The lunch in the General's Mansion was knife-cut noodles, with some beef cubes and green onions and celery, Ruqing looked at such a bowl of knife-cut noodles, and was speechless for a while. The little girl who delivered the meal saw Ruqing staring at the bowl with straight eyes, and couldn't help but explain: "Girl, Datong is located in a fortress place, and there has always been a shortage of food, so it's good to have something to eat." The slave maid heard Mrs. Xue say that when the general first arrived, he was very unaccustomed to eating here, but thinking that the people of Datong and other soldiers came like this, he also endured the discomfort, and now he is used to it. Again, we have always been pasta-based, and there are many people from the south in the house, and we are not used to it at first, but the general once said that it is better to go to the countryside as you like. ”

Ruqing stared at her for a while, and said slowly: "You're right, I know." Go down. ”

After the girl left, Mother Zhou and the others couldn't help but scold, Mother Zhou scolded Bang Xue for being rampant and no one in her eyes, daring to treat the master like this, taking the master's words as wind in her ears, and immediately punishing her is not too much.

Agarwood and others were also filled with righteous indignation, their girl was mistreated, and they were actually accused of being pampered in disguise, and they didn't know how to be blessed in the midst of happiness. Zhou's mother was also angry, and as she spoke, she instructed Agarwood to write a letter, preparing to let the old lady in Beijing be the master.

Ruqing hurriedly stopped Zhou's mother, she has gradually grown up, and left the capital, if every time there is any trouble, she has to cry in front of the old lady, let the old man be the master, then she has been in vain all these years?

*

After lunch, Ruqing walked around the inner courtyard, Da Shang felt the road of the inner courtyard, saw the door of Xuanzhu Wanyuan for a long time, and was curious for a while, so he wanted to go in to see how the second brother's house was arranged, but unfortunately, when he entered the courtyard gate, he walked out of Chaoyun. Chaoyun was a little surprised to see Ruqing, but quickly smiled: "Yo, second girl, the master is not in the house, you came early, and the master usually comes back at night." ”

Ruqing smiled: "I know. I just want to see what the second brother's room looks like. Sister-in-law, can I go in and have a look? ”

Chaoyun hurriedly said: "What does the girl say, you are the master, you can do whatever you want, why do you need to ask my opinion." Girl, please come in, in fact, the master's house is not very good, the general's mansion is given by the emperor, and I have only lived in it for less than half a year, I am a stupid person, I can't take care of it, oh, the master's house is still the same, messy, don't laugh at the girl. ”

Ruqing glanced at her and said with a smile: "How come? This housekeeping is also a hard job. Thinking that at the beginning, my sister-in-law was pregnant, and asked me to be the housekeeper, if I hadn't stayed by my grandmother's side since I was a child and learned a few experiences, maybe I would have been in a hurry. ”

Chaoyun also laughed and said: "No, the master asked me to take care of the house with Sister Bang Xue, but I was born to be the life of a slave, and many things are at a loss, fortunately, Sister Bang Xue is capable, otherwise, I will definitely be blind." ”

Ruqing glanced at her and smiled slowly: "When grandma and father sent you two to your brother, the main purpose was to let you wait for your good brother. Anything else, secondary. ”

Chaoyun suddenly noticed that the little girl in front of her looked kind, but she always felt that her words seemed to imply something. Seeing Ruqing standing there in a curling manner, looking at harmony on her face, two of the four people of the agarwood exquisite jade qin waiter behind her were guarding the door, and the two were serving on the left and right, and Ruqing was in the middle of it, and Ruqing had an eye and an action, which always gave people a sense of distance and oppression.

*

As Chaoyun said, Zhiyi's house is really nothing to see, the furniture is nothing, except for the bed and a few chairs, there are two four-corner wardrobes, open the wardrobe and take a look, the clothes are so monotonous that people can't help but be stunned, the dignified second-grade Zhenguo general, there are actually a few ordinary clothes, and it is just ordinary cotton, the shoes are all boots, only a pair of black cloth shoes, it is estimated that they are worn when they return home for leisure. There were a few pieces of armor hanging in the other wardrobe, and there was a thick stack of things that I couldn't see, I reached out and touched it, it turned out to be an armor made of cowhide, Ruqing opened it to see, I was a little stunned, there were many swords and sword eyes with holes on it, and it looked very old, some familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen it.

