Zhuang Xi and Zhuang Qin discussed, about the Zhuo Mansion case, Zhuang Mansion should not be troubled, on the surface, do not ask or hear, one to avoid suspicion, the other is to obey, and in private they have to send someone to inquire, in case there is a plan. Early the next morning, Si'er found out the news of Zhuo's Mansion from outside the mansion and flew back. Before entering the second gate and bumping into the housekeeper, the two of them covered up and muttered for a while, and Fang Huo hurriedly ran towards the West Mansion to inform the third master Zhuang Qin. Unexpectedly, Si'er rushed ahead and ran into Aunt Xi and Aunt Xi through the corridor of the back garden of Xifu, and they came out of the county lord of Xifu. On weekdays, Aunt Xi's mouth is unforgiving, and she is even sharper to her subordinates, relying on her daughter Zhuang Hu's ability to get the love of the old lady, and her son-in-law is very close behind her, except for the fear of a few wives in the main house, she doesn't pay attention to the people below, and then she is a concubine, how much consciousness no one treats herself as a wife, everything is in private with the people under the people, and the people dare not speak out. Now that Si'er has collided, it's not another bitter and mean difficulty.

Si'er didn't knock anyone down, but just lowered his head and rushed in, sparing no one in his eyes. I saw Aunt Xi say angrily: "Panic, I don't have long eyes!" It's disrespectful! ”

The little aunt was with her and didn't say a word.

Si'er hunched his waist and said with a smile: "The little one has taken a chance, please Aunt Xi's An." ”

The housekeeper was sweating profusely and rushed up, embarrassed: "Aunt Xi......" wanted to say a good word to disperse her displeasure, but before he finished speaking, Aunt Xi did not hesitate to say: "Housekeeper, you don't care, it's me today, if you don't take your eyes out one day, you bump into the old lady, be careful." ”

The big butler wiped the sweat from his forehead, patted Si'er, and said, "Don't kowtow yet!" ”

Si'er only knelt down and kowtowed: "Si'er offended his aunt's wife!" ”

Aunt Xi sneered, her eyes raised, and Qingfeng said lightly: "Mrs? If people don't know, they think we have a dove in the magpie's nest! Otherwise, the generations will be called to the children! Sister, people still call you Mrs.! I don't know, I thought that our aunts and wives were the eldest son of the master! The voice was sharp and piercing.

Suddenly—

Qin's voice floated over: "What are you talking about!" Be careful that the old man and the old lady hear it, it will make you die a bad death! This kind of cheeky words is also what you should say as an aunt? I don't respect myself, which really makes outsiders laugh! ”

The Qin family came from outside, and the girl Hong'er handed her a fan and didn't answer it. When Aunt Xi and Aunt Xiao saw that it was the Qin family, they both lowered their heads slightly and did not dare to speak.

The housekeeper was busy rounding: "Big lady, it was Si'er who recklessly bumped into the two aunts, and I want to pay for it!" Blame him for not having long eyes! ”

Qin said: "That's it, you don't manage the housekeeper, let these people sway and sway all day long, and a few young masters will be shaken by you!" What's the matter, running this way in such a hurry. ”

The housekeeper smiled: "Mrs. Hui, it's nothing, just come over and talk back to the third master." ”

Qin Shi was puzzled and puzzled: "Strange, don't all the things in the mansion go back to the second master on weekdays?" ”

The housekeeper said: "The second master was drunk last night, and today he said that he was not feeling well, so he ......"

Aunt Xi said coldly: "The second master is in charge of the family and business, and it is okay to go back to the second wife, otherwise, you should be the furnishings of the eldest lord in our East Mansion, and the second master will step over the eldest master if he is not happy, there are no rules!" ”

The housekeeper sweated profusely, and he didn't dare to reply. As he was talking, the county lord of Xifu's Zhuang Qin, the county lord, and the girls came from behind.

The county lord smiled and said: "I heard a voice from afar, I said to go to the old lady's side, Aunt Xi and the little aunt left as soon as they slipped away!" Why is the eldest lady here? ”

Qin Shi smiled: "I was about to come over to talk to you about something, but I happened to hear some nonsense!" It's all right, butler, you go first! ”

After listening, the housekeeper and Si'er bowed again and again and left in a hurry.

