Wan'er listened to Xia Ruixi say that there was something very important for her to do, and her heart was a little better, and she smiled: "Please ask Miss to command." ”

Xia Ruixi said: "You go and open the small mahogany box at the head of my bed, which contains a few boxes of Avon Zhai's rouge and incense powder, as well as a few square silk scarves." You take a box of incense powder, a box of rouge, and a silk scarf and send it to Liniang; Take another box of rouge and a silk scarf to Zhen'er. Let's just say that I bought it for the two of them in the capital, and there is no need to say anything else. There is also a baggage, which is full of rouge gouache, you send it to the old lady's room and let the girls share it. ”

The old lady won't talk about it, Liniang and Zhen'er are both powerful people around Mrs. Xia, especially Liniang, who is in charge of the division of duties and responsibilities of the servants in the backyard, and the monthly money is distributed. Usually Wan'er doesn't praise the two of them, but when she got this opportunity, Wan'er was really happy, and she was busy smiling and going to get things, planning to give a few small gifts prepared by her family by the way.

Xia Ruixi immediately looked at Liang'er with a cold face: "I thought that you would be much more sensible after that beating, but it turned out that you still misjudged you, and you are still embarrassed!" ”

Liang'er panicked, and hurriedly knelt down and said, "The slave is wrong, please punish the young lady." ”

Xia Ruixi looked at her coldly: "What are you doing wrong?" Tell me about it. ”

Liang'er opened her mouth and only glanced at Chun'er with her eyes, hoping that Chun'er would give her a hint. Who knew that Chun'er buried herself in her own things, and ignored her at all, so she had to grit her teeth and say, "Please make it clear to my sister." ”

Xia Ruixi said: "What did Madam ask you to do with me?" ”

"It's for the young lady."

"Why were you beaten last time?"

"Slaves and maids are talkative and troublesome, and they compete with others." When Liang'er said this, she suddenly understood that she shouldn't show off in front of Wan'er and Chun'er, and she shouldn't always want to overpower Wan'er, kowtowed: "The slave knows it's wrong." I also begged Miss to give Liang'er another chance. ”

Xia Ruixi said: "The reason why the backyard is uneasy is because you have these hearts of comparison and competition, which will give rise to many incidents. You remember, I want a loyal, hard-working girl, not a girl who talks about everything, plays tricks, and always wants to suppress others. If you really want to get ahead like this, I gave my mother and asked you to go to the house as an errand, I have a small temple here, and I can't keep the Bodhisattva, so I went early, so I can find another suitable person to serve. ”

Liang'er cried when she heard this: "The slave maid is just a little rotten, where do you dare to give birth to these dirty thoughts?" Miss is as kind to the slave and maid as a mountain, and you will not leave the slave and the slave will not go, and the slave and the maid will change these bad habits in the future. Please punish the young lady, no matter how you punish the slave and maid, you will not be dissatisfied. ”

Wan'er stopped at the door with her things, and listened to Xia Ruixi's words word for word, just to see how she punished Liang'er.

Xia Ruixi said: "Wan'er, you go and tell Liniang, let her be Mrs. Ming, Liang'er is careless, deduct her money for a month, Chun'er has merit in taking care of the third lady along the way, and she will be promoted to a first-class girl." "Chun'er was alert and brave when she was in the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple, she saved Xia Ruixi's life, and she should have been promoted to a first-class girl a long time ago, but because she wanted to cover up the facts, she had to wait until now to find the level of this suitable excuse.

Chun'er hurriedly came over and kowtowed to thank her, Xia Ruixi saw that Wan'er responded in her mouth, but her body didn't move, knowing that she was not angry in her heart, she said with a smile: "Wan'er, if you don't go again, it's too late, it's even more uncomfortable, and I'm tired, so I'll let Chun'er go." ”

Wan'er hurriedly went to the upper room, finished her errands, and came to Xia Ruixi to reply. When she entered the room, she saw Xia Ruixi leaning on the bedside reading alone, and Chunliang and the others were not by her side. went over and turned on the wick, replied, and changed Xia Ruixi with a hot tea.

Xia Ruixi's eyes were on the page: "Don't make tea, give me a glass of white water, right?" I'm going to sleep, and I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep after drinking tea. Let's go and rest when you're done, you don't have to keep a vigil tonight. ”

Wan'er did as she was told, standing aside but not leaving, and not making a sound.

Xia Ruixi looked at two more pages of the book, and then pretended to have just found Wan'er, and said in surprise: "Why are you still resting?" But what's the matter? ”

Wan'er knelt down in front of Xia Ruixi and said with tears in her eyes: "Miss, don't you want a slave?" ”

Xia Ruixi was secretly amused in his heart, but he pretended to be surprised: "Where did you come from?" Who told you? ”

Wan'er said: "No one told the slave maid that the slave maid guessed it herself." ”

Xia Ruixi said: "You get up and speak, why do you guess like this?" ”

Wan'er's tears kept flowing, and she had a thousand words in her belly, but she didn't know where to start.

Xia Ruixi frowned and thought for a long time before saying, "Do you think that I raised Chun'er to be a first-class girl, and Mrs. asked Liang'er to learn to comb her hair, these are all things you did in the past, afraid that they will squeeze you away?" ”

This said that Wan'er's heart went to it, but Wan'er didn't dare to say yes, but said: "If there is anything bad about the slave maid, the slave maid will change it, please give the slave maid a chance." But don't drive out the slaves and maidservants. ”

Xia Ruixi smiled: "Wan'er, do you remember that you said the same thing to me no less than ten times?" Every time you make a mistake, you say the same thing to me. Do you think our love in the past ten years is enough for you to toss like this a few times? ”

Wan'er was shocked: "Miss, the slave has been keeping quiet during this time, and she hasn't done anything that shouldn't be done, please Miss Mingjian." ”

Xia Ruixi said: "It's not that you have done something during this time, if you have done something again, can you still stand in front of me now?" The third lady is a poor person, you are familiar with it, smart and capable, it is most suitable to be a first-class girl there. She stopped at this point and motioned for Wan'er to bring her water to drink.

