Sheng Mingzhu sat in the carriage and looked at him from above. Guan Ping said, "There are still some things, I'll come back to accompany you when I'm done." ”

Sheng Mingzhu heard the two of them talking just now, and they were talking about the local garrison. Sheng Mingzhu naturally knew Guan Ping's current thoughts - she didn't understand why he put down the matter of the court and suddenly came here to plug it here, but now that she thinks about it, she understands everything. If the prince thought that he had really followed Lin Qingyan's Dao, then there must have been actions during this time.

Guan Ping is now out of Beijing, which can not only paralyze the prince, but also have time to tidy up his old department during this time.

——

When I arrived at the inn, it was already dark, and the few people who were eating in the hall were probably sleeping. There were only two father and daughter singing something on stage, and the proprietress leaned to the side and listened. The person who sent Sheng Mingzhu back went to the stable to release the horses, Sheng Mingzhu was bored, and he didn't want to go back to the room to stay, so he also sat on the side and listened.

The babbling opera, she didn't understand very well.

"Does the little lady like to listen to this song too?" The proprietress asked.

It's about Kunqu Opera, and Sheng Mingzhu doesn't understand the words. However, looking at the look of the proprietress with relish, it was not good to disappoint her interest, so she just asked, "What is this singing about?" ”

The proprietress smiled, "It's not a new track. It's Xue Rengui and Wang Baochuan who are singing—"

Qu'er Sheng Mingzhu has never heard of it, but she has heard the story of these two people many times. When she was a child, her mother also told this story when she hugged her, talking about Wang Baochuan's loyalty. But after listening to the same story several times, it has a different flavor - when Xu was in the cold kiln, the two were very affectionate.

But the emperor and the prime minister's family, how can they make their own decisions about their in-laws. Xue Rengui married a princess - it was also thanks to Wang Baochuan who died early, otherwise one after another princesses would welcome her into the door, and the cold kiln she was guarding would have already changed its taste.

"According to me, the women who believe in this story are all stupid." The proprietress on the side pinched the melon seeds and said while eating the melon.

Xu is because Guan Ping is not there, and she is not as polite as she was when they first met, and she seems much more casual. Sheng Mingzhu smiled, "I see that you are fascinated by it, and I think you like this story." ”

"I'm here to pass the boring time, and these two sing well," the proprietress said, hanging her head again, "The cold kiln has been guarding for eighteen years, and the husband marries another, what can I do if I become a queen?" This kind of story is still widely circulated, aren't all women in the world stupid? After saying that, he saw the little lady looking at herself, and suddenly remembered something, and said with a smile, "Did you tell you about it?" How long have I been guarding my late husband? ”

Sheng Mingzhu nodded, she originally listened to Guan Ping's words and thought that this proprietress was a loyal daughter who guarded her first husband. But looking at it now, her feelings for her late husband don't seem to be very deep.

"I didn't even know my husband when I got married. In the border land, there is not much silver in the family, and my aunt exchanged me for his little sister in order to marry her younger brother. She said, as if she remembered something, and smiled again, "But after getting married, he was really good to me, but unfortunately his life was not good, and he was gone within half a year of marriage." ”

Sheng Mingzhu didn't know what expression to put on

"It's been all these years, but it's a pity that Master Guan always thinks I'm guarding for him."

The proprietress hung her head, "When I got married, he was good to me, but when he was only half a year, he stayed in the barracks all day, and the time we spent together was less than half a month, how can we have a deep relationship?" My mother-in-law treated me very well, and I had to take care of my little sister at home - and then I had this shop and I could take care of myself, so I didn't marry again. ”

"Speaking of which, how can a married girl be as free as I am?" She looked at Sheng Mingzhu, picked up the wine on the table and drank it.

Sheng Mingzhu didn't know what she meant at this time, and when the opera in the stands fell, and when she wanted to go back to the room, she saw a man who came out of nowhere, and his appearance was not real, but he was a tiger, and he picked up the proprietress from afar, and then there was a laugh.

The people outside the plug spoke loudly, and they could be heard from afar.

Sheng Mingzhu blushed when she heard this, and soon returned to the room.

The originally dark room has been lit with candles, and the bare bed has also been hung with a veil. Sheng Mingzhu was looking at her with some suspicion, but a little girl who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen came out from behind the yarn closet, wearing an ordinary cyan shirt, a double-ring bun, and a red silk strip on her head, looking delicate, and she smiled when she saw her, "Madame-" is generous, and she is not afraid of life.

"Are you Sister-in-law Chen's sister-in-law?" Sheng Mingzhu was a little stunned at first, and in a blink of an eye, she remembered that when she went down to eat with Guan Ping before, the proprietress said that she wanted to find someone, but she didn't expect the action to be quite fast.

"It's good for Madame to call me Hongliu, and my sister-in-law asked me to come over and serve the little lady."

