Coming out of Yuan Niang, they still sat in the green curtain car when they came, walked about a pillar of incense to the west, and then turned left onto a sandwich road, and then turned left out of the sandwich road, and stopped in front of a Guangliang door.

Gray tube tile, clear water wall, black lacquer door, there is a figure of eight wall shadow outside the door, the left side carves a "Fu" word, the left and right carve a "Shou" word, there are people high. The five stone blue steps in front of the door are chiseled into five blessings and longevity patterns. Two little maidens were playing on the steps, and when they saw the carriage stop, one ran in smoke, and the other came forward to salute.

Brother Zhen shouted "Little Peony" to the little girl.

It can be seen that he is very familiar with the people in Mrs. Tai's courtyard.

Xiao Shao responded with a smile, and Mother Xu touched a few pennies from her sleeve to reward the little girl. The little maid thanked the reward, and a few maids wearing official green bichics walked out surrounded by a maid wearing ivory yellow bichimonos.

"Mrs. in-laws, the slave maid is Wei Zi in front of Mrs. Tai." The maid wearing the tooth yellow armor respectfully saluted the eldest lady and the others, and saluted the elder brother with a smile: "Lord, did you accompany your grandmother to see Mrs. Tai?" ”

Brother Zhen smiled shyly.

Mother Xu took the purse out and rewarded everyone, Wei Zi and the others thanked them generously, and the group entered the door.

Facing is a rockery with strange rocks, and there are hand-copying verandahs on both sides.

On the rockery, there is a vine that climbs or swaying like a green belt, or a vine that bends like a green line, the grass and trees at the foot of the mountain are verdant, dotted with a few small flowers that are yellow or red or orchid, although it is full of wild interest, it is a scene of spring flowers.

Shi Niang was taken aback, and after a closer look, she found that the dark red Dafang Taoge crisscrossed like a chessboard was faintly revealed between those plants and trees - it turned out that these plants and trees did not grow in the underground soil, but were planted in square clay jars.

It must have been cultivated in a greenhouse and then moved over.

She thought to herself, and with a smile on her face, she followed the eldest lady from the verandah on the right to the hall.

Through the hall of three rooms, in the middle of a four-leaf pine crane to welcome guests of the rosewood glass screen, around the screen, left and right are copying hand verandah, in the middle of a small three-room hall.

Then Yao Huang smiled and said: "A few mothers have worked hard, come with me to have a cup of tea!" ”

It turned out that it didn't matter, don't follow it.

Mother Xu glanced at Ziwei, Amber and the others, and said with a smile: "There is Miss Lao Yao Huang." Then he took them to the back of the cover room with Yao Huang from the corner door next to the small hall, Brother Zhen was held by the nurse, and the eldest lady, Wu Niang, Eleven Niang, Aunt Wen and the two maids followed by Brother Zhen followed Wei Zi through the small hall and to the main courtyard behind.

The upper room of five rooms, black lacquered floor-to-ceiling columns, large glass windows, snow-white brocade curtains, stone blue passionflower splint curtains, parrots and thrushes on both sides and other birds, the courtyard is paved with a cross bluestone road, and two towering trees in the northwest corner, the branches and leaves are like umbrellas covering the roof. A tall tree in the northeast corner, with no leaves and no flowers, and brown branches and knots. A flower stand in the southeast corner, crawling full of green vines, under the stone table, stone pier, there is an elegant and simple atmosphere rushing to the face.

The maids who had already received the letter stood in front of the steps and saw them coming, some helped to open the curtains, and some said inward: "Master Zhen is here with his wife." ”

As they entered the room, a large group of women dressed in red and green walked in with a tall woman in their arms.

Brother Zhen has shouted: "Grandmother! ”

Eleven Niang knew that this was Yuan Niang's mother-in-law and the lady of Yongping Houfu, so she couldn't help but look carefully.

Mrs. Tai looked two or three years younger than the eldest lady, and wore a stone blue gourd butterfly pattern gown and a ginger yellow skirt. His jet-black hair was combed into a bun, and he wore only two coral turquoise wax beads on his sideburns. He has fair skin, a slightly plump body, and a round and fair face with very gentle eyes.