Wan'er almost fainted, and her hands were shaking. Xia Ruixi drank the water slowly, feeling that the heat was almost over, Fang said: "You have done an excellent job during this time, if you continue to keep it, I will not fail to remember the old feelings, if there are any more mistakes, you understand?" ”

Wan'er whispered with tears in her eyes: "The slave understands. ”

"Let's go down."

When she retreated to the door, Xia Ruixi called her again: "There is something, I forgot to tell you." You have done a good job during this time, but it has not been long since you were demoted last time, and it was opened by the master himself, so it is not good for you to be a first-class girl again so quickly. But when you are old, you also have to save some dowry, so let's go and tell Liniang tomorrow that I will take money from my monthly money to give you a monthly increase in the future, so that you will still get the monthly money of a first-class girl. You are an old man after all, who in this courtyard dares to disrespect you, you come and tell me. ”

Wan'er is transparent, and now she knows that as a girl, it is impossible for her to accompany Xia Ruixi to marry the Ou family, if she wants to keep her status and wants to follow Xia Ruixi, there is only one way to go, that is, to follow as a daughter-in-law. At the moment, he held back his tears and thanked Xia Ruixi, and quietly withdrew without mentioning it.

Early in the morning of the second day, Li Niang personally came to invite Xia Ruixi to Mrs. Xia's room. When she arrived at the upper room, Xia Ruibei was already sitting, Xia Ruixi asked Mrs. Xia to say goodbye, and Mrs. Xia responded lightly, signaling Liniang to take the other girls in the room out. There were only three Niang and four Liniang in the house.

Xia Ruixi looked at this situation, and vaguely guessed a few points in his heart, Mrs. Xia was going to use the means again.

Mrs. Xia was not verbose, and said to Li Niang: "Take out the things." ”

Li Niang took out a palm-sized yellow rosewood box from the depths of the dressing table, took a small silver key tied with a green sweat towel from the waist door, carefully opened the lock, and put it on the table in front of the two Xia Ruixi sisters.

Xia Ruixi looked at the four delicate glass bottles the size of his thumb inside, and reached out to take them, but was nervously stopped by Liniang: "Second Miss, just take a look, don't touch it." ”

Seeing Li Niang's nervous look, Xia Ruixi couldn't help but ask curiously, "What is this?" "Poison? Who is Mrs. Xia going to attack against? Could it be that you want to poison Xiang'er and Lan'er? That Wan'er and Chun'er also know something, do they have to die with them?

Mrs. Xia didn't answer, and raised her chin at Xia Ruibei: "You can pick a bottle yourself." ”

The room was suddenly silent, and Xia Ruibei looked at Mrs. Xia with a white face: "Mother, what do you mean?" What is it? What did I pick to do? ”

Mrs. Xia's slender and pure fingers pointed at the two glass bottles: "This is a dumb medicine, after pouring it, this person will never speak again in this life; This is poison, drink it, less than half a pillar of incense, people will definitely die. You pick one of these two bottles. ”

Xia Ruibei pointed out her voice and said, "So what? Why should I pick? ”

Mrs. Xia put her hand at Liniang, and Liniang bowed and withdrew.

Mrs. Xia stood up and slapped Xia Ruibei violently, causing Xia Ruibei to be dizzy and fall to the ground. Xia Ruixi hurriedly grabbed Mrs. Xia: "Mother, I have something to say." ”

Mrs. Xia pointed at Xia Ruibei and whispered, "You did a good job!" I've lost all my face to you. How dare you? How dare you? Where is all the etiquette and shame I taught you? Are you going to be angry with your father, drag me to be a widow with you, make your sister unable to hold her head up in her mother-in-law's house, and be driven out by that old pious woman, so that your second sister can't get married, and your younger brother can't marry the right daughter-in-law, and you can only be a flat-headed person for the rest of your life, so that the whole family can bury you? ”

Xia Ruibei got up and ran: "I understand, you can give me that bottle of poison directly!" ”

Mrs. Xia sneered: "Okay, you are simply! Hee-hee, give it to her! ”

Xia Ruixi remained neutral and dissuaded one after another. How could Mrs. Xia be willing to poison Xia Ruiyan? At most, it's just to scare Xia Ruiyan, if she really listens to Mrs. Xia's words and hands the bottle to Xia Ruibei, she is really stupid.

Mrs. Xia said: "Look at her appearance, she is still obsessed, if she really makes a mistake again, it will be a catastrophe!" Instead of letting her be scolded by thousands of people, I might as well cut her off myself as soon as possible! As he spoke, he handed the poison to Xia Ruibei: "Don't you want to die?" If you eat it, your intestines will rot, and you will be gone! ”

Xia Ruibei didn't dare to reach out to pick it up at this time, and Mrs. Xia sneered: "Don't want to die? Reluctant to die? If you are reluctant to die, choose a bottle to wipe away the ugly things you have done! ”

It turned out that Mrs. Xia wanted Xia Ruibei to deal with Xiang'er and Lan'er by herself. Xia Ruixi felt cold in his heart, and held back the discomfort in his heart: "Mother, I'm not feeling well, I'm quitting." ”

"Wait a minute, I'll have something to tell you. If you don't feel well, just go and sit on the side. Mrs. Xia's eyes swept over Xia Ruixi's face, and she knew what she was thinking and what she was afraid of, but she refused to let her go, insisting that she be a guest.