The county lord moved over and grabbed the Qin family, and said comfortingly: "Don't be angry, madam, the weather is getting hotter, and the conversation has to be in line with the season, right?" "I glanced at Aunt Xi, and I had the meaning of helping to relieve the siege.

Qin Shi smiled and said: "What is wrong with the subordinates, some people have gone away, but whoever knows the rules, the person who is the head of the master can't say those shameless words." ”

The county lord looked back at Aunt Xi again, although Aunt Xi surrendered, she couldn't hide half of her arrogance, and the little aunt laughed silently.

The county lord turned away and said, "Mrs. is looking for me?" ”

Qin said: "Ji'er's illness is good and bad, and I came to you again to get medicine." ”

The county lord smiled, patted Qin's hand, and said softly: "What a big deal, you can call Hong'er to come over and say it, I am gone, and I am also going to send someone back to my Ama to match, but there is a Tianshan snow lotus in it, and I have to go to the freshly planed and put it into medicine, I am afraid that it will not be able to arrive in the next few days." ”

The Qin clan was very grateful, the worry on his face disappeared a little, and he reluctantly laughed, and said, "Fortunately, there is you Amma, if you change to someone else's house, you will be so crazy to see people." ”

The county lord smiled but did not answer, and the group walked towards the old lady of Zhongfu, and at the end, the Qin family reprimanded Aunt Xi a few more words because of the housekeeper and Si'er.

The housekeeper and Si'er got out of their own way and went directly to the third master's study.

The third old man, Zhuang Qin, couldn't sleep all night, for fear that the affairs of Zhuo's Mansion would affect the whole Zhuang's Mansion, and he couldn't say anything about the Zhuang's Mansion, for fear of confusing people's hearts, and even his wife and county lord didn't explain, and the brothers privately asked the housekeeper and the four sons to investigate the situation of the Zhuo's Mansion. As soon as he saw the housekeeper and Si'er, he asked, "But do you want to inquire exactly?" ”

The housekeeper said: "Si'er did it, this can't be wrong." ”

Si'er said: "Today, the whole city is posting a sea fishing list, and the portraits include a cousin, a young master, and four family members. I'm afraid it's not accurate enough, so the little one went to the city gate to see that the body of the old man was exposed outside the city gate! I don't know if it's my aunt, I heard people talk about it being the master of Zhuofu, so it must be. ”

Zhuang Qin was so shocked that he sat down on the chair, sighing in a cold sweat: "Has anyone been in the palace?" ”

The butler replied, "No." ”

Zhuang Qin pondered for a while, and said sharply: "This matter must not be known and discussed by the people in the house, and must not be heard by the old lady. The other three masters also mean the same! ”

The butler cautiously replied, "Yes, yes." ”

Zhuang Qin said again: "The eldest lord can be in the East Mansion?" ”

The butler replied, "The eldest lord went to the governor's palace in the morning. ”

Zhuang Qin got up, paced back and forth, and then said: "Go to the East Mansion again, if the eldest master returns, you go to invite the second master, the fourth master, and say that there is something to discuss at the eldest master's mansion, and then come back to me." ”

The chief housekeeper and the fourth son withdrew, and went to Beifu to inform the second master Zhuang Lu and the fourth master Zhuang Yao respectively. With a pot of tea, the four masters gathered in the Dongfu Council Hall for secrets.

The eldest lord Zhuang Xi sat in the hall, and the second lord Zhuang Lu originally sat on the left chief, because he was too fat, he couldn't sit still and stood up, pacing back and forth. The third master Zhuang Qin and the fourth master Zhuang Yao sat on the right. Everyone was silent.

