and you don't deserve such a big gift from Queen Mercy." Qin Nanxiang hurriedly helped Cheng Ying up.

"It's hard to thank you for this kindness. If there is anything I can help Mrs. Nan, I hope to tell you. Your grievances, even the position of the wife of the Qian family, I know a thief surnamed Zhao in the imperial palace, and I will definitely be able to help something. Cheng Ying is upright.

Qin Nanxiang didn't answer immediately, got up and walked to the flower garden by the corridor, and picked a half-crippled flower, which was a gardenia, the only one that lasted until the beginning of autumn, and was about to wither away, and the last remaining two or three petals were snow-white, crumbling in the autumn wind.

Cheng Yingyu looked over and wondered: "It's September, these petals are real heroes!" ”

"My mother liked gardenias the most, and the only thing that made her happy during the years when she was a slave washing clothes was to come to the flower garden to see the gardenias. Mother likes them to be white and fragrant, and she will not be ashamed of her origin. Qin Nanxiang looked at the gardenia in his palm, and the night rippled in his eyes.

"If the slave gives birth to an heir and becomes the owner's concubine, it will become a pawn of the Cao family, and if it falls out of favor with the head of the family and is left out in the cold, it will become a pawn of the Cao family who will die immediately. As for the noble man surnamed Zhao that the girl said, the Heavenly Family and the Qian Family are already delicate, so it's better not to interfere. ”

After a pause, Qin Nanxiang shook his head: "So the most preserved position is the concubine room, the concubine room in the middle." This is the life of the slave, the life of the slave who wants to control himself. ”

Cheng Ying groaned, so he didn't persuade more, but secretly thought about going back to let Zhao Xi go through the back door and make a few stumbling blocks for the Cao family.

"However, the slave only has one request for the second girl, and I hope the girl will agree." Qin Nanxiang turned to Cheng Yingyi, his eyes were like a thick mist, and he couldn't see through it, "Concubine room, slave only needs the position of concubine, okay?" ”

"Of course!" Cheng Yingyu subconsciously agreed, and did not ease up that this request had nothing to do with her.

Qin Nanxiang handed out the gardenia in his hand and smiled: "The slave made an agreement with the girl." ”

Cheng Yingyu took the gardenia, and suddenly thought that the flower language of the gardenia was an agreement (Note 2).

A beautiful, ordinary, but deadly agreement.

exegesis

1. Vomiting: Thanks to the small pillow "I" in the powder buckle group for providing an unforgettable experience, vomiting to the extreme will vomit blood, red. I also hope that all book friends take care of their bodies, take care of their stomachs, it is a blessing to be able to eat, and if you have an uncomfortable stomach, we recommend honey water, and the kind of soil honey that is not mixed with sugar.

2. Gardenia language: eternal love and promise. Here is only the meaning of the agreement, there is no eternal love, I hope not to misunderstand. In addition, gardenias bloom from May to August, and occasionally prolonged. So this article is set in September, and it can barely hit the remnants.