Uncle Lai in the Red Chamber

Chapter 157: Porcelain is solid (two-in-one)

The 21th of the first month.

On Baochai's birthday, Lai Shangrong also invited Xiu Mu early.

Wrapped in the quilt like a twist, she said some affectionate words to Sister You before reluctantly getting up from her.

He stretched out on the bed, spread his legs, and said loudly: "What time is it?"

The large clocks of this era were too large and too loud, so they were not placed in the house.

Yu Chuan rubbed a pair of dexterous hands on his thighs, Pi Liyang Qiu said: "This is the first moment of Mao Shi, and there is still time for the uncle to calm down the fire!"

Xiao Nizi has been working harder and harder since being entrusted with important tasks by Lai Shangrong.

In addition, from Lai Shangrong's teachings, he heard his own advantages, and began to use his strengths and avoid weaknesses, specializing in the bohemian route. In addition to his usual humorous greetings, he also often included some personal things in his words.

Lai Shangrong did not feel dissatisfied with this, but was happy to see its success.

Good-looking skins are the same, but interesting souls can be varied. For him who is used to being surrounded by golden hairpins, this is not a kind of adjustment.

Take Xiangling as an example, although she is a little dull, but since she learned poetry and songs, she has begun to sing with a tune and rhythm, which is more than a hundred times better than that of Sister Feng's old-fashioned goose and goose.

But Lai Shangrong had no intention of messing around today. Firstly, it was Baochai's birthday, so he planned to go there early to show his courtesy. Secondly, two major events in the court recently also affected part of his energy.

"Oh!~" He stretched his waist and ordered: "Bring me the newspaper that the uncle brought back last night."

Although these two things seemed far away from him, the sudden arrival of the Supreme Emperor was not a good thing for him, a close minister of the emperor.

There are even rumors that the Supreme Emperor has returned to court recently, which makes Lai Shangrong worried.

It's a good move, but don't let it crash.

Lai Shangrong secretly worried about the emperor.

After taking the newspaper, he stood up and sat on the edge of the bed, skipping the trivial matters and going straight to the news about provincial marriage and the dispatch of troops.

Zhou Qiong, the Minister of War, wrote a letter explaining the various reasons why he gave up visiting relatives. In the final analysis, he was determined to stand firm.

The Duke of Qing, Wu Tianyou, once again turned into a wallflower and started taking care of things again.

Of course, in order to demonstrate his position, although he does not belong to the Four Kings and Eight Gongs, he still belongs to the Xungui Group, and it is inevitable to send troops to Qianxiang.

This troop dispatch could be described as vigorous and resolute, and the plan to dispatch troops that day was approved by the Emperor.

Generally speaking, it was dominated by King Beijing and King Nan'an. Although the Supreme Emperor appointed King Beijing, the Qianxiang Kingdom was in the south and it was the King of Nan'an's responsibility to dispatch troops to supply food and grass.

The original Zhenhai General System served as the commander of the rescue, and Zhou Qiong, the Minister of the Ministry of War, was transferred to the Zhenhai General System.

This appointment seems to be a smooth one, but the difference between the capital official and the local government is not small, and Zhou Qiong was originally the most favorable competitor to be the next Minister of War. It is understandable to say that he was demoted from the capital at this time.

Occasionally, under the influence of the jade bracelet, he changed his posture for holding the newspaper several times, and finally got dressed.

Second Sister You leaned over and said as if offering a treasure: "Master! Although it's not very cold today, you might as well wear that bearskin cloak for self-defense!"

She helped clean up every bit of the big cloak that was ruined by Li Wan last time. She was afraid that Uncle Lai would show his power outside the country and lacked the foundation, so she deliberately reminded him.

For such a sensible Second Sister You, it is natural that she should be rewarded with a mouthful of saliva.

You really should be prepared for anything. Looking at the second sister You who still had an unfinished expression on her face, Lai Shangrong agreed without hesitation.

Of course, this was not Lai Shangrong's wishful thinking. When he rushed to the front yard to exercise with his three apprentices.

Li Wan and Youshi gathered in Sister Feng's courtyard.

Sister Feng could handle a birthday banquet of this size with just one hand.

However, this kind of chaotic and noisy time is the best time to fish in troubled waters, but if she were to handle it alone, she would be unable to get away with everything, so she put aside her discomfort and invited Li Wan to cooperate.

Of course, the reason why she invited Li Wan was because she was suspicious of him and wanted to take the opportunity to trip him up.

Unexpectedly, Li Wan also agreed and recommended the You family. This created a three-legged situation.

There is no harm without comparison. The three of them each brought their maids, and the six of them gathered together, making Youshi's side pale in comparison.

The three of them are fat and thin, and each has his or her own merits, so it's hard to tell them apart.

But because of Jia Zhen's hatred of the house and the crow, Youshi has not received rain or dew for more than a year.

Moreover, as the saying goes, a good girl only looks good to those who please her. If a person has no hope, he will be too lazy to take care of her, just like Li Wan, who was originally described as haggard.

However, Sister Feng and Li Wan were already nourished by panacea, and they were both decorated with gold and silver, shining brightly, comparing the two, the gap appeared at once.

