On the day of Chongyang, Dongxing and Wen Yi got up early in the morning, and had breakfast with Mrs. Lu, Wen Yi took care of a few important housework, and the family of three rode to the Shilang Mansion together.

They arrived earlier than the other guests, and Master Gu had not yet returned from Chaoshang, but Wenxian asked for leave from the Hanlin Academy, but after breakfast, he took his wife Ge Shi back to his parents' house to ask for a gift. Therefore, as soon as Mrs. Lu and Wen Yi entered the gate of Shilang's mansion, the porter hurriedly reported the news to the Jiang family in the inner courtyard.

After seeing each other, Wen Yi took her grandmother Mrs. Lu to the courtyard of Mrs. Yu accompanied by the Jiang family, and Wen An accompanied her to the east and went to the big study in the front yard to talk.

Coincidentally, in the spring of this year, there were a few Pingyang people who went to Beijing to take the exam, and they had lived in Shilang's Mansion for a period of time, and later moved out before the exam in order to avoid suspicion. Some of them successfully obtained fame in the examination and went to their own futures, but some people fell behind Sun Shan and stayed in Beijing, studying hard to prepare for the next subject. I don't know where Master Gu heard the news, so he sent someone to take them all into the house, provide them with three meals a day, and provide books, paper and ink, so that they can study with peace of mind, saying that as a Pingyang person, he has the responsibility of bringing the children of his hometown, so they don't have to care. Therefore, at present, there are quite a few Pingyang lifters in the Shilang Mansion, and there is no one in the main family today, so they are invited to come over to accompany them, and when it comes to the eldest master of the Gu family, everyone praises them.

Liu Dongxing had a kind smile on his face, listening to the compliments of the lifters, nodding his head from time to time, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of disdain on the face of Wen An, who was sitting opposite, flashing with disdain. He smiled slightly, his heart brightening.

Master Gu will keep these Pingyang lifters at home and support their studies for free, the intention is self-evident, he probably found out, right? In the past, he had Liu Fu's support in the court, even if he was not well-connected, it was no big deal, and he was still his official, but once Liu Fu lost power, the situation would take a sharp turn for the worse. His relationship with the Dongping Royal Mansion is more estranged, and he has not been affected for the time being, so his position is quite stable, but as long as Liu Fu is really pulled off the horse, he, as an in-law of the Liu family, will definitely be implicated. The intimate relationship between the two families is well known, and it is not easy to turn their faces at this time, but Master Gu also needs to consider a way out.

If he retires one day, his eldest son Wenxian is still only a mere editor of the Hanlin Academy, and he will have to wait for many years to get out, and his second son Wen'an seems to have abandoned Wenju since the civil unrest and has no intention of studying, and the third son Wenru is still young, at the same time, the sibling brother Gu Er has been seeking officials for a long time, but there is still no result, even if he really gets an official, he has to start from a low level. It can be seen that once Master Gu is no longer a squire, the Pingyang Gu family, especially the Changfang, is bound to plummet.

Liu Dongxing understands these people from prestigious families, and what he thinks in his heart is not only his own career glory and disgrace, but also the future of the family. It doesn't matter if you lose momentum for a while, the most important thing is that you can make a comeback in the future.

A few Pingyang lifters who are not on the list may not be nothing, but as long as one or two of them can be named on the gold list in the future, they will naturally not forget the help given by the Gu family when they were young, and they will take care of one or two things in the future, and the Pingyang Gu family will be equivalent to having arms. Even if they have no interest in the future and can't be officials for the rest of their lives, it doesn't matter, the Gu family's room only provided a few meals and a few boxes of pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and they gained a good reputation in their hometown of Pingyang, and the name of the first family is still stable.

Liu Dongxing had some respect for the eldest man of the Gu family for the first time, but he couldn't help but sigh secretly, the other party's plan is naturally excellent, but unfortunately it is too late, if it is done more than ten years in advance, or even a few years in advance, the Gu family does not have to worry about being implicated by the Liu family at this time, and besides, the vision of the old man Gu is not very good, it is a good thing to cultivate young and backward, but the candidate should also be carefully picked.

There are also many people who have real knowledge and learning, but after Liu Dongxing chatted with them, he didn't have any intention of making friends, he just felt that his temperament was not compatible. Pingyang is close to Cannes, and some of these people are from Cannes Academy, but they are not studying at the same time as Liu Dongxing, but a student they recognize, who did not accept the kindness of the Gu family to stay in the capital, but said goodbye to his classmates and returned to his hometown, but it was Liu Dongxing's old acquaintance.

