In May, the weather is warm, the flowers are full of flowers, and the grass is everywhere, which is the best time to enjoy flowers and tea.

Before, Mrs. Tan and Yanting went to find Luda and his wife, but they only said that they had been disturbed for a long time, and Yanting's maternal uncle's family had a house in the west of the city, and they were going to pick a good day and an auspicious day, and they would move out after the Dragon Boat Festival, and said that they would often come to visit their family in the future.

Seeing that they had made up their minds, and the house was indeed not spacious enough, the family was full of chatter, and they also knew that some voices had made the Gao family unhappy, so they would no longer keep them after persuading them, until Lu Qing and the three sisters were depressed for a long time.

On the first day of the fifth month, Mrs. Jingninghou invited Mrs. Lu and several other ladies and ladies who knew each other well to enjoy flowers and tea.

Mrs. Lu saw that after several nieces arrived in Beijing, she had not yet gone to the home of the dignitaries and nobles to socialize, she was entrusted by her mother to entertain her mother's family, but it backfired, she was already strong, and she was very reluctant to go, so she tried her best to invite a few people to go together. The three sisters were reluctant to go, but seeing that their aunt was in her heart, Lu Qing tried her best to persuade and even beg a few to accompany her, and the three sisters considered that they were going to leave the Lu family soon, Tan Yin saw Lu Qing's appearance, remembered what Mrs. Tan said last time, so she persuaded everyone to go with Mrs. Lu's mother and daughter.

Jingning Hou Mansion is located in the northeast of the capital, Zhong Ding Xungui's house, even though the middle has experienced some twists and turns, but in the end the family background is deep, the house covers a wide area, there are many houses, a hundred flowers bloom in the garden, the rocks are craggy, to the beauty of the garden in the south of the Yangtze River.

The banquet was placed in the back garden, and when the Lu family and his party arrived, some ladies and ladies of the Zheng family's family had already arrived, and Mrs. Zheng was entertaining the guests. The maidservants who came and went were all very beautiful, and their words were quite appropriate.

There are a lot of young ladies here today, all of them have exquisite makeup, elegant manners, and speak slowly, often the elders ask and answer a sentence, which is different from the liveliness and vividness of the general banquet, is it that the famous banquet in Beijing is like this?

This Mrs. Jin, who is rumored to have entered the Hou Mansion with a million dowry, looks like she should have been a big beauty when she was young, but now the furrows on her face are a little too deep and a little sharp. Zheng Xi is somewhat similar to his mother. She smiled with a smile on her face, did not snub any of the guests, and beckoned the ladies and ladies at the table to drink tea and eat some snacks.

After everyone sat for a while, Mrs. Zheng beckoned everyone to go to the garden to enjoy the flowers.

Lu Qing was about to enjoy the flowers with everyone, but was dragged by Zheng Yu, the young lady of the Zheng family, saying that she had a painting to enjoy with her, Lu Qing asked the three sisters to accompany her, but Mrs. Lu beckoned the three of them to accompany her to enjoy the flowers together, and asked Lu Qing to go back quickly. Lu Qing pursed her lips slightly, stood for a while, and turned around to go with Zheng Yu.

The three sisters and Mrs. Lu enjoyed the flowers in the garden. Mrs. Lu and Mrs. Zheng slowly walked together, and the three sisters slowly dispersed with them.

Peony is graceful and luxurious, beautiful and colorful, has always been loved by the people of Jokhang, Shangjing rich house has many peony peony precious varieties, the Zheng family is rich, naturally there are those rare varieties, everyone appreciates it.

Zheng Xi and Lu Yin are of the same age, they are not married, they look cool and their fathers are dignified, they are like their mothers, shrewd and capable. He was born extraordinary, and he was a noble son, the Marquis of Jingning was rich under the careful care of the Jin family, and he was motivated, and many people in Beijing wanted to be engaged to the Zheng family.

Today's peony flower will be Mrs. Zheng's selection of her future daughter-in-law! Seeing that she seems to like Lu Qing quite much, Mrs. Lu is very happy, but Lu Qing is not very happy.

A few people walked for a while, and then they were ready to climb a rockery pavilion to rest for a while, just halfway up, they heard someone talking in the pavilion above, and everyone was about to continue to climb, but they heard a few people talking about them, it seemed to be two ladies.

"Did you see the maiden niece of Mrs. Lu today, the one who is rumored to be Xu Zifei's fiancée?"

"Which niece? There are three of them! ”

"It's just the one who doesn't talk much, the goose-faced one."

"That's her! It doesn't look very beautiful, and the person is also sullen, and she is still the daughter of a merchant, how can she be worthy of Xu Zifei? ”

"Who's to say it isn't! You said that they chased them to Shangjing, didn't they just fear that others would take him first? ”

"But how did I hear that Xu Zifei and her had already withdrawn, at that time he was not even a lifter, but now he is the champion, and his brother is even more powerful."

"You've heard that, too! Now there are many people in Beijing who are discussing it privately, and it is not clear whether they will retreat or not. But no matter whether they retreat or not, this Gao family still has to hold on to it? ”

"That's for sure, who wants to put this!"