Zhuang Xi couldn't hold it back, slapped the table and said, "Talk!" Stay and do what. In the morning, I went to see the Governor, but they were polite and did not mention it directly, presumably everyone in the Manchu Dynasty knew about it, so we didn't dare to say it! ”

The second old man Zhuang Lu looked at Zhuang Qin with his left eye and Zhuang Yao with his right eye, and said deflatedly: "The eldest sister and eldest brother-in-law have gone, and their house is stained with the crime of rebellion against the party. The Holy One sent someone to give us a gift yesterday, and I can see that the Holy One is trying to reassure us. Now that the government is doing things and taking people, you are the official family, and you can't be clearer than us in business. ”

Zhuang Xi said: "So let's scrutinize and deliberate, if the Holy Lord doesn't handle us now, I won't be able to handle it later." Think of a countermeasure. ”

Zhuang Lu had nothing to say and sat back in his chair.

The fourth old man Zhuang Yao: "I'm afraid that the old lady knows and can't bear it." The eldest brother-in-law never moved those people in the old days, why did he ...... at this time?"

Everyone lamented.

Zhuang Qin said: "Now it seems that it is a blessing or a curse that cannot be avoided." I hope that the old lady will not know this, and that she will be safe and healthy, and the saint will be thinking of her feelings, if she lets the old lady know, she will not be able to bear her body, and the future will be unpredictable. ”

Zhuang Xi said: "Who said that it is not this reason." said so, that sent the old lady back to her ancestral hometown, and she didn't live in Beijing for three and five years, so that the news temporarily stopped reaching her ears? Or make up a lie to the old lady that the eldest brother-in-law and the eldest sister will send the family back to the south? ”

After hearing this, Zhuang Qin sighed helplessly, and could only comfort: "I told the people below, no matter what you see or hear outside, you are not allowed to go back to the house to discuss, let alone mention the matter of the eldest sister's family." Try to avoid as much as you can. That's all for now. ”

Zhuang Xi said: "Today, the old lady is going to this banquet, why?" The four of us didn't dare go! Really went, the old lady asked, how to answer? Today is over, but what about tomorrow? What about the day after tomorrow? ”

Zhuang Qin didn't answer, and said according to his own thoughts: "I asked the people in the palace, Concubine Yuan and Niangniang all know, they have been demoted, and the situation is unclear!" Zhuo Mansion has such a field, and it can't be recovered. Prince Rong and Prince Yu have a good relationship with their eldest brother-in-law, and they interceded in front of the emperor, and the queen mother did not blame her, but secretly ......"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and the housekeeper replied outside that the old lady had passed the word and asked a few old men to come over, and the old lady wanted to ask if the guests who could be arranged to give birthday gifts today had never returned the gifts.

As soon as the four lords heard that they were going to see the old lady, they unified their calibers, the eldest lord said that he would go back to several princes among the officials, the second lord said that he would go back to the business allies in the business field, the third lord said that he would go back to the high-ranking officials and nobles, and the fourth lord was high, saying that he was drunk and unwell to recuperate at home. The housekeeper replied and went to the old lady to reply to Ming, and the old lady did not ask any questions, so she asked the housekeeper to go about her own business.

At this time, I saw that the old lady's house was piled up with a mountain of birthday gifts, and the girls were waiting with them. The old lady took her glasses and took a closer look, because she said, "What is the use of piling up these gold, silver and jewelry, when I was young, I was an errand boy in the palace, and I saw that it was hundreds of times better than this." ”

Zhu'er handed over a scroll, the old lady took it, opened it, and ordered two girls to spread it out, which was Jiang Yanxi's "Hundred Birds and Huilan Picture". The old lady said: "This painting is well painted, the handwriting of the bronze layman." Those flowers and birds, enchanting without losing their bones. ”

Zhu'er praised: "The old lady is well-informed. ”

The old lady smiled and said: "The first emperor and the queen mother are well-informed, they have been by the side of the first emperor for a long time, they have heard a lot, and they have memorized one or two things." But when I'm old, I've almost forgotten it. ”

Zhu'er asked, "Who is the bronze layman?" The old lady remembered him so deeply. ”

The old lady said faintly: "This person's name is Jiang Tingxi, and the saint once commented on him, boneless flower branches, birds singing and jumping paper, tilting the capital ......"

As he was talking, the Qin family and the county lord, Aunt Xi, the little aunt and the girls came, originally they rushed here, because they passed by the garden, they saw that the full garden moon season was open, and they stopped for a while, and then they came to hear what the old lady said.