Shuning ignored these gossips, but it was the rumors that Miss Su had promised others that surprised her. She and Zhou Yinlan glanced at each other, and they both intended to follow and inquire.

I didn't go far when I saw a middle-aged man driving away the suitor at the gate of the Su Mansion in the distance. Zhou Yinlan quietly pulled Shuning to the side of the road. Xiao Tao probed his head and looked at it, retracted it and said, "I have seen that person, it is Su Zuoling's younger brother. Shuning nodded and continued to watch the play.

I saw that the second master Su scolded while driving people: "The little rabbit cub with a heart covered by lard, the toad wants to eat swan meat." You don't pee like you, and you dare to come to our door to spread wild? Don't you have a good sister and marry Prince Xian's son as a concubine? You haven't even earned a side fortune, do you really think of yourself as an uncle? Phew! Why don't you get out of here?! For the sake of the prince of the prince's mansion, if you don't beat you, if you don't know each other and leave, you will ask someone to do it! ”

He was so unkind that the people next to him were surprised. Zhou Yinlan whispered: "It's strange, although their family didn't have a good face before, they weren't so polite, but now looking at it like this, even their faces are torn?" Aren't they afraid that the prince's mansion will be angry? ”

Xiao Tao once again gave full play to her gossip expertise: "I know this, I heard that this person's sister, who is the concubine of Prince Xian's son, was found to have drugged a girl in the prince's room last month, causing her to have a miscarriage. When this happened, he almost didn't kick this little wife out of the house, but Prince Xian Fujin stopped it for the sake of face in the house. It's just that this aunt has fallen out of favor, and I'm afraid that she won't be able to turn over for the rest of her life. This person has no backers from the Prince's Mansion and no fame, so people naturally look down on him. ”

Shuning was speechless again, these news are supposed to be the secrets of the house, where did Xiao Tao hear about it?

Xiao Tao seemed to see the question on her girl's face, and took the initiative to explain: "The Yahuan pomegranate of the Ha family has always been good with me and Xiang'er, and the sister-in-law of the younger son of her uncle's aunt and cousin's aunt is now on an errand in Prince Xian's mansion, and she is the rough maid in the Fujin room of the prince. This matter was heard by Pomegranate, and it is absolutely trustworthy! ”

Shuning's whole person is petrified there, she should have known that she couldn't underestimate the gossip ability of Xiao Tao. Zhou Yinlan and Ying'er snickered on the side.

The show goes on over there. The brother-in-law of Prince Xian's son was not convinced: "My fair lady, the gentleman is good." I have taken it for granted. Besides, I'm still young, how do you know that I'm not going to be able to make it in the future? What's more, I am a talent, and I am infatuated, I am definitely a good match for Miss, as long as Miss gets along with me more, she will be able to find my benefits. Your family is just a leader, how dare you look down on me like this? ”

It's a pity that people only smacked him and ignored his rhetoric: "You save it." Although my brother is a leader, but my sister-in-law is a Mongolian noblewoman, the niece and granddaughter of the current Empress Dowager, our girl and the royal family are all related, golden branches and jade leaves, you are also worthy? You don't want to inquire, my eldest niece is already engaged and will be married next year. People are one of the best dignitaries, the owner of the Red Banner Banner, the son of Prince Likang in the capital, excellent martial arts, extremely favored by the saints, has been crowned the son, our girl married in the past, is the side of the genealogy of the side of the Fujin. This is a marriage given by the Empress Dowager in the palace herself. Much stronger than your sister, you? Cool off and go! ”

Without looking at the man who had been stimulated and fell to the ground, he shook his hand and stepped back into the gate, and several family members shouted and drove away the onlookers, who laughed loudly at the carboreal shape of the toad who wanted to eat swan meat, and pushed him out into the street.

Shuning looked around, pulled Zhou Yinlan's sleeve, she understood, and quietly led the others through the alley next to her, came to the street on the other side, found a soy milk shop, sat down and ordered a few bowls of soy milk.

Shuning saw that Zhou Yinlan was a little sullen, so she asked her what was wrong. Zhou Yinlan sighed: "On weekdays, I see Sister Su's flamboyant and self-styled appearance, but now that I have to marry into a powerful family, I am afraid that life will be sad." Shuning understood what she meant, and fell silent. Ying'er didn't understand, so she asked, "What do you mean, girl?" Isn't it good to marry such a noble person? I heard that the prince is also a talent, and he has a bright future. ”

Zhou Yinlan was silent, and Shuning explained for her: "Although the palace is high, the rules are also big, and the capital is not as free as our Fengtian City, but I am afraid that after the sister of the Su family marries, she will be bound by the rules of the palace." She is here with us, she has always been the master of the same, for the sake of her parents and grandfather's family, who doesn't let her score three points? But there are so many nobles in the capital, and she is not the main room, so I am afraid that she will be wronged. ”

Zhou Yinlan sighed: "Even if she knows that she is not happy to marry, what else can she do?" A woman has never been able to decide her own fate, let alone her marriage or royal will? Now that we see her as she is still so radiant, I wonder if she can still retain this brilliance when we see her again in the future? ”

Shuning was overjoyed by what she said. Although she didn't want to think about it, she also knew that with her family background, she would participate in the draft at the age of thirteen, and what her fate would be at that time was still unknown. According to the plot in the text, if she is elected to the palace, whether it is to be a female official until she is twenty-five years old, living a frightened life every day, or being made a concubine by the emperor and spending her life in loneliness, it is not the ending she wants; And if you are lucky, with a prince or a child of the clan, it will naturally be better, but you have to endure her husband's three wives and four concubines, and you have to worry that he will be involved in the turmoil of Kowloon to seize the heir, and there will be no body, which is not a good end.