Seeing this, Chaoyun on the side hurriedly explained with a smile, "The girl forgot? You gave all this soft armor to your master. Over the years that the master has been in the army, I don't know how many pieces he has used, but all of them are here, and none of them have been lost. Oh no, a few pieces were robbed by others, two more were given to others, and one was cut messily by the general for the convenience of healing. Later, the soldiers who were swept away were swept out and poured out. In addition, all the soft armor that the girl gave to the lord was here, a full thirty-seven. ”

Ruqing was stunned, she had made so many cowhides for Zhiyi over the years, hey, she had never counted them.

"I can't wear these anymore, so why don't my brother throw them away? Put it in this wasteful place. ”

Chaoyun said with a smile: "Sister Bang Xue had also persuaded her before, but the master said that these are all the hearts of the fourth sister, and they can't be lost." ”

Her own things were actually kept so well, Ruqing was indescribably moved, and her heart was warm, "It turns out that the second brother is also such a nostalgic person." It's a rarity. ”

Chaoyun smiled: "Not really. The four girls have a heart for the master, although the master doesn't say it, but he never lags behind in action. Every time I received a letter from a girl, I had to read it several times. Every time I reply to the letter, I have to write a draft several times, every time there is a reward on the top, I have to leave a copy for the four girls, the lord usually likes to hunt, in fact, I just want to hunt a few animal skins for the girl to take, the lord and the girl are really brother and sister, even I envy it. ”

Ruqing listened to the incredulous call, but her heart was very useful, and there was a kind of relief that her fingers were pierced into holes.

*

Leaving Xuanzhuwan, Ruqing went to the outside again, accompanied by Chaoyun all the way, saw Ruqing passing by the Hanging Flower Gate, thought she was going to the front yard, but Ruqing went to another road, and couldn't help but wonder: "The girl finished shopping in the backyard, why don't you go to the front yard to see?" ”

Ruqing replied: "There are so many people outside, how can I go to a girl's house that has not left the cabinet?" "Even a married woman like the Li family, whose daughter is so old, has to order someone to take a screen to separate her when she sees the housekeeper, and only let the housekeeper talk outside. The strictness of ancient etiquette is not something that modern people can imagine. Especially the Fang family, who is proud of their scholarly disciples, although they are not as strict as Zhong Dingming's food family in this regard, the etiquette that Ruqing has received since she was a child is not bad.

The backyard of the General's Mansion covers an area that is quite wide, a main courtyard, that is, Xuanzhuwan, surrounds the periphery of Xuanzhuwan, and there are several courtyards, Linlang Garden is one of them, and it is also the largest, and the layout is also the most gorgeous. The scale of the Lixiang Courtyard where Chaoyun Bangxue lives is not large, and it is still two grades worse than Linlang Garden. And the other courtyards were wandered around, because no one lived in them, only someone was left to clean them, and there was nothing in them.

Walking to the backyard hall again, and Yingge, Ruqing frowned, entered a slight circle, and said: "The inner courtyard hall is a place dedicated to welcoming female guests, why is it so deserted?" ”

Chaoyun hurriedly explained, "Because the lord has never married a wife, few female dependents come to the door. What's more, guests who come to the house are generally received in the front yard. It's never really opened here, and Sister Bang Xue doesn't think it's much use with Yingge, so she only sends a rough servant to take care of it. ”

Ruqing stared at her and said slowly: "Sister-in-law's words are wrong. The front yard is used to receive male guests, and the back yard is a place for women to stay, which is not much worse than Chaohui Hall. Although my brother has not married a wife, he also has two sisters-in-law to help take care of the housework, in case there is a personal relationship, this and Yingge can't be so wasted. In my opinion, it's still a good life to open, and then someone else is good to pick up, with my brother's current official position, there are some people who come and go, but don't make jokes in vain. ”

Ruqing's tone was very soft, and there was no sense of command at all, but when Chaoyun heard it in his ears, he undoubtedly slapped her on the spot. Hearing this, she suddenly realized that no matter how hard she and Bang Xue tried to climb up, their vision and views on behavior and things were still not elegant. At this moment, I saw that Ruqing was talking the truth, and the surrounding girls had been respectfully surrounding the surroundings, adding some prestige that was not angry but majestic to the sky, which made Chaoyun feel that he was really shallow. So he smiled wryly, "The girl has been taught by the old lady's boudoir since she was a child, and she is really extraordinary in dealing with people. Now that I heard Ruqing say this, it was indeed me and Bang Xue's who didn't come, just focusing on the kung fu in front of me, but I couldn't think it through. I'll let people pick up Heyingge, and then let the girl take a look at it to see if it's appropriate. ”

