Daming Yinghua

In the spring scenery of the south of the Yangtze River among the butterflies and peaches and plums, Gu Shouqian stepped into the Luxiang Garden.

The servants and servants who shuttled back and forth stopped to salute when they saw the second young master came back.

Gu Shouqian smiled kindly at them as usual.

Outside the "Biyi Hall" on the west side of the garden, on the rockery, the third grandmother Li Shizheng and the two concubines of the third room are sitting in the pavilion, enjoying flowers and eating fruits, watching the third young master Gu Shouyun with his two younger sisters draw.

Everyone looked down from the heights and saw the tall figure with fluttering robes, appearing and disappearing from time to time outside the flower garden and beside the waterside pavilion, and finally stopped in front of the embroidery tent in Miao Atai's courtyard.

Gu Shouyun, the third young master holding a paintbrush in his hand, looked back and praised his mother Li Shi: "Second brother is really like the person in the painting, and his actions are immortal."

A trace of disdain flashed in Li's eyes, and he snorted softly in his nose: "Yes, the grandson of our Gu family is naturally first-class in appearance and demeanor, and the young mistress he married is even more powerful than the Queen Mother. Who in Songjiang doesn't know, descend to the world The Queen Mother cleaned up the door for our Gu family."

Gu Shouyun has been Gu Shouqian's follower since he was a child, and his brotherhood is very strong.Both Gu Shouqian and his wife are good at Danqing, and Gu Shouyun, who also likes calligraphy and painting, has benefited a lot from his elder brother and sister-in-law.

At this moment, Gu Shouyun heard the sarcasm in his mother's tone, and knew that she was talking about Han Ximeng's exposure of the crimes committed by the eldest family, Shen's family. For a moment, the youthful spirit rose, and he really wanted to argue with his mother.

The aunt next to her saw that the mother and son were going to have a quarrel, so she hurriedly changed the subject, pretending to be curious: "Hey, why didn't the second young lady come with the second young master today? Look, isn't the second young master and Mrs. Tai talking about embroidery?" ?”

Mrs. Li raised her eyebrows: "The second young lady who is a fairy descended to earth is very busy, just like her maidservant who is now in charge of the wind and rain, doing things around, unlike us, who are all sitting idle in the deep house."

"No, Mom," said the younger sister, A Ling, who was helping her brother grind paint, solemnly, "My brother and sister-in-law are quarreling and scolding each other."

In Songjiang dialect, "arguing and scolding each other" means arguing and quarreling.

When Li Shi and the two aunts heard the words, they immediately regained their energy. They were more excited than seeing the handsome Ling Zisheng appearing in the theater.

They were about to inquire about the reason, but Gu Shouyun frowned and asked his ten-year-old sister, "How do you know?"

"Mrs. Zhou over at Wenzhe Garden accompanied my second aunt to see Xinghua the day before yesterday. I heard what Mrs. Zhou and the servants said."

The second aunt that Ah Ling mentioned was Gu Shouqian's mother.Han Ximeng, a gentle mother-in-law, lives in Wenzhe Garden with Gu and his wife, but often goes back to Luxiang Garden to greet Miao Ruiyun.

"Mrs. Zhou can be sent back to the countryside. The servants who gossip about the master, even if they have been with the second aunt for decades, are best not to be used." Gu Shouyun stopped his sister's conversation without waiting for Li's questioning.

Then he said lightly: "A Ling, you are a lady, don't be tainted by the dirty air of the women in the market. Come, let me teach you a method of painting mountains and rocks, which was also taught to me by brother Ah Qian: use gamboge water Dip into light ink, lightly moisten the pen..."

Seeing her son defending her cousin like this, Mrs. Li was not happy, but as a middle-aged daughter-in-law who was not loved by her mother-in-law and her husband, the only thing she could count on in this life was her son. Gu Shouyun, a scholar in the middle school, didn't dare to confront each other, so he had to pick up a piece of cloud cake and eat it embarrassingly.

……

"A Qian, you can give this painting "Fighting the Fujian Sea" to Jishan Society."

Outside the Luxiang Garden's Rongcui Mountain room, Miao Ruiyun asked her maid, Zhuxiang, to spread out the embroidery of the Luowan naval battle in bright lotus material for Gu Shouqian to see.