"Whether he wants to let her go or not, he doesn't want her, they can still die and beg for nothing, you have heard, everyone in Beijing is inquiring about the situation of the Xu family in private."

Yanya had heard a lot of such gossip, and she didn't take it to heart, but she laughed it off. Then the two ladies turned the conversation to today's banquet.

"I've heard this, don't talk about this, which one is Mrs. Zheng singing today?"

"She wants to choose a good daughter-in-law for the prince! Zheng Xi's family is not bad in appearance and talent, there are so many young ladies here today, but she is embarrassed, but it has nothing to do with our two families, and we don't have girls of the right age. ”

"Zheng Xi is indeed good, but there are two bad points, one is that Mrs. Zheng is the daughter of a merchant, and the other is that he is the same as the three generations of Jingning Marquis, and there are really more pets, I heard that there are four or five extremely beautiful maids in the room, and there are some in the Qinglou outside."

"A young man is always romantic, he is good-looking, capable, and has a good family background, even if he doesn't take the initiative, those maids and kabuki will pounce on him, don't these ladies also take a fancy to him?"

"That's right, there are so many young ladies here today, and everyone is clearly showing it!"

Only then did the three of them understand why Lu Qing was unwilling, and they had been listening to the corner for a while, whether it was good or not, and a few people quieted down.

After shopping for a while, when she returned to the banquet, Lu Qing also came back, although she was calm and pretended to be nothing, she still showed a depressed color from time to time.

……

After coming back, Lu Qing followed the three sisters into the Rongyue Residence and talked about what happened today. She has always been cheerful and optimistic, and sometimes even a little heartless, she didn't expect to encounter such troublesome things.

Zheng Xi is Lu Yin's classmate and friend, and he has come to Lu Mansion a lot, and he is also familiar with Lu Qing. At the beginning, Lu Qing just regarded him as his brother's other classmates and friends, and there was nothing special about him. Later, I found out that Zheng Xi thought a little about her, and often looked for some opportunities to talk to her alone, and everyone in Lu Mansion, especially Lu Da and his wife, were naturally happy to see it. Lu Qing had no thoughts about him, and she stayed away from the Marquis of Jingning's mansion, and Zheng Xi's reputation was outside, so she avoided it, as long as Zheng Xilai didn't go out, even if she occasionally saw it, she avoided it from afar, for fear that there would be any gossip if she accidentally came out. Mrs. Lu told her several times in private, but she didn't listen, and she never pretended to Zheng Xi.

This time I went to Zheng's house, and sure enough, Zheng Yu said that he would take her to see the painting, Zheng Xi had been waiting there for a long time, and told her directly, Lu Qing bluntly said that she had no intention of marrying into the Zheng family, so she could only live up to his heart, and finally found a chance to get out, this peony flower will be a Hongmen banquet for her. Originally, this thing was still covered with window paper, and it could still pretend to be confused, but now it can't be pretended anymore.

The three sisters saw Lu Qing's dejected appearance, comforted her, and asked Mrs. Tan to talk to Mrs. Lu.

While she was talking, the maid next to Mrs. Lu came to invite Lu Qing, saying that Mrs. Lu had something to look for her.

Lu Qing was originally sitting on the chair, and was stunned for a while when she heard this, and said for a while: "What are you afraid of, it's okay, it's a disaster that can't be avoided, I'll go see my mother first, you help me talk to my aunt, let her go find my mother!" ”

After speaking, he got up and left, and Tan Yin and the others hurriedly went to find Mrs. Tan.

……

When Lu Qing entered her mother's room, she saw Mrs. Lu sitting at the table, her face blue and black. Mrs. Lu was also a beauty when she was young, but as the years went by, now her forehead, nose, and corners of her mouth have deep lines, giving people a sense of coldness, although she is only two years older than Mrs. Tan, she looks much older, Lu Qing sighed secretly in her heart.

"Get on my knees." A cold drink.

Lu Qing obediently knelt in front of her mother.

"What's going on today? Zheng Xi is looking for you to speak, how did you reply to him, tell me in detail. ”

"It's nothing...... Zheng Xi Zheng Yu began to show me the painting, that painting is really good, mother, let me tell you! The brushwork is sophisticated, vast and remote, it turned out to be a painting by Li Kai, the lines are smooth, and the splash of ink is natural......" Lu Qing said excitedly, and looked up to see that Mrs. Lu's face was greener and longer.

Seeing Mrs. Lu like this, if she continued, she was about to take something and throw it directly on her head, and hurriedly whispered: "Zheng Xi asked me if I would like to enter the Hou Mansion, and he said that the Hou Mansion is very good, and he is also very good, I hope I can marry him." ”

"And how did you answer?"

I said...... I said that I was ugly and shallow and low, and I really couldn't climb the high door of the Hou Mansion. Lu Qing said slowly.

Mrs. Lu laughed angrily, "How come I didn't know that you were ugly and shallow!" You're humble enough! ”

"Daddy has always taught us to be humble and cautious, and Confucius is also ......"