Liu Dongxing said with some surprise: "I didn't know that Brother Han had come to Beijing, otherwise I would have to visit, he fell off the list, and said that he would stay in Beijing and wait for the next subject, why did he suddenly go back?" ”

Several lifters looked at each other a few times, and one of them said hesitantly: "Han Yunwu didn't enter Beijing with us, and he rented a house to live in, if we hadn't met him at a literary meeting, we wouldn't have known that he was also here." However, we don't have much contact with him on weekdays, only heard that one of his classmates had a sudden illness and had no money for treatment, and he spent almost all the money on his body in order to help people ask the doctor to catch medicine, but unfortunately the person still couldn't save it, and he helped to do the funeral affairs of the classmate, and he was poor. We originally persuaded him to come over, both horizontal and vertical are from Pingyang, his family also has some reputation in Pingyang, and it is said that he is also a distant relative of the Gu family, but he refused, only said that he was not knowledgeable enough, and he still needed to study hard for a few years, so he went home. ”

Liu Dongxing frowned: "Brother Han's classmate? Are you a classmate of Cannes College? He glanced at the men and sneered in his heart. These people are also from Cannes College, why don't you see them helping?

Those few people were weak-hearted, their eyes flickered, and one of them was anxious, and after being looked at by Liu Dongxing a few times, he couldn't help but blurt out: "Although everyone is classmates, we are different from Han Tianshuang, his family is rich, he even brought three or four servants to Beijing to take the exam, and he also rented a house with a separate courtyard to live, and it is not a problem to live in the capital for a few years, how can we compare with him?" ”

"yes, yes." Another person also said, "Actually, he is not at the end of his life, although the silver on hand is spent, as long as he saves some daily use, and pawns a few utensils around him, or sells one or two slaves, it is enough for him to live in the capital for two or three years." But he has made up his mind, and we can't persuade him. I think that he returned to his hometown and continued to study in the academy, and he could still get the guidance of gentlemen, which was quieter than us. ”

"Isn't it?" "He is a son of a rich and noble family, he can't endure hardships, unlike us, he can live anywhere, rather than staying in Beijing and being poor, it is better to go home more comfortably." He has always studied well, and studying at home is the same, so he doesn't have to stay in Beijing to seek advice from famous Confucians, like us. ”

Wen An couldn't help but sneer: "I think this person surnamed Han is a good person, at least he still has a bit of backbone, what's wrong with going home when the money is gone?" If you don't get in the current department, you can come again in the next department, it's better than others......"

"Brother An" Liu Dongxing interrupted him and said with a smile, "This Brother Han and I have been classmates for two years, you may be quite compatible, if you have a chance in the future, how about I introduce you to each other?" ”

Wen An was stunned, and suddenly understood what he meant, so he just smiled: "Okay, I also hope to know a few more good friends with such integrity." ”

Several students don't look very good-looking, they accept the Gu family's offerings and stay in the Shilang Mansion, which is indeed a little ungraceful, but so what? The eldest husband can bend and stretch, as long as he can get ahead in the future, what if he is wronged for a while? Besides, they are not poor scholars, they are all serious and famous, who in Binh Duong is not infinitely beautiful? The Gu family took them in to live in the mansion, and it was indeed kind to them, but if they could live in the Gu family, wouldn't it be the dignity of the Gu family?

Words are not speculative for more than half a sentence. Liu Dongxing and Wen An chatted with these lifters for a while, and then a little guy reported that the eldest young master was back, so Dongxing took the opportunity to get up, and Lawen'an went to see Wen Xian, under the pretext that he would not disturb the study and hard work of several lifters, and sent people away.

Those few people are not without complaints, but Liu Dongxing doesn't take it to heart, he is now a military attaché, relying on his real skills to fight for the future, a few scholars who tend to be inflammatory, what is there to worry about? On the contrary, Wenxian's side is more important. A few days after he returned to Beijing, he had already inquired about the situation in the DPRK and China, but there were many things that could not be discovered by insiders, and Liu Dongning's side was unreliable, so he had to find a way from the Gu family's side. The relationship with Second Uncle Liu, he must also be careful to grasp it. This kind of confidential matter, which is discussed secretly by one's own family, how can outsiders disturb it?

Not to mention what secrets Liu Dongxing said to Wen Xian in the study, here in the backyard, Wen Yi accompanied Mrs. Lu to see Mrs. Yu and Duan, and left her grandmother to chat with the old woman, while she went to sit and talk with her sisters. Because they came early, Ge Shi was still at his mother's house and had not returned, Wen Xian had not yet come, Wen Hui was preparing in her own courtyard, and in the warm pavilion of the old lady's house, only Wen Juan and Wen Ya were there.