Ruqing glanced at her with a little surprise, and said with a smile: "Sister-in-law doesn't have to be humble, I have been with the old lady and his wife since I was a child, and I have only learned a little fur. In the capital, I didn't have the original part of my speech, so I could only talk nonsense here. ”

*

After shopping about the same, Ruqing returned to Linlang Garden, Taohong, who was in charge of guarding the house, hurriedly took the pliers and dialed the charcoal fire in the iron furnace, and Agarwood had relieved Ruqing of the hooded crane in the big red feather veil and white fox on her shoulders, took off the small boots with cashmere fur inside the pointed sheepskin on her feet, and replaced them with the embroidered tiger cotton shoes handed over by Linglong. Ruqing put on her shoes, then lay down on the kang, stuffed a water-red embroidery pillow behind her back, covered her knees with a scarlet dyed peony and a small blanket with rich flowers, and Agarwood brought a rain-over-azure Chujiao porcelain cup with her, Ruqing took it, took a sip gently, and said: "The taste is a little light, add more honey." ”

Agarwood answered, turned around and walked out of the house.

Chaoyun saw that several girls in Ruqing's house performed their duties, doing things neatly but quietly, waiting for Ruqing to walk smoothly, without any sense of depression, and couldn't help but secretly envy herself. I saw Ruqing lazily lying on the couch, the star-like eyes under the black bangs were covered by two rows of thick eyelashes, and I only saw the slightly flashing and straight eyelashes like two rows of fans, delicate and lazy. And the face that was not similar to Zhiyi was sighing comfortably at the moment, as if the honey water in the cup in hand was the elixir in the fairy pool, and the white and red face showed a look of satisfaction and enjoyment.

Suddenly, Chaoyun had a strange feeling, the girl in front of him should have been born to enjoy happiness, to be cared for, and to be offered like gold and silver mines. Even if she is really pampered and profligate, it is taken for granted and there is no contradiction.

Agarwood found that Chaoyun's eyes were staring at Ruqing for a moment, and she was alert, and she quietly blocked Ruqing, squeezing out a very sincere smile at Chaoyun, "Sister Chaoyun, I'm really sorry, I've been with my girl all afternoon, and I'm also thirsty, come, drink tea to moisten my throat." ”

Linglong didn't know where to conjure up a plate of fruit snacks and put them on the little ones beside her, and smiled very flatteringly, "Yes, Sister Chaoyun is really good, you should be hungry, eat some snacks to fill your stomach." ”

Chaoyun was flattered and frightened to take the cup handed to her by the agarwood, and thanked Linglong again and again, she didn't like to drink tea, but at this time, she also tasted it carefully, and really felt that the agarwood said well, this tea is really bitter but not astringent, light but not greasy, faint bitterness, strong tea fragrance, eat in the mouth, like a sweet spring mellow and sweet, after the stomach, I only feel that the whole body has warmth.

Chaoyun said "good tea" again and again, and then thanked Agarwood several times, Agarwood gently crooked the corners of her lips, said polite words in her mouth, and took a thermos to fill her cup with tea, at this time, the curtain next to her sounded, and a little girl came in, and said to Ruqing: "Girl, Mrs. Cha, General Dingyuan, Mrs. Lu, General Xuanwu is here." Madame Snow sent a slave maid to invite the girl to the front yard to meet the guests. ”

Chaoyun hurriedly got up and explained to Ruqing: "This Mrs. Cha is the wife of General Cha, the third rank of the court, the general Dingyuan, Mrs. Lu is the wife of General Lu, and the first general Xuanwu of the fourth rank who was awarded the title of the court by the court. These two generals are colleagues with our master, and they are usually good friends. It is estimated that I heard that the four girls came to the house, and they came to meet each other. ”

Ruqing sighed and asked, "How old are these two ladies?" ”

"Mrs. Cha is not very old, less than thirty, and she is the successor of General Cha. Mrs. Lu is older, and her grandchildren have already been born. Chaoyun looked at Ruqing with envy, "I've never seen these two ladies before." It is estimated that I heard that the four girls were coming, so I hurried over to meet them. ”

The little girl who passed the word just now also followed: "No, these two ladies also brought a lot of gifts to visit, girl, don't hesitate, hurry up and change your clothes and go to the front yard, it's not good to keep the guests waiting for a long time." ”

Mrs. Cha is less than thirty years old, and she is a successor, so General Cha is at least thirty years away. General Lu is estimated to be over middle-aged. One is General Dingyuan from the third grade, and General Xuanwu from the fourth grade, both of whom are a lot older, but they are not as good as the young Zhiyi. Zhiyi was promoted to the general of the country from the second grade of the town, and the general's mansion given by the emperor, and was appreciated by the emperor. The highest military generals in Shanxi, except for the governor, the acting king, and Li Xiao, have the highest official position in the number of governors.

