Lin Boqin didn't know much about Governor Chen, he was round and chubby, his face was full of wrinkles when he smiled, and his eyes were very kind.

In Qingyuan County these years, Governor Chen appreciated Lin Boqin very much, and in front of the county orders in the past, Governor Chen praised Lin Boqin. But looking at the sixteen states of the Great Yuan, Governor Chen's political performance is very mediocre.

Last time, Huo Ying praised Lin Boqin in front of him, and reprimanded him, which made him a little unhappy in his heart.

This dismount is not too much, and it can make him discourage, so there is a "reception banquet" on the night of the Lantern Festival.

Lin Boqin didn't want Chu Cheng to go with him, but Chu Cheng was worried that he would be plotted by the cautious Chen Governor's Mansion, so he hugged his arm and didn't let go: "Go, let me go." ”

She hung on his arm, like a kitten, very clingy.

Lin Boqin couldn't help it, so he had to say: "That's it, if you want to go, you will be in the same hall with those female dependents, eat more and talk less, remember?" ”

"Remember!"

Chu Cheng smiled.

Thinking that they were going to a banquet on the night of the Lantern Festival, the two girls, Xi Du and Mao Bi, couldn't wait to let Chu Cheng wear the most gorgeous clothes and give her a head full of pearls.

Chu Ji looked inexplicable: "It's not to choose a concubine, what are you doing here?" ”

Xi Du took a golden hairpin and gestured on her head: "Madam, this time I went to the prefect's house for a banquet, I don't know how many officials and daughters will be there!" It was rare for Mabi to agree with Xi Dusk, and put on a pair of pearl ears for her, "Those officials and wives in the state city must have seen the world, although the lady is from Qingyuan County, but they can't be let look down on it." ”

Chu Cheng suddenly understood their thoughts, sighed, and took off the golden hairpin: "My husband has made Governor Chen's mansion unhappy this time, if I dress up again, won't it make my husband embarrassed?" ”

Xi Duan wanted to hold on a little longer, but Chu Cheng patted the back of her hand and said comfortingly, "You don't have to worry about this matter, find a plain dress." ”

Twilight sighed, turned around and took a set of snow-blue chiffon eight-panel dresses, and brought the rabbit fur cloak to put on her. While tidying up the corners of her clothes, she muttered: "Madame has an excellent appearance, even if she wears plain clothes, she can compare with those people." ”

Chu Cheng smiled silently.

Mabi casually put her in a bun, and Chu Cheng put on the silver hairpin that Lin Boqin gave her in the mirror, although it was a little monotonous, but it was even more beautiful and vulgar.

The corners of Chu Hui's mouth curled slightly, and she said with satisfaction: "Okay, bring the hand stove, let's go eat something delicious!" ”

The carriage to Chen's Mansion had stopped at the door, and Lin Boqin was wearing a light cyan robe, standing under the steps, reflecting the light snow, and he looked even more tall and handsome.

"Husband."

Chu Shen smiled and narrowed her eyes, standing side by side with him.

Lin Boqin subconsciously held her hand, looked at the peony flower silver hairpin on the top of her hair, and said, "You look better when you wear this, wearing a bright pearl flower." ”

Chu Ji clenched his hand and felt warm: "But I want to wear the silver hairpin given to me by my husband all the time, and I will never take it off." ”

She didn't care about what she said, and she didn't know whether it was intentional or unintentional, but she could always make Lin Boqin's heart ripple.

Lin Boqin turned his head embarrassedly and helped her to board the carriage.

This time it was Hu Yu who was driving, Xi Du stayed in the house, and Chu Cheng was afraid that it would be too eye-catching to bring the two girls, so she only brought Mao Bi. Hu Yu is sharp-tongued, and he is close to Mao Bi on the way to Chen's mansion, Mao Bi doesn't talk much to strangers, and basically doesn't open his mouth throughout the whole process, either "um" or "oh", with an indifferent attitude, Hu Yu is still chattering and telling jokes there, but he teases Chu Cheng in the carriage and leans back and forth.

