The Autumn Festival is coming soon, and before that, something happened in the Gu Mansion that was not big or small.

Huan Ling was discovered by Mama Song in Mrs. Gu's house because she stole an inkstone from Master Gu, and Mrs. was the master of the battle. Hengyue Moxiang and the other girls were all called by Mama Song to the outer courtyard to watch the punishment at that time, and when they came back, everyone was pale, and it took several days of trembling to slightly return to some normalcy.

Gu Xiyan didn't know about it when he was executed, and he only heard about it afterwards.

Duanniang was very worried, and discussed Gu Xiyan: "Is the book a return or a ......?"

Gu Xiyan was a little sad in his eyes, and muttered: "Is Huan Ling the only one who stole something?" ”

Duan Niangqi said: "Of course, he is the only one, and he is too bold." ”

Gu Xiyan said: "You don't have to return the book." ”

Duan Niang was puzzled, but Gu Xiyan stared blankly at the big tree outside the window, looking preoccupied. Duan Niang thought to herself: Yes, Huan Ling is dead, so if you have anything, just push it on him.

Everyone was admonished to speak and act more cautiously than before, and the room was often quiet, and the atmosphere of the Autumn Festival seemed to have been affected somewhat.

The day before the Autumn Festival, Mama Song came to invite Gu Xiyan, saying that Mrs. Gu had something to call her. When I arrived at Mrs. Gu's house, it turned out to be a gift for the Autumn Festival: "Although there is no formal apprenticeship, you still have to go to Aunt Cui in person, I have prepared things for you, let Mama Song accompany you." ”

Gu Xiyan nodded in response, and went to Cui Baoyi with Mama Song.

Cui Baoyi was already full of gifts, and it seemed that Gu Xiyan and the others were not the only ones who thought of giving Cui Baoyi a gift on the Autumn Festival.

Gu Xiyan sat symbolically at Cui Baoyi's place for a while before leaving, and Cui Baoyi didn't keep them any longer, and asked a middle-aged woman named Mama Wu to send them out. As I walked along the alley of the courtyard, two young girls were greeted by someone. The girl walking in front has a beautiful complexion, her hair is like a crow, her face is like a spring flower, her eyes are like autumn water, her figure is long and slender, she is wearing a light green Luo Yi gown, her expression is elegant and refined, like a narcissus in the corner alone; The woman who followed her was a head shorter than her, wearing a pink robe, and carrying a small bamboo basket with a lid, and she couldn't see what was inside. She has weak bones and slender shapes, peach face and apricot cheeks, although she is not as good as the girl in front, but she is also a beauty with flower muscles and snow appearance.

Mama Wu stopped when she saw the two girls from a distance, bowed her head respectfully and gave way, but Gu Xiyan looked at the visitor with a smile.

The tall girl felt Gu Xiyan's gaze, and couldn't help but stop in front of them, and said with a smile: "What a peugeot little girl, isn't it just a girl from which family?" Although the tone of his voice was cordial, there was a faint sense of superiority.

Mama Wu immediately stepped forward and replied flatteringly: "If you go back to the girl of the moon, it is the second girl of the Gu family, who has just come back from Shuzhou, and she is going to Mr. Cui to take classes after the Autumn Festival." ”

The girl named Comb Yue nodded proudly at Gu Xiyan, and then walked away.

Mama Song asked curiously, "Whose girl is this?" ”

Mama Wu walked out with them and explained with a smile: "It's Miss Fang's personal maid." ”

Gu Xiyan smiled.

is really the prime minister's concierge seven-rank official, a personal servant of the Fang family can do this to the minister's daughter, it can be seen that there is a flame on the temple!

The two returned to Mrs. Gu to reply, and from a distance, they saw several girls and grandmothers standing cautiously in the small garden.

Mama Song's face changed when she saw this, and she said to Gu Xiyan: "I'll send the girl back to Beyuan, and I'll go and talk back here, madam." ”

Gu Xiyan smiled: "Then it's troublesome." ”

Mama Song nodded to Gu Xiyan absentmindedly, and then ran towards the group of girls, Gu Xiyan took the opportunity to hide behind a big tree on the side of the road. As soon as Mama Song left, a middle-aged woman about the same age as Mama Song walked out of the group, and the two walked aside alone and whispered.

Gu Xiyan trotted all the way back to Beyuan, and she called out Mo Ju: "You go to Shouyuan to have a look." ”

Mo Ju left in response.

Gu Xiyan waited in the room a little anxiously, and couldn't read the book anymore.

Finally Mo Ju came, Gu Xiyan pulled her and closed the door, and asked, "What's wrong?" ”

Mo Ju's face turned pale and muttered, "I don't know what's going on, the people guarding the garden won't say anything." I only know that Mama Song was beaten by the master and only had one breath left, and she was thrown in the middle of the flower garden, and she was not allowed to ask for a doctor......"

Gu Xiyan gasped, lowered his head and thought deeply: "Go and explore again, if there is something to report in time."

In the evening, news came from the Shouyuan side, saying that Song Meizhi's grandmother had died.

Gu Xiyan felt a chill in her heart, and asked Mo Ju: "Have you reported to the official?" ”

Mo Juqi said: "A subordinate died, and he was the son of his wife's mother's family, what kind of official should he report!" ”

Gu Xiyan looked at Mo Ju with a faint look in his eyes, and he couldn't say a word for a long time.

She tossed and turned and stayed awake all night.

The next day, during the Autumn Festival, Gu Xiyan got up early in the morning and went to Shouyuan to greet Mrs. Gu.