She smiled at Brother Zhen, and then took a few steps forward to give a blessing to Mrs. Zai: "Sister, it's really ashamed to let you move." ”

The eldest lady also squatted down to return the salute to Mrs. Tai when she squatted down: "Isn't it embarrassing for my sister to say this." He also introduced Wu Niang and Eleven Niang to Mrs. Tai: "These are my two unsuccessful daughters." The big one is Wu Niang, and the small one is Eleven Niang. ”

Wu Niang and Eleven Niang hurriedly stepped forward to salute Mrs. Tai.

The eldest lady smiled and looked at the two carefully: "The pearl is like morning dew, they are really two beautiful girls." ”

"Mrs. Tai has won the award." The eldest lady was modest.

Mrs. Tai introduced to the eldest lady a forty-year-old woman wearing a deep lotus purse satin embroidered with a cloud crane pattern: "This is Mrs. Qiao of Chengguo's Mansion." ”

The two saluted each other.

Mrs. Tai pointed to a little girl with bright eyes and bright teeth next to Mrs. Qiao: "This is the sixth lady of Cheng Guogong's mansion." ”

The eldest lady smiled and nodded at the little girl, and politely called "Miss Qiao".

Miss Qiao saluted the eldest lady, and met with Wu Niang and Eleven Niang.

Mrs. Qiao pointed at Aunt Wen and said, "This is ......."

Mrs. Tai smiled: "It's Si'er's little star." ”

Aunt Wen hurriedly stepped forward to salute Mrs. Qiao, Mrs. Qiao smiled and nodded, rewarded her with a purse, and said, "Master Hou is really blessed." Look at my aunt's appearance, she is small and clever, and she is really cute! ”

Mrs. Tai smiled and invited Mrs. Tai and Mrs. Qiao to the second room of the daily banquet in the west. Mrs. Tai and Mrs. Tai sat on the kang by the window, and the little maid brought the Taishi chair and put it under Mrs. Tai for Mrs. Qiao to sit on, and brought a brocade pestle to Miss Qiao and Wu Niang, Eleven Niang, and Aunt Wen to sit on.

Brother Zhen greeted Mrs. Tai and Mrs. Qiao. Mrs. Qiao hugged Brother Zhen left and right, looked at it left and right, praised it, rewarded the purse, and handed Brother Zhen to Miss Qiao, and asked Miss Qiao to hold the child to Mrs. Tai.

I don't know if it was the fun purse given by Mrs. Qiao that Brother Zhen was attracted to, or because he was about to return to his grandmother's arms, Brother Zhen struggled in Mrs. Qiao's arms, and when Miss Qiao was in his arms, he didn't move.

Mrs. Qiao smiled and said, "Brother Zhen has a relationship with the sixth sister of our family. ”

Mrs. Tai didn't say anything, just smiled and touched Brother Chen's head, and instructed Wei Zi: "Take Brother Zhen to play in the Warm Pavilion!" ”

Wei Zi hugged Brother Zhen in response, and Aunt Wen stood up with a smile: "Mrs. Tai, I'll go and accompany Brother Chen!" ”

Mrs. Tai glanced at her with a smile and said, "Then be careful, don't bump the child into it!" ”

Mrs. Qiao, who was on the side, suddenly interjected: "Otherwise, Sixth Sister, you will also accompany Brother Zhen." He said to Mrs. Tai again, "The sixth sister of our family just likes children, and several nephews and nieces in the family are clamoring for her when they see her." ”

Miss Qiao's face was slightly red, and she whispered coquettishly: "Auntie...... You're really ......."

Mrs. Tai smiled and said, "Miss Six is a guest!" How to labor her. ”

"You are an elder, she is a junior, just command, how can you say 'labor'!" looked like she insisted on asking Miss Qiao to accompany Brother Zhen to the warm pavilion.

Mrs. Tai smiled and said, "Otherwise, Miss Qiao will help me accompany the two in-laws!" We are older and talk together, so that they will not be bored at the young age! ”

Miss Qiao immediately stood up obediently and answered "yes", and moved the brocade to sit with Wu Niang and Eleven Niang, and Mrs. Tai talked to the eldest lady about the things along the way. When did you start from Yuhang, when did you get there, and when did you arrive in Tongzhou......

is talking about accompanying Wu Niang and Eleven Niang, but the adults are talking, and no one dares to interject, let alone whisper on the side. Miss Qiao just sat next to Wu Niang and Eleven Niang.