Before Hu Yu's joke was finished, he had already arrived at the gate of Chen's mansion.

Lin Boqin handed over the invitation post, and a doorman took him to the inner courtyard.

The banquet is placed in the back garden, a total of two tables, separated by a landscape screen, is the flower hall where the female dependents are.

Chu Cheng came suddenly, like a bright pearl, attracting the attention of countless people. She stood behind Lin Boqin politely, bowed her head obediently, and made herself look like a woman in the house.

"Master Chen, I haven't seen you for a long time." Lin Boqin smiled and greeted Governor Chen, and he pointed to Chu Hui, "Neizi Li." ”

Governor Chen held his chubby belly, looked at Chu Cheng with small eyes, and said with a smile: "Lord Lin is so blessed, when I see Mrs. Zun, she is a lady who knows books and knows everything from the beginning." He deliberately pronounced the words "from the beginning to the end" very strongly, and Lin Boqin's face sank at that time.

Seeing that Lin Boqin didn't answer, Chu Cheng hurriedly raised her head and smiled slightly: "Thank you Lord Chen for your compliment, the concubine should serve her husband wholeheartedly." ”

Governor Chen didn't expect that she was a weak woman, she was not afraid of his official authority, she spoke without hurry, and her voice was sweet and soft, which was extremely pleasant.

He took a closer look at Chu Cheng again, and said in his heart that this widow is really stunning, no wonder Lin Boqin doesn't dislike her identity.

Governor Chen's eyes lifted and he laughed: "Lord Lin, this time you are promoted, this official invites colleagues in the government to pick up the wind and wash the dust with you, and get acquainted with you by the way." Prepare a little thin wine, and I hope you don't dislike it. ”

Lin Boqin just listened to Chu Cheng's answer, and the unhappiness in his heart had long disappeared, he raised his head and said with a light smile: "What did Lord Chen say, you carefully prepared a banquet for the lower officials, and the lower officials were too late to be grateful, how could you dislike it?" He raised his arm, "I would also like to ask Master Chen to introduce your colleagues." ”

"Sit down, sit down." Governor Chen led Lin Boqin to the table, and another maid took Chu Mingbi to the flower hall.

Before leaving, Lin Boqin glanced back at her, and Chu Cheng grinned, meaning to reassure him.

Before Chu Cheng and Mao Bi entered the flower hall, they heard a group of women chattering and laughing.

But I saw a large round table full of delicacies, full of seven or eight official wives, and many maidservants and maids standing quietly in the corner of the flower hall, holding copper flower hand stoves and washing basins.

In the middle, a woman in her forties, with a round face and big eyes, wearing an ink-colored gown with broken branches and plum blossoms, saw Chu Cheng enter the room, and said with a smile: "This must be Lord Lin's wife?" Hurry up, please take a seat. ”

Chu Cheng was not in a hurry to sit down, but politely bowed her knees to everyone, lowered her eyebrows, "Ladies and gentlemen." ”

The forty-year-old woman thought that Chu Cheng was from a small county town and didn't know much about the rules, but she didn't expect that she knew etiquette very well in her every move, and suddenly had a good impression, and said warmly: "Mrs. Lin doesn't have to be polite, everyone here is the wife and concubine of Lord Lin's colleagues. After speaking, she introduced Chu Cheng from left to right.

The forty-year-old woman's surname was Yun, and she was the wife of the Chen prefect. The one on her left wearing a bright pink satin blouse is the most favored Aunt Lan in the Chen Governor's Mansion. and Zhao Qi's wife Zhu, the official room inherited Zhang's family, etc., a total of eight people.

Chu Cheng saw the salute one by one, and even the lady who was lower than Lin Boqin's official position, she smiled in return, which made the Yun family like it even more.

"Mrs. Lin doesn't have to be stubborn, this banquet is to pick up the wind and wash the dust for Lord Lin, so I still have the light of Lord Lin!" Zhu's voice fell, and he raised his eyes to look at everyone, "Did you say that?" ”

At the moment, except for the Yun family, there were people who echoed in a low voice.

