"A-Niang asked you to study for the exam, it is also for your good, even if it is just a show talent in the exam, at least with Mimi, you can support yourself in the future." Cheng Chan softened his tone and sighed.

Cheng Mingzhi thought it was funny, they were dignified princes of the Hou Mansion, and Xiucai's rice was only six buckets a month, which was not enough for them to spend a day, who would put it in their eyes.

Looking at Cheng Mingzhi's disdainful appearance, Cheng Jin's heart was a little sour, "Don't think it's less, do you know how the Yong'an Hou Zhang family was ten years ago, and now it's happening?" ”

Cheng Mingzhi looked at her with a confused expression, ten years ago, he was only three years old, how did he know that Lao Shizi Yong'an Hou.

"Yong'an Hou is the first emperor's original mother's family with Zhang's mother's family, deeply favored by the first emperor, when the first emperor resisted the criticism of the court, to Zhang's marquis, there was Zhang Hou in the palace to support them, at that time Yong'an Hou was hot in the capital, it can be said that flowers are brocade, fire cooking oil, better than our Cheng family does not know how much. Today, on the throne, our family got the title, a few days later Yong'an Hou died of illness, a large family died, scattered, the rest of the few went back to their hometown to farm, a few days ago I heard, even the family's land has been sold out, men can not read, farm work and do not do well, can only sell the women in the family, men on the street begging to live, now who in the capital still remembers the illustrious Yong'an Hou ten years ago? ”

Cheng Mingzhi was dumbfounded when he heard this, and he couldn't imagine that the dignified Hou Mansion ended up like this.

Cheng Chan said lightly, "Once a son of heaven and a courtier, people say that thirty years in Hexi, thirty years in Hedong, the world is changeable, and it will take less than thirty years for the rise and fall to rise, but the dust has settled in ten years, what about the title of 'Yong'an', can it really ensure their eternal peace?" ”

Empress Dowager Cheng ascended the throne, what good can the original emperor's family get? If they had been in peace before, but according to what Cheng Chan said, he was obviously arrogant, no wonder Empress Dowager Cheng couldn't tolerate it.

Cheng Zhan glanced at him, and then said, "The emperor is now in power, after the wedding, the queen mother has entered the middle palace in the palace, and the queen mother's aunt has retired to Cining Palace, how long will our family still be beautiful?" To put it mildly, after the Queen Mother's Thousand Autumns, the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion may be the second Yong'an Marquis Mansion. ”

Cheng Mingzhi was taken aback, he had been clothed and fed since he was a child, and he had never lived a hard day in his memory, and he couldn't imagine returning to his hometown to farm, begging along the streets, and even selling his sisters to live.

After being speechless for a long time, Cheng Mingzhi suddenly asked thoughtfully, "Eldest sister, will you enter the palace?" I heard that the emperor's cousin wants to make you a concubine. ”

Cheng Chan's face changed slightly, and he didn't ask where this rumor came from, there are not a few people who talk about her these days, and she doesn't bother to investigate it, she just asks lightly, "What do you say?" ”

"If someone wants you to enter the palace, don't agree!" Cheng Mingyuan said with a resolute face, "The palace is not a good place to go, I would rather go back to my hometown to farm, it's a big deal to spend more effort, I will definitely be able to feed you, and I will never hurt you to that point like those people in the Yong'an Hou Mansion." ”

"More effort?" Cheng Zhan's heart was slightly warm, but his face was not obvious at all, "Do you know what the farmer's harvest is?" It's not as good as Xiu's six buckets of rice a month, do you know how to do farm work? Even if you try your best, can you support yourself and our family? You want to marry and start a family in the future, and you have a wife and children to raise, have you thought about all this? ”

"I won't let you go to the palace anyway."

"If we don't enter the palace, after the decline of the Chengenhou Mansion, we may have to marry a peasant in the countryside and live a hard life." Cheng Zhan said angrily.

Cheng Mingyuan was stunned, although the palace is a place where people eat people and don't spit out bones, at least they don't have to worry about food and clothing, and they can even be said to be clothed and fed, which is naturally much better than being a rural peasant woman.

"Eldest sister, do you want to go to the palace?" He asked expectantly.

"Naturally I don't want to," the corners of Cheng Chan's lips finally had a slight curvature, "so we can only rely on the two of you to study hard, the Hou Mansion is unreliable, only if the two of you have a chance, Ah Jin and I can rely on it in the future." ”

Cheng Mingzhi was silent, and for the first time, the thirteen-year-old boy showed a worried expression.

Cheng Jin was waiting outside the house, bored and teasing the fish in the pond with flower branches, when suddenly a chill hit, she raised her head suddenly, only to see a faint black shadow flashing outside the courtyard gate.

"Who?" She threw down the flower branch and hurried out, and it was quiet outside, and there was no half a figure.

"Girl, what's wrong?" Qingping and Hongxuan hurriedly followed, looking at her with puzzled expressions.

"Did you just see someone outside the courtyard gate?" Cheng Jin looked around a little strangely, the cold feeling was fleeting, now everything is as usual here, the spring sun is warm, as if it was just her hallucination.

"Not really." Qingping and Hongxuan both looked inexplicable.

Qingping wanted to be more appropriate, called the mother-in-law and maids who were guarding the gate of the courtyard, and asked carefully before going back and forth to Cheng Jin, "Girl, they have just been guarding the door, and they have never seen anyone looking outside." ”

"I see, maybe I'm dazzled." Cheng Jin smiled, but the doubts in her heart have not dissipated for half a minute, now her five senses are more sensitive than ordinary people, how can it be wrong, "I remember that this place is not far from the courtyard of the sixth sister, and it is boring to wait here, it is better to go to her and sit there." ”

Qingping and Hongxuan are both embarrassed, this place is actually not close to Cheng Yu's yard, not to mention that Cheng Yu has a withdrawn temperament, he has always been alone, and he is not close to his sisters, when Cheng Yu was studying in the clan study before, she never even said a word to her, and often gave her sister-in-law no face, which was very unlikable in the house.

Such a difficult person, Cheng Jin didn't say hello, just went over like this, I was afraid that he would be bored.

"Girl, I'm afraid that the sixth girl is still in the school at this time, and the eleventh son has not come back yet." Qingping persuaded.

"Isn't that coming back soon? It's okay, I'll go to her yard to ask for a cup of tea, and I guess those maids and servants in her yard won't kick me out, right? Cheng Jin said with a smile.

Her attitude was gentle and smiling, but in fact she was very resolute, Qingping and Hongxuan had no choice but to accompany her.

Cheng Yu is the concubine of the third room, but the courtyard is some distance from Cheng Chan and Cheng Jin, the location in the house is very remote, and it faces north, even in the spring, there is also a cold, this house is arranged by Mrs. Cheng, it can be seen that she does not like Cheng Yu, and she is not happy to see Cheng Chan's sisters befriending her.