A maid came in and said: "Mrs. Tai, Lin Bo next to the Hou Ye, the emperor left the Hou Ye to speak, I am afraid that it will be late to come back today, let me talk to the wife of the in-laws, and I will visit the house in person." ”

"I don't know what I'm up to!" Mrs. Tai sighed when she heard this, turned to the eldest lady and said, "Please don't blame the in-laws." ”

The eldest lady was about to say something, but Mrs. Qiao smiled and said, "Master Hou is the pillar of the country, and he should put state affairs first. How could the wife of the in-laws blame. ”

When Mrs. Tai heard this, she smiled apologetically at the eldest lady: "Chengguo Mansion and our family are world friends. It was as if to explain Madame Joe's enthusiasm to the eldest lady.

"Exactly." Mrs. Qiao smiled when she heard this, "When our grandfather entered the Tiger Camp of the Royal Forest Army, the old marquis was the leader, and our grandfather was a camp guard, and he followed the old marquis every day. At that time, we hadn't gotten married, and he didn't go back to his house, so he followed the old marquis to my sister every day to eat......" he said, laughing, "Later, we became relatives, and he always said that the smoked venison in my sister's house was delicious, and he once sent someone to ask my sister for a piece back." Do you remember your sister? ”

"Yes." Mrs. Tai smiled faintly, not as enthusiastic as Madame Joe had shown.

Mrs. Qiao sighed softly: "Later, the old marquis passed away, and our grandfather was also sent to the northwest. My sister closed the door to thank us, and we came less......"

But the eldest lady heard some clues.

Since it is a world friend, how can there be less contact because her husband was sent to the northwest? Moreover, before the death of the old marquis, Xu Ling'an, the son of the Xu family who had always had high hopes, died of illness. Xu Ling'an's widow Xiang and Mrs. Tai couldn't stand the blow and fell ill, and her daughter suddenly took over the feed, and the third grandmother of the Xu family, Gan, has always been careless, and she is pregnant, not to mention what to help, even if she is serving in front of her mother-in-law's bed, she can't count on it, and she deliberately took Mrs. Tai's cousin to the house to accompany Mrs. Tai for more than half a year.

Thinking of this, she glanced at Mrs. Tai.

Sensing the eldest lady's gaze, the lady smiled helplessly at the eldest lady.

The eldest lady suddenly understood.

Something happened that year.

The "witch cup case" in the forty-sixth year of Jianwu involved several adult princes, and after the queen and the prince drank doves and died, the first emperor has not established a queen and a prince. That year, someone wrote a book and suggested that the ten princes born to the noble concubine Ye should be appointed as the prince. The emperor was furious and ordered Li Qing, a cabinet scholar, to thoroughly investigate the matter - only later did everyone know that Li Qing was on good terms with the Nine Emperors and took the opportunity to attack several other princes. But at that time, the "Wuzhu Case" was investigated for five years, and I don't know how many courtiers were involved, and the Yue family, who was the seventh prince, was also involved. If it weren't for the protection of his father-in-law, the old marquis would have died of illness again, but I am afraid that things will not be so simple and calm down.

She was serving her sick mother-in-law in Yuhang at that time, and she couldn't come to Yanjing, so she was anxious and complained that her father-in-law shouldn't have married her daughter to the Xu family......

If the Qiao family and the Xu family did not interact at that time, that is to say, the Qiao family supported other princes at that time!

The eldest lady couldn't help but smile coldly in her heart.

Now I know that I voted for the wrong person and rushed to the knot. Haven't you heard of "easy icing on the cake, hard to send charcoal in the snow"?

Eleven Niang also saw something wrong.

This Mrs. Qiao, although she looks down-to-earth and generous, has a lot of stammers with Mrs. Tai when she acts and speaks, is it a request?

Her heart moved, and her eyes couldn't help but fall on Miss Qiao's body.