Sister Feng was fine, but Li Wan, a dead widow, was actually more moisturized than herself, a living widow, and it was inevitable that she would feel a little jealous in her heart.

He looked at Ping'er, then at Suyun, and joked: "Hey! I haven't seen you dressed up in the past, but it's new today. I think you're going to outdo your grandma!"

Suyun was flustered for a while after hearing this, but Ping'er was a calm person when it came to big things. He quickly took over the conversation and said: "What Grandma Zhen said, although we are slaves, we also represent the face of the grandmas, guarding the flowers." If the grandmas don’t dress up, I’m afraid the grandmas will dislike us!”

Although Youshi made fun of them, and even seemed to be provocative, but after all, they had different identities, so they also praised Youshi.

But after hearing this praise, Youshi thought that although Jia Zhen was as addicted to sex as her life, she turned a blind eye to herself and discarded it like worn out shoes.

She couldn't help but fold her arms, tightly hugging her mature, charming and unloved body into a majestic figure.

"Strange sayings say that those who are close to red are red and those who are close to ink are black. Following your grandma, you actually developed a clever mouth!"

The speaker had no intentions, but the listener had intentions, this clever remark made all four people in the arena blush.

Sister Feng has never been one to suffer losses. Although she keeps a low profile in front of Lai Shangrong, she is showing off her teeth and claws outside.

Seeing that if he continued to let You go on like this, he was afraid that the truth would be revealed, so he couldn't help but raise his voice and said: "Sister-in-law Zhen has time to mind other people's business, so why not take care of brother Zhen more!"

Youshi didn't expect that Wang Xifeng would react like this after teasing Ping'er. Somehow, she was usually cautious and cautious, but she couldn't hold it back today. She couldn't help but sarcastically said: "How dare I care about the master? I can't compare to him." You can control Lian Er!" It's no secret that Jia Lian is now in charge of the outer room, and it's no secret in the Second Mansion that these words seem to be self-deprecating, but they are actually slapping Sister Feng in the face.

Sister Feng stood up suddenly, put one hand on her hips, pointed at Youshi, and said in a feigned anger: "You still have the nerve to say it? It's not Brother Zhen's instigation. I can't compare to your sawed-off gourd, so I will only blindly care about the reputation of being a virtuous person." Son. Even if he never comes back to this house for the rest of his life, I will just live on Ping'er!"

Seeing that the two of them were going to have a fight, Li Wan was afraid that Youshi would give up, so he quickly changed the subject and said, "Okay! Let's get down to business! Why do you think the old lady suddenly wanted to celebrate Bao Yatou's birthday?"

After all, the You family is a small family. It is not as good as Wang Xifeng's backing to the Wang family. He can just say a few sarcastic words. If they really broke up, it would be shameful for him. He couldn't help feeling sorry for himself earlier. Now he sees Li Wan. After handing over the ladder, I temporarily borrowed the slope to descend the donkey.

He half-hidden his words: "It's been two or three years since Bao Yatou entered the mansion, so why does it have to happen this year? My ex has heard a gossip, but it's just about Bao Yatou... It's not good to talk nonsense!"

Seeing that she was hesitant to speak, Li Wan smiled and said, "Sister-in-law Zhen, tell me straight away. There is nothing we sisters-in-law can't say between us. It's just a joke. Who can spread the word?"

Then he bumped Sister Gongfeng with his elbow, hinting that she would also express her stance.

When Sister Feng saw Youshi mentioning gossip, she knew it must be the gossip spread by Mrs. Wang.

Because this matter was not a good thing after all, Mrs. Wang was afraid of the Xue family's backlash and wanted to avoid suspicion, so she spread the news from the outside to the inside. In this way, even if the Xue family heard the news in the future, they would only treat it as spreading from the outside when tracing the source, and would not be suspicious. on his own head.

Therefore, the You family heard the news, but Li Wan was still in the dark.

Thinking that someone has to take the blame for this matter, Youshi didn't say anything, but his status was very suitable, so he half-pushed and said: "I, Heping'er, am too busy with my own affairs, how can I have the time to gossip about other people's family!"

You didn't care about her sarcasm and said with a smile: "Qian'er heard from the outer court that Bao Yatou and Shang Rong are very close. I wonder if the old lady has heard about it and intends to act as a matchmaker for Bao Yatou!"

Then he asked knowingly: "I heard that the old lady also specifically called Shang Rong Ye Zi, I wonder if this is the case?"

What she said didn't mean to show off.

Originally, she felt that it was shameful for her sister to marry Lai Shangrong, who was a slave, as a concubine.

But in just over a year, Lai Shangrong became a fifth-grade doctor, and her mentality also changed. In addition, Jia Zhen told her to lower her body a while ago to invite people, which impressed her even more.

When Sister You married Lai Shangrong, Sister Feng used to ridicule her.

Baochai is Sister Feng's cousin, and she has used the Rong Mansion for two or three years, but the mansion has not seen any birthday arrangements, and now there are scandals with her cheap brother-in-law, but the old ancestors of the Jia family are rushing to curry favor with her, so that she can also be honored.