It's a pity that Zhiyi didn't enter the oil and salt, and she didn't marry a wife, so she couldn't find a place to tie up, but this time she came as a sister, so she came with a brain.

After figuring out this relationship, Ruqing did not leave immediately, but frowned at the little girl, "Since the female dependents came to the door, why don't you go directly into the inner courtyard?" ”

The little girl couldn't answer for a while, but replied: "Because Mrs. Xue usually receives foreign guests in the front yard." So the girl had better go to the front yard to meet the guests as well. ”

Ruqing was furious, put down the teacup heavily, and instructed Agarwood Linglong: "Slap her ten mouths." ”

Agarwood moved a beat slower, and Linglong stepped forward with an arrow, opened the bow left and right and gave the little girl ten mouths.

The little girl was beaten, her cheeks were red and swollen, the corners of her lips were bleeding, and she stared at Ruqing aggrieved and unwillingly.

Chaoyun also looked shocked and uneasy, and couldn't help but come to Ruqing, and said hurriedly: "Good and decent, why is the girl angry?" Did this girl offend you somewhere? ”

Ruqing had a calm face, stared at the little girl coldly, and said, "I beat you, but you don't accept it?" ”

The little girl knelt down, covered her lips with her hands, and did not speak, but a pair of hateful eyes revealed the anger in her heart.

Ruqing said leisurely: "Agarwood, you tell her about it, so that she can understand what mistakes she has made." ”

Agarwood took a step forward, her back and shoulders straightened, and her tone was cold: "The girl is a lady who has not yet left the cabinet, how can there be a reason for guests to come and run to the front yard to meet guests?" Not even if it's a female guest. When you don't go out of the boudoir women's door, you don't go out, this is called fake, can't you do it? This is one of them. Second, as a subordinate of the Fang Mansion, although Bang Xue let the master promote him as the housekeeper, he was always a slave. It's good that she dares to order the girl to go to the front yard to meet guests as a slave, it's just a slave bully! Third, Bang Xue, as the master's roommate, although she is the housekeeper, she is always a woman's family, and it is a taboo to meet a foreign man in such a grand manner. It stands to reason that he deserves to be bundled and sold. Fourth. Fifth, according to the rules of the rich family, the male guest and the hostess must avoid it. The female guest came to the door and directly greeted the female guest into the inner courtyard, and Bang Xue did not let the female guest enter the inner courtyard, which had committed the way of hospitality. I still want to let the girls learn from those subordinates and go to the front yard to let people see, what kind of rule is this? If the girl really went to the front yard, then the reputation of the old man and the girl would not be lost. Just let you minions who don't have a child take it and step on it. ”

Agarwood paused, glared at the little girl and said viciously: "Sixth, what is Mrs. Xue generally receives foreign guests in the front yard, so it is best for the girl to go to the front yard to meet the guests, just with such a sentence, the girl can treat you and Bang Xue One of the following crimes, slave bullying the master, it is not an exaggeration to tear your mouth alive." ”

Agarwood said sharply and violently, and the little girl's eyes were stunned when she heard it, and she didn't come back to her senses for a long time.

Linglong saw that Agarwood was so majestic, and she was also eager to try, and after seeing Agarwood finish speaking, she immediately jumped out and said loudly: "My girl's golden branches and jade leaves are innocent and innocent jade people, in your eyes, she has become a character who can be rubbed by outsiders at will." You teamed up with Bang Xue to destroy the girl's reputation, it is simply a harbor of evil intentions, and you will not die well. ”

And Chaoyun also turned from anger just now to surprise, and then from surprise to panic, she said in a trembling voice: "Just let the girl go out to meet guests, did she commit so many taboos?" ”

Ruqing didn't speak, and Agarwood replied on her behalf, "Sister Chaoyun, you have also stayed in the Fang Mansion before, have you seen which lady came to the door, and the wife, the old lady and the girls ran to the front yard to entertain guests?" ”

Chaoyun is stuck.