With a "snap", the teapot shattered on the ground next to Lu Qing, Rao was mentally prepared, but Lu Qing was still startled.

"You're still giving me a flamboyant tongue, it seems that you don't know what's wrong if you don't use the family method? Come! Mrs. Lu shouted.

Lu Qing immediately knelt at her mother's feet, protected her calves, and cried loudly: "Mother, don't you feel sorry for your daughter!" Today, Zheng Yu took me to her room, and after a while, she made an excuse to leave, and let Zheng Xi be alone with me, and I was scared to death. Do you think there is such hospitality? Let unmarried men and women live in the same room, in case there is an accident and is seen, my daughter will not be able to wash it even if she jumps into the Yellow River, and then she can only apologize for her sins with death, and you will never see me again. My death is a small matter, but it will affect the reputation of the Lu family and the future of my father and brother. ”

After speaking, he wiped his tears and snot on Mrs. Lu's skirt together. Mrs. Lu knew that she was doing it on purpose, and thought she was disgusting, so she kicked her away.

After a while, after thinking about it carefully, I also knew that her words were not unreasonable, and the Zheng family did not do this authentically enough.

Lu Qing peeked at her mother, saw that her face was a little pale, and knew that she had listened a little, so she continued: "Mother, I heard the old man always say that marriage is the best of two families, and it needs to be the right person. There is such a big difference between us and the Zheng family, and it is not a good thing that the door is not the right one. ”

"You know what the right family is, and who doesn't want to marry into a wealthy family. He Zheng Xi attacked the lord, you are the Marquis of Jingning, the second grade of the lady, do you know how many people dream of not getting it. ”

"If they want to beg, let them beg, whoever wants it will take it, anyway, I don't want it."

"...... you" Mrs. Lu was angry, her daughter seemed to be easy to talk on the surface, but in fact, she had an idea in her heart, she only had this son and a daughter, and the most painful thing in her heart was the two of them, she continued: "Are you still hard-mouthed? ”

"Mother, why don't you think about it, Mrs. Zheng is so exquisite, why did she pick me, even though there are a lot of young ladies and girls from various families today, there are particularly valuable Miss Shijue and Eunuch to participate?"

When Mrs. Lu heard Lu Qing's words, she took a long breath, calmed down, and said slowly: "Qing'er, why are you unwilling to get married, this is a good family affair that many people can't find with lanterns!" ”

Lu Qing saw that her mother's tone was softened, and she stopped gagging, and said solemnly: "Mother, Jingninghou is doing very well now, but have you forgotten the past?" The three Jingning Marquis are all mediocre and lustful, unrestrained, and have countless sons-in-law, and the current Jingning Marquis has more than a dozen brothers, not to mention the children of the previous two Jingning Marquis. The family is huge, and there are hundreds of people waiting for dinner. Zheng Xi's mother brought a dowry of one million, and she was good at taking care of it, so that Jingning Hou was radiant. Now everyone sees that Jingninghou is rich and has a position, but so many people reach out to ask for money and things, the daughter does not have a million dowry, and there is no Mrs. Zheng who is capable, if you enter this Jingninghou, isn't it like entering a fire pit! I'm afraid that it will boil my fire and oil, and I won't be able to last for a while. ”

When Mrs. Lu heard this, her face couldn't help but be a little solemn.

Lu Qing saw that her mother seemed to be moved, and continued to add fuel and vinegar: "The Jingning Marquis Mansion has a lot of mouths and chaotic relationships, Zheng Xi's father has more than a dozen concubines, and he himself is the third, with two cousins above, and many cousins below, and even more uncles and cousins. My Lu family is only a few dozen people, and my mother is already worried about it, this Jingning Mansion is more than ten times more complicated than ours, can my mother bear to let her daughter be drained like lamp oil? Zheng Xiren is capable, but he is quite lustful, and he is a frequent visitor to the Qinlou Chu Pavilion. My daughter doesn't expect her future husband to love me as before, and she doesn't accept concubines, but at least she has to be more modest, she can't always compete for favor with wives and concubines, and the concubines and concubines are one after another. I don't think I'm generous, I don't want to be beautiful and laugh in front of people, and I cry until dawn when I am alone. ”

When Mrs. Lu heard Lu Qing's words, she turned her head to look at the bed in her room, was silent for a long time, and then asked, "Then what kind of family do you want to find!" ”

"Just like my aunt, a scholarly family with the right family, she is easy to learn and progress, and it is good to be polite and polite."

"You tell me to think about it again!" Mrs. Tan said slowly, her daughter's maturity was beyond her imagination, and she didn't know when her daughter thought so deeply.

Lu Qing looked at her mother's expression, knowing that her words still touched her mother a little, and also pierced her mother's heart, and told her part of her mother's privacy, she didn't feel good in her heart, and when she heard her mother's instructions, she got up and left.

After Mrs. Tan received the news, she immediately looked for Mrs. Lu, and she had to comfort Mrs. Lu, Mrs. Lu and her sister sighed for a long time, and the sisters said that they dispersed very late.