Chu Cheng frowned slightly, feeling that these words were a little harsh. She naturally refused to be left behind, raised her eyes and pretended to be surprised: "Could it be that the husbands of the ladies were promoted, and Lord Chen didn't set up a banquet for them?" ”

The women present looked at each other, it was not clear that the Chen Governor's Mansion did not like Lin Boqin to set up a banquet, and their husbands did not offend the Chen Governor's Mansion. But if you answer "there is no banquet", there is a kind of meaning that you are not appreciated by Governor Chen, and you are in a dilemma, and you don't know how to answer.

Chu Cheng couldn't help laughing.

The Zhu family had no choice but to raise the chopsticks awkwardly, "Eat, eat, everyone, eat quickly, it's going to be cold on such a cold day." ”

At that moment, everyone seemed to have found a point to alleviate the embarrassment, and they picked up dishes one after another.

During this period, a few more asked Chu Cheng some tricky questions, and Chu Cheng quietly blocked back. At this moment, Aunt Nalan suddenly said: "I think Mrs. Lin likes to eat this steamed sea bass, is it not often eaten by Mrs. Lin in Yunzhou?" Before Chu Cheng could answer, Aunt Nalan said in a sharp voice, "I heard that Mrs. Lin is not the first to marry Lord Lin, and she has had three husbands before. The third husband is an outsider and has a lot of money, has Mrs. Lin never eaten steamed sea bass? ”

This remark was so straightforward that almost all of them were stunned.

A few eyes that watched the show fell on Chu Cheng, and a few people whispered, but the Yun family reprimanded her dissatisfiedly: "Aunt Lan, in front of everyone, you must be more measured when you speak!" ”

"Sister, I'm just curious to ask, but I don't have anything else in mind." The corners of Aunt Lan's mouth hooked. thought to herself, Governor Chen deliberately confessed to let her make things difficult for the Li family, and she should do so. And the Yun family knew that the Chen Governor's Mansion was dissatisfied with Lin Boqin, and she still defended the Li family everywhere, no wonder the Chen Governor's Mansion became more and more displeased with her.

Chu Cheng's hand holding vegetables paused slightly, and the whole body behind her was trembling.

Under the gaze of everyone watching the show, Chu Cheng smiled calmly.

She elegantly touched the non-existent oil stains at the corners of her mouth with a silk handkerchief, raised her beautiful eyes, and said softly: "Aunt Lan is thinking about it, Yunzhou is near the river, and the perch is harvested every spring, and you can get one for ten cents." Don't say that it is my ex-husband who died early, who is a showman and butcher who was once married, and there are a lot of this perch on the table. Speaking of this, her tone changed, "Fortunately, four times I married someone else to be the main room, and if I want to eat sea bass, I can eat it all the time; If you want to buy a gadget, you can buy it casually. Unlike being small, all the food and clothing must be agreed by the main room; When you talk and do things, you also have to look at the face of the main room. ”

Chu Hui's words poked Aunt Lan's heart!

Aunt Lan has been favored by Governor Chen again in this life, she has always been a concubine, and she has always called the Yun family her sister. Although she doesn't have to worry about food and clothing, but the palm of the feed is in the hands of the Yun family, what she wants to eat and buy, and all the money she uses must be reported to her!

Her face was pale, but Chu Cheng became more and more leisurely.

The atmosphere at the dinner table seemed to be surging, and there was silence for a while.

In the end, it was the Yun clan who chuckled lightly and broke the embarrassment: "In this way, Lord Lin must be no worse than Mrs. Lin." ”

Chu Cheng smiled sweetly, and pulled out the peony and silver hairpin in the hair: "Yes, just like Lord Chen did to Mrs. Chen." ”

Everyone saw that the silver hairpin in her hand was extremely delicate and felt familiar, until the Yun clan also took down a silver hairpin with a lily in the middle of the hair, and everyone was shocked to realize that it was from the same person's hand.

Yun looked at the lily silver hairpin in his hand, he was not as happy as Chu Cheng thought, and even had a look of amazement between his eyebrows.