Jishan Society is a charity organization formed by the female relatives of Songjiang gentry in recent years. It is like the Tongshan Association of Wuxi Donglin School Gao Panlong. The act of building a shack.

The current head of Jishanshe is Dong Qichang's daughter-in-law Yin.

Every spring and autumn, the Yin family borrows the yard of the social school to hold a bazaar, and asks all the ladies in the society to donate by themselves or find others to donate. Come to the charity bazaar, compete for splendor, and then the gentry and wise men who sell Dong's family's face will buy it with money, and the silver taels will be put into the account of Jishan Society.

Gu Shouqian is the closed disciple of Dong Qichang's Danqing technique. Back then, Gu and Han stood up when Dong's house was besieged. Yin took it for granted that Han Ximeng should get closer to him.

No, she said it three or four times, and Han Ximeng declined to join Jishan Society.This time to raise good items for the charity sale, Yin asked her husband Dong Zuchang to come forward and ask Gu Shouqian for a piece of Han Ximeng's latest embroidery painting. There will be competition to buy them, and the charity sale will be bustling and lively.

Gu Shouqian returned to the mansion and conveyed the message to his wife in an ordinary tone.

However, Han Ximeng's words were unexpectedly tough, and he ridiculed the Yin family. Every time he went out, he had to use lake silk or hang brocade with different patterns and designs for the car curtains. Also gorgeous and exquisite.That being the case, why didn't this so-called "beautiful, kindhearted and money-shortage" head of the Jishan Society don't use his own money to buy another painstaking work embroidered with stitches and threads, instead of asking for donations?

Isn't this the generosity of others?
What's more, in the past three years, I haven't seen the Jishan Club led by Yin's, who have newly built Zelouyuan and Nursery, and didn't even distribute decoction during the Spring Plague, even though the money raised did not fall into Yin's private pocket Here, the head of the club is at least incompetent.

Gu Shouqian heard this, but also became sullen.After all, he is Dong Qichang's disciple, and he has contacts with Dong Zuchang on weekdays, so he blamed his wife for the precious embroidery, why should he speak harshly to the Dong family's female family members, so caressing, could it have infected Zheng Haizhu's businessman habits.

Han Ximeng was irritated by the last sentence, and asked her husband why he had the right to look down on businessmen. Women like Zheng Haizhu and Yao who devoted themselves to running schools and enlightening them are the role models of people who cultivate virtue and do good deeds.

Such verbal confrontation was the first time the couple had been fighting for the first time after three years of marriage.In the end, Gu Shouqian simply believed that his wife was led by friends to see the world beyond Nanzhili, and she no longer looked down on the scholars and ladies in Songjiang, including his husband who had no fame and was obsessed with painting.

Han Ximeng cried in front of her husband who left in a hurry, and her mother-in-law Lu who came to comfort her.That's why Zheng Haizhu saw Han Ximeng's eyelids swollen at Chongming Wharf that day.

At this moment, Gu Shouqian took Miao Ruiyun's "The Battle of Fujian Sea Map" and said softly, "Thank you, Madam."

Gu Shouqian's expression of gratitude didn't seem alienated, but Miao Ruiyun could tell at a glance that he was still a little unhappy.

"Ah Qian, don't blame your mother for coming to tell me about this matter. She has a doughy temper and has never blushed with anyone in half her life. Seeing you two suddenly quarreling like that, she has lost her mind."

Gu Shouqian nodded: "I have to thank my mother, otherwise, how could the lady know and help me in an emergency. Mr. Dong is my mentor. How can I not give Yin's face."

The corner of Miao Ruiyun's mouth slipped a meaningful color: "But Ah Qian, Ximeng's speech is also good. Dong's daughter-in-law is vain and pretentious, and Xu Hanlin's daughter-in-law is very different. Ximeng Sulai and Xu's wife, Huang Grandma and the others are close, so it's not surprising that they look down on Yin."

Gu Shouqian lowered his eyes: "Auntie, I understand."

Miao Ruiyun narrowed her eyes, and asked her grandson kindly, "When did Ximeng go to Chongming?"