Wen Ya was originally sitting in the corner and whispering to her girl, Wen Yi greeted her, she returned the salute, showed a sweet smile, and was about to step forward to make love, but unexpectedly, Wen Juan came out from the side and tore Wen Yi away. She and Wen Juan have always been at odds, and when she saw this, she could only stare dryly, secretly annoyed, continued to talk to her girl, and glanced at Wen Yi and Wenjuan from time to time.

Seeing this, Wen Juan sneered, approached Wen Yi and whispered: "Ninth sister, look, that girl is really snobbish, although the ninth brother-in-law's reward order has not yet come down, but everyone in the capital knows that he has a good future, and the ninth sister's decree may be mentioned again." She used to ignore you, and she didn't smile all day long, but now she is affectionate, but she just wants to slap you up, so that you can help her calculate a good family business. ”

Wen Yi smiled: "How old is she?" Even if you think about this kind of thing? Tenth sister, I know you don't like her, but it doesn't come to this point, right? "Wen Ya is a serious servant's daughter, even if she is a concubine, her parents are worried about her marriage, where is it to the point where she asks herself to be the wife of a five-grade military officer?

Wen Juan pouted: "Don't believe it a few days ago, my grandmother wanted to tell the sixth sister about the family, but the aunt was not happy, and she didn't dare to stop her, so she also brought her out, saying that if the sixth sister said that the family was too low, her family affairs could only be looked down again, so anxious that Aunt Yu cried and begged in front of her uncle, and the matter dragged on." Now the uncle said that it is not necessary to choose the seed of reading to be a son-in-law, and among the young military attaches who have just returned from northern Xinjiang, there are also good ones, and they ask their aunt to show her others. She is probably worried that she is really going to marry low, and she has been begging for good things in front of her grandmother these days. You must know that the ninth sister is now the first of our sisters, and even the eldest sister is just a seven-grade life. ”

Wen Yi was surprised, the Gu family marrying a daughter may not necessarily have to be a scholar, but marrying a military general, I'm afraid there is only one of them, how did the eldest uncle suddenly have this idea and want to marry his daughter to a military attaché? But she soon thought that since the victory of the imperial army returned to the court, the military power of the DPRK and China was greatly shaken, and there were many young military attaches who had made meritorious contributions without families, and there were many court-seekers in the capital, if Liu Dongxing had not married a wife before the expedition, he might not have been able to escape. In this way, it is not without reason that the eldest uncle intends to marry a military attache in the army.

Most of the military attaches who are young and unmarried are not of high grade, and they are elegant and married, and as long as there is no big war, they will have to survive for a few more years. In this way, even if Wen Hui marries a lower family, the difference between the concubines and the concubines will not be too conspicuous.

Wen Yi was still thinking there, Wen Juan had been gossiping for a long time, and when she saw her casual appearance, she complained a little: "Sister Jiu, what are you thinking?" You are asked to come often on weekdays, but you don't come, and you finally came, and you are in a daze there, you don't know how boring I am in this mansion now, the fifth sister has been married, the eleven girl can't get along with me, and Sister Yao has left the capital again-Speaking of which, do you have any news of her? She's been gone for two months, why hasn't she come back? I now look forward to my father's appointment as soon as possible, so that we can go back to our hometown, where at least there are many sisters to play with. ”

Wen Yi looked at her and smiled slightly: "How old are you, and you only care about playing." You just said that the eleventh sister is worried about her own relatives, why did you forget, you are two years older than her, she is going to say kiss, don't you have to go out of the cabinet? ”

Wen Juan's face flushed, and she gritted her teeth and slapped her: "Sister Jiu, people are telling you serious things, you only know how to make fun of me"

Wen Yi covered her mouth and smiled: "Yes, I'm sorry, my sister will continue to talk about serious things." Wen Juan became more and more embarrassed, and stomped her foot: "I ignore you" and turned around to leave, Wen Yi hurriedly grabbed her, so that she could be coaxed into obedience.

At this moment, the voices of the girls came from outside the house: "The fifth aunt and the fifth aunt are back" Wen Yi and Wen Juan hurriedly stopped talking, got up and prepared to greet Wen Xian, but unexpectedly, someone outside the courtyard reported: "The sixth lady is here." ”

There was a sudden silence inside and outside the house, Wen Yi secretly screamed a coincidence, and hurriedly pulled Wen Juan out of the warm pavilion and came to the main hall, and sure enough, he saw Wen Xian and Liu Dongning standing by the door, the former was pale, the latter looked sluggish, and behind them, Wen Hui was standing in the courtyard in a daze, looking at their backs, and suddenly moved and walked slowly.

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