A thin veil of mist shrouded the garden, the flowers in the flowerbed stood quietly, budding to be released, and unknown birds chirped and flew around on the flowerbed, playing with each other and crying gracefully, and the silence was full of vitality. The people in the garden were all grim-faced, as if they were facing a great enemy, and they created a tense and depressing atmosphere less than five steps away from the flower garden, and clearly divided the garden path into two worlds.

Mrs. Gu had already gotten up, her hair was meticulously combed, her face was expressionless, and her eyebrows and eyes, which usually looked graceful, looked so dull at the moment. The person waiting beside her has been replaced by Mama Tian that Gu Xiyan saw in the hugging building.

Gu Xiyan gave her tea according to the rules, and Mrs. Gu dealt with her with strong spirits: "You go back first, let Aunt Duan accompany you out for a walk at night, the lantern festival in Shengjing has been very lively in the past two years." ”

Gu Xiyan listened to her instructions more obediently than usual, but Liu Er's cautious voice came from outside the door: "Madam, the fragrance of the trees in the old man's house is here." ”

Before Liu Er's voice fell, the atmosphere in the room immediately became a little tense.

Gu Xiyan lowered her head and pretended to drink tea, but secretly peeked at Mrs. Gu's expression.

Mrs. Gu lowered her eyelids, looking a bland image of closing her eyes and recuperating her mind, but the hand holding the teacup shook gently like a sifting of sugar, revealing her mood at the moment. She said in a calm and deep voice, "Please let him in!" ”

Liu Er answered, and after a while, the fragrance of the tree came in.

The fragrance of the tree is no longer the first time Gu Xiyan saw him, his round little face is pale and pale, his eyes shining like jewels are dull, and the whole person is as spiritless as a frosted eggplant.

As soon as he came in, he respectfully knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Mrs. Gu, and said softly: "The master asked the little one to come and tell the lady, just say that today is the Autumn Festival, the master wants to treat him in Jinyuan, and the lady will arrange it." ”

As soon as Shuxiang's words fell, Mrs. Gu suddenly opened her eyes, her eyes were peaceful and calm, the corners of her mouth were also smiling, and the hand holding the teacup was no longer shaking, as if she had returned to her usual gentleness and generosity. She said softly, "My lord can bring you a list of treats." ”

Shuxiang hurriedly pulled out a few pieces of paper from her sleeve and handed them over.

Mama Tian next to her stepped forward to catch the paper, and Mrs. Gu said softly: "Got it." ”

When Shuxiang heard this, she stood up as if she had been granted amnesty, said "Then I'm leaving" and ran away.

Mrs. Gu lowered her head and asked softly, "Who are you invited?" ”

Mama Tian opened the paper and read: "Shao Min, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, Fang Shaofeng, the left attendant of the Ministry of Works, Lei Zhen, the right attendant of the Criminal Department, and Li Xuanwen, the left deputy of the Imperial Palace. ”

Mrs. Gu listened quietly and didn't look up: "You go down and prepare according to the rules!" ”

Mama Tian answered softly "yes", and then tiptoed down.

Gu Xiyan took the opportunity to leave.

Mrs. Gu looked up at her.

At this moment, Gu Xiyan found that Mrs. Gu's face had a look of fatigue, as if she was ten years old.

Coming out of the garden, she heard someone crying quietly at the edge of the woods.

Gu Xiyan sighed and left quietly.

The evening came soon, and the Gu family, as usual, gathered all the servants in the house, and then Master Gu and Mrs. Gu put red envelopes on them together, leaving a few older and steady grandmothers, and everyone else could go out to play after dinner. Gu Xiyan is a girl in the house, so naturally she can't participate in the ceremony of giving out red envelopes, only to hear Mo Ju come back and sigh: "I'm worried that I can't go out to play this year, who knows that the lady and the master are affectionate, and we also got red envelopes......"

Gu Xiyan's heart was cold again.

Her house is full of little girls, according to the rules, Aunt Duan should stay on duty for the night, but Talang took the initiative to ask for the night: "Aunt Duan hasn't been back to Shengjing for a few years, it's rare to encounter such a season, and there are old sisters to accompany her, so let's go out and play." I'm a quiet and immobile person, so I stay and guard the house. ”

Hengyue rolled her eyes and said, "I'm the oldest in this room, so I'll guard the house." You go out with the second girl. ”

Duan Niang smiled: "You all go play, this year I will guard the house, and next year you will take turns one by one." ”

Hengyue said: "How can it be done, the second girl has to have a safe person to accompany you......"

Duan Niang smiled and said, "You don't have to worry, I invited Mama Zhao to accompany the girl today." ”

Gu Xiyan has been under the fence since he was a child, and every year when he comes to festival parties, he spends most of his time in the kitchen before meals to help cook, and most of the time after meals in the kitchen to help clean up the dishes and chopsticks...... developed a temperament that she doesn't like to join in the fun. She smiled and said, "It's better to go out and play, I'll keep the house at home......"

Of course, everyone is against it.

Who dares to let their leaders be on duty and go to rest by themselves?

Gu Xiyan excused himself: "I still have books that I haven't finished reading, and I'm going to Aunt Cui tomorrow, even if I go out to play, I don't have the heart to do so." Go ahead, don't say I'm ...... at home."

No matter what Gu Xiyan said, Duan Niang just didn't agree with Gu Xiyan's approach, and in the end, Mama Zhao came over and thought of a compromise solution, "I'll accompany the girl at home, and you all go out to play", so we reached an agreement.