"It's been seven or eight days since I left."

"Hehe, I like this granddaughter-in-law too much. Having a quarrel with my husband, I didn't go back to my mother's house in anger, but went to learn art with arrogance."

Gu Shouqian sat down on the chair next to the embroidered bed, and said in a muffled voice, "Zheng's side, in Ah Meng's opinion, is probably closer than her natal family."

Miao Ruiyun said angrily: "Hey, you are a dignified man, how can you be jealous of a woman. Azhu is well-mannered, pure-hearted, and one or two years older than you, and now she has received a reward from the imperial court. There are talents, but their rank is comparable to Master Huang's official status. Why, she is the eldest sister of you two, and you are a mere scholar, so you are still at a disadvantage?"

Gu Shouqian was silent for a moment, and said: "What the aunt taught me is that my grandson is too narrow-minded. In fact, this time, Miss Azhu probably didn't know about my quarrel with Ximeng. She probably found an interesting weaving and spinning among the people. Because of his skill, he sent people to invite Ximeng and Fan Polu to have a look."

With an air of peacemaker, Miao Ruiyun clapped her hands and said: "That's right, Mrs. Zheng thinks it's a coincidence that Miss Zheng came to invite me, lest you just finish the quarrel and live in the same courtyard and look at each other annoyed. Ximeng Go to Chongming to relax, and maybe I will pay you back when I come back. And you, don't be idle these few days, draw some embroidery patterns for her."

Gu Shouqian talked for a while with this unrelated but considerate grandmother in front of her, and felt relieved, so she echoed her and said, "Auntie reminded me, Ximeng has finished embroidering the sea battle map, and the artillery fire I have a lot of experience in the use of needles and colors, and I also want to embroider the daily scenes of Miss Zheng's firearms workshop."

Miao Ruiyun smiled and said: "Then you go to the Firearms Workshop to have a look. When Yuesheng came to play the piano for me, he said that Master Sun and Master Li are imitating new cannons recently. I hope they won't explode like last time."

"Auntie," Gu Shouqian became enthusiastic, "Grandson really doesn't want to take the imperial examination, and he has some writing skills. If I join Mr. Sun's door and study firearms together, I don't know if our Gu family head will meet him." Not allowed."

Miao Ruiyun pondered for a while with a calm face, then raised her head and said, "My children and grandchildren have their own blessings, and my children and grandchildren have their own ambitions. Auntie supports you and will speak to the head of the Gu family for you."

A few days later, in front of the Songjiang Firearms Workshop in Shanghai County, Gu Shouqian got off the carriage first, and carefully helped Miao Ruiyun down after the driver put down the step stool.

Wang Yuesheng was already waiting at the door, stepped forward and said: "Master Sun was just about to come out with me to meet Mrs. Tai, the craftsman came to report, and the compatibility of copper, iron and tin seems to be wrong, so the master hastily went to see it."

Miao Ruiyun raised her hand: "How can I delay Mr. Sun's business, let's go, first show us that place where the heavy matchlock gun Miss Zheng mentioned."

After everyone went in, the two trackers who were recruited by Zheng Haizhu to be guards in the past, according to the rules set by Zheng Haizhu and Sun Yuanhua, closed the gate of the firearms field tightly.

In the boat by the river not far away, Tong Xiyu turned her head and looked at Han Xiying.

That half of the unburned face suddenly became cloudy.

Then he put on a strange smile, as if the sun suddenly broke out of the gloom.

The spies from the north spent more than a month renting a house in Songjiang, pretending to be merchants from Shandong to collect silk yarn, and slowly making themselves seem to have no flaws.

Today, Tong Xiyu and Han Xiying chartered a small fairy boat to cruise the river, and came to the firearms factory to pretend to rest and wait for an opportunity to investigate.

Han Xiying didn't expect to see Gu Shouqian after staying for a short time.

Tong Xiyu glanced at the boatman who was dozing off beside the oars, and said close to Han Xiying's ear, "Your brother-in-law is indeed a handsome gentleman who looks like Pan An. If things work out this time, bring him back to Hetuala, what do you do?" How about becoming a mandarin duck?"

Han Xiying said: "Thank you, master, for caring about your servants."