The most ideal situation is that if you are not selected, you will be sent back to your own house to marry on your own, but who you want to marry at that time is still up to your parents, and you can't imagine that the grandparents in the Earl's Mansion in Beijing will be involved, no matter what the object is, the interests of the political marriage are supreme, and she doesn't even know how she died.

No matter what happens in the future, women in this era are just miserable, no matter who they are, their fate is in the hands of others. Although she has been raised by feudal ladies for many years, her deep-rooted dedication to freedom and independence from modern times still makes her desire to control her own destiny. She tried as carefully and carefully as she could to quietly improve her life and the lives of those around her, but it was not enough. In the future, will she be swallowed up by the old habits of this world and helplessly obey the wishes of others, or will she be tricked by the arrangement of fate and hit her head with the cruelty of reality?

Xiao Tao on the side was frightened by this heavy atmosphere, and she and Ying'er eyebrows went to each other for a long time before she hesitated to speak: "Two girls, it's not too early, you can see ......"

Shuning was reminded by her and woke up. Zhou Yinlan looked up at the sky, and sure enough, it was almost evening, and said with a smile: "It's all my fault, even my sister is depressed, how is Sister Su's marriage, and what does it have to do with us?" Let's hurry up and go home. Shuning nodded, got up to pay the bill, and a few people turned around and walked outside.

A child suddenly rushed over from behind, as if someone was chasing him from behind, he patronized and looked back, didn't see the road, and ran straight into Shuning. It was too late for others to stop, and Shuning was almost knocked to the ground by him. Xiao Tao helped her stand firmly, and scolded when she opened her mouth: "What's the matter with you kid?" Why did you just crash into it like this? What if I crash someone? The boy hurriedly bowed and retreated.

At this moment, Shuning heard the sound of "squeak" metal rubbing, and then her waist tightened, she understood, and immediately shouted "thief", and the two servants of the Zhou family immediately surrounded and grabbed the child. Xiao Tao helped her check the purse tied around her waist, only to find that the rope that tied the purse had been cut, but fortunately there was a silver chain connected to it. She patted her chest: "Fortunately, the girl's purse has always been tied with a silver chain, otherwise the thief would have cut it off." She glared at the child: "Look at your young age, why don't you study well?!" ”

The boy bowed his head and whispered for mercy, and when he heard one of the servants who had seized him scolding him and saying that he was going to send him to the official, he was so anxious that he wanted to kneel on the ground and beg the two girls for mercy. Zhou Yinlan looked a little unbearable.

The two servants are from her family, and she is older, so she should have been in charge, but the bitter master of this matter is Shuning, and she is not good at overstepping, so she is a little embarrassed. But how could Shuning not guess what she meant? She didn't have anything to lose, and she wouldn't really do anything to this thief, she came out at a young age to seek a wrong door, and she had his own difficulties. She was about to open her mouth to call for release, when suddenly a male voice came from the side: "Two young ladies, please be merciful." ”

The two looked at the sound and saw a young scholar walking towards them. He was wearing a blue cloth robe, the material was very old, and the elbows were still a little whitish, but he was dressed quite neatly, with good facial features, gentle and elegant, but a little thin. Shuning and Zhou Yinlan glanced at each other and listened to what he had to say.

Then, it was another story of an orphan and widow, an uncle bullying each other, a serious illness of his own mother, no money for treatment, and being forced to take risks, but the scholar said it very touchingly, hearing Zhou Yinlan's eyes red, and looking at the child named Ah Song with pity, Ying'er was obviously ready, as soon as the young lady spoke out, she would give money.

Although Shuning felt that this situation was a little strange, she still showed sympathy, but she still told Ah Song the news that the government would open a temporary free medical center in the back alley of the yamen every ten days, it was the day after tomorrow, Ah Song's eyes were shining, for him, this news was more precious.

It seems that there is not enough publicity, Shuning is thinking about whether to tell her father about it, but she thinks that Zhou Yinlan will mention it to her father. She was completely moved by Ah Song's experience and filial piety, and immediately asked someone to take out a few taels of silver and give it to him, telling him not to do this kind of thing again, and telling him the door of his house, so that he could only come and find it when he was in trouble. The scholar was also very moved, and while helping to educate Ah Song, he also kept praising Miss Zhou's virtues and kindness.