It's just that she doesn't know that time has changed, and among the three pairs of masters and servants in the field, she has the least relationship with Lai Shangrong, and even the hairpins on the heads of the other two pairs of masters and servants are gifts from her brother-in-law.

Li Wan had been kept in the dark. After hearing this, he covered his mouth and exclaimed: "Ah!~ The strange old lady called Shang Rong Biezi and told him not to forget to prepare gifts!"

In her desperation, she actually called out Shang Rong along with Youshi. Fortunately, Youshi was only too complacent and didn't pay attention to this detail.

And Wang Xifeng is also thinking about how to let You take the blame.

Of course, even if she heard it, she didn't dare to say anything, after all, she was not clean.

"Where did you hear that?"

While Wang Xifeng was asking questions knowingly, she was also thinking about how to report back to Mrs. Wang so that Mrs. You could put the blame behind her.

Of course, she was also thinking about how to claim credit from Lai Shangrong after the project was accomplished, without the promise of her benefits, but she always kept it in mind.

Youshi watched her words and saw that she only asked one question, so she fell into deep thought. She thought she was stunned and said with a smile: "What? My second grandma, who has always been sharp-eyed and sharp-eared, doesn't even know this? Now it's spread in the outer courtyard. It’s open, and even we heard the wind!”

Then he said, "I heard that my cousin from the Xue family has always respected Shang Rong. Could it be..."

She had heard about the Xue family's propaganda about good marriage, but because Jia Mu never expressed her stance, there was no further explanation, so she imagined a story about Xue Pan sending his sister off.

It's just that just now, before finishing speaking, Wang Xifeng interrupted suddenly: "Sister-in-law's words are reasonable, no matter whether Wen Long meant it or not, I have to report it to Mrs. Ming immediately!"

Youshi was startled, and said incoherently: "We... we have agreed, it's just a private chat between sisters-in-law, besides... besides, it's just gossip in the world, how can you tell your wife!"

After all, these groundless speculations cannot be put on the table, not to mention that Baochai is Mrs. Wang's niece after all. If Mrs. Wang reprimands her, can Jia Zhen still give her something good to eat when she returns?
Her words threw water, and Wang Xifeng wanted to accuse her of taking the blame. She stood up suddenly, took her arm and said, "It's a matter of Bao girl's reputation. You must not be careless. You have to make your decision clear to your wife!"

Then he said to Li Wan: "Sister-in-law, let's go together too! It's just the right time to be a witness!"

In this way, everyone came to Rongxi Hall.

Wang Xifeng pretended to report what You said to Mrs. Wang.

After pondering for a moment, he pretended to say: "Madam! Sister-in-law Zhen's words are not unreasonable, but if this is the case, Wen Long is too ignorant of the seriousness, so if he really wants to, he can just ask his wife to make decisions in private, so... …Isn’t this just making fun of Bao Yatou’s reputation?”

Then he gritted his teeth and said, "Now that this rumor has spread, why don't I tell my aunt today and ask the old lady to protect the matchmaker? No one will dare to gossip in the future!"

Yes, in addition to letting You Shi take the blame, she also planned to let Xue Pan take the blame. After all, You Shi was just spreading rumors, and the rumors haven't been implemented yet.

After all, Xue Pan has a good reputation, so it is not surprising that he did any absurd things, even if he explained it, he couldn't explain it clearly.

Moreover, if this matter comes from the mouth of one of the Xue family, the Xue family will only have their teeth knocked out and swallowed bloody.

As the person in charge, Mrs. Wang certainly understood what Wang Xifeng meant.

However, although she also wanted Xue Pan and Youshi to take the blame, she did not intend to lose the Xue family's face.

Letting Baochai marry Lai Shangrong was a consideration of interests, but Aunt Xue was her biological sister after all. It was enough to bring Baochai and Lai Shangrong together, but the Lai family had to take the initiative, otherwise it would be rumored that her niece was rushing to marry Lai Shangrong. Could it be that he lost his face.

Besides, Jia Mu had something to say first, and she wanted to wait until Xing Xiyan came to Beijing to see it.

Therefore, even if Xue Pan is to be blamed, he can only tell Aunt Xue privately, and cannot spread the word.

Putting on a whole show, in order to show that it was indeed the first time she heard about it, and to help cover it up, Mrs. Wang said in a deep voice: "Your Dongfu is getting worse and worse, how can you say such nonsense? Where is Brother Zhen? Why don't you call me He said something back!”

After a while, Jia Zhen was also invited in.

Mrs. Wang first reprimanded her, and then said sternly: "I don't want to hold anyone accountable, but it's a matter of Bao Yatou's reputation. You have to restrain your servants when you go back, and don't spread any gossip!"

Then he added: "As for Bao Yatou and Shang Rong, I will go find my concubine later!"

Jia Zhen suffered an unreasonable disaster and led her out of Rongxi Hall. She slapped her face with her hands, glared at You Shi and angrily said: "I still don't find something to block your hole! If you implicate me again, let's see how I deal with you." !”

(End of this chapter)