Hongliu looked at the jade-like people in front of him, there are also beauties in places like them, but after all, the wind and sand are big, the face is always rough, and there are not a few people with big shoulders and round waists. ”

Sheng Mingzhu raised her eyes and smiled, the little girl praised her sincerely, then opened her small box and picked out a turquoise earring for her, "This is what I wore when I was a girl in the past, and now that I am married, it is not suitable to wear it, do you think you like it?" ”

The age difference between the two is not much, Sheng Mingzhu looked at it and was amiable, so he happily accepted it and thanked Mrs.

"Madam, the water is almost boiling, do you want to take a bath before resting?" My sister-in-law said before that this lady and her husband are both nobles in Dawei, and the rules of serving have also been taught to her. Sheng Mingzhu nodded, and looked at the little girl with a tired face, after all, it was already very late, so she said, "Just let the water come, you don't need to serve." You go to rest. ”

Hongliu smiled, "Okay." ”

——

Guan Ping said that he would come back soon after some things, but there was no trace for seven or eight days. is unfamiliar with life, if it weren't for the fact that there was a red willow with him, Sheng Mingzhu would have had little patience.

"Madam, give you back these earrings." On this day, the red willow came to serve her, but her eyes were a little red, as if she had just cried.

After getting along for a few days, Sheng Mingzhu asked, "Why are you crying, is someone bullying you?" ”

Hongliu shook her head, "No—I didn't know that the things Madame gave me were so valuable. Red Willow came to serve Madame, and the wages that should be given to the minister were all happy, this thing is too valuable-"

It was for this, but I thought that the little girl was scolded by her family. The emerald earrings were given to her by her grandmother before she got married, and she never wore them. However, the things in the treasury of the old country are all worth thousands of gold, and I didn't pay attention to this when I gave it to the little girl before.

"Well, since it's already been returned to me, don't cry," he thought, and opened his cage again, and swept out a red pendant from it, "This thing is not very valuable, I made it myself when I was a girl, you can take it and play with it." ”

The strips of cloth don't have a gem or anything, but they look really beautiful. Hongliu is not very old, and she likes the pair of earrings very much, but she was sent back by her mother's request, and she was sad in her heart, and she saw that the little lady gave her such a beautiful headdress.

Although it was very beautiful, it was not as valuable as the previous earrings, so I was a little hesitant and wanted to accept it.

"You take it, if the elders in the family say it again, you will say that you have done a good job, and I will reward it for you."

Sheng Mingzhu said this, and Hongliu accepted it with a smile, and picked up a comb from the side to comb Sheng Mingzhu's hair. The person in the mirror was tactful, a few days have passed, and it is still beautiful in the eyes of Hongliu, "Guan Xianggong will not come back for several days, if Mrs. is bored alone in the inn, Hongliu will accompany you out for a walk." ”

Sheng Mingzhu shook his head, "No need. ”

When her hair was combed, she went back to the church. The opera that I couldn't understand a few days ago has been listening to it for a long time in the past two days, and I have gradually found some doorways. Hongliu watched from the sidelines, no matter how she looked at this little lady, she was reluctant to leave such a beautiful little lady alone in the inn.

Guan Ping went to the eighth day and came back early in the morning.

These days, Sheng Mingzhu is alone in the inn, although there is a proprietress to take care of it, but after all, it is a piece of fresh tofu that will always attract the attention of others. It's a little boring to stay in the attic all day.,When you have nothing to do to listen to music, you will always meet someone who wants to talk.,The first few times the boss lady helped solve it.。

On this day and night, Sheng Mingzhu was about to go back to the room with Hongliu, but was stopped by a drunken and reckless man.

"Beauty, you said that you have been here for almost half a month, what about your father-in-law?"

Hongliu stopped in front of Sheng Mingzhu, and the drunk man still wanted to go over, "Zuo, but he is not here these days, I will accompany you-" Hongliu is a little girl, and she can't stop such a big man, and she quickly grabbed Sheng Mingzhu's hand. Sheng Mingzhu knows some kung fu, but there is no whip beside him, how can he be a man's opponent purely by strength.

"You let go of me!"

He was dragged from the corner of the attic, and the red willow was pulling Sheng Mingzhu beside him, and it was late at night, and there were few people around. Sheng Mingzhu was dragged by him and was about to go in another direction, so he bit him hard in a hurry, the man let go of his hand, Hongliu hurriedly pulled her and ran, and the two of them hurriedly used the table to reach the door when they entered the house.

There was a crackling sound outside and slamming the door, and Hongliu was so frightened that she walked back and forth, "What should I do, today a sister-in-law followed the cook to buy food outside." ”

Sheng Mingzhu was a little annoyed when he heard the crackling sound of slamming the door outside, as well as the drunken voice of the reckless man, threatening every word, shook his head and said, "Resist you, he shouldn't be able to come in." Sister-in-law Chen should come back tomorrow. Hongliu was still not very relieved, and took out a stick from behind the door, "Madam, you sleep, I will help you guard it."