Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 682 Deng Tong opens the way [Thank you! Bow again! 37K more to go]

Fanlou is different from Panlou.
The location is northeast of the palace.

There were no brothels or prostitution houses in the surrounding streets.
There are more mansions of nobles such as dukes, marquises, and earls.

Moreover, Fanlou is quite large, with five connected tall wooden buildings in the east, south, west, north and center. Although there are many guests, they are scattered among the five buildings, making the number seem much sparse.

Therefore, on weekdays, there are often noble ladies from wealthy families who come here to climb up the building to look into the distance, enjoy the scenery and have a feast.

The most popular of the five wooden buildings are the east and north ones.

The reason is that these two wooden buildings can overlook the royal garden located in the northeast corner of the inner city.

In fact, the most popular building was the West Building before, but because the fifth floor offers a view of the palace, restrictions were set and ordinary guests were not allowed to go up to the fifth floor.

At this moment, East Tower,
On the corridor outside the private room,
Yunmu, the maid of the Chai family, walked over here with a smile, leading several maids.

When Yunmu was still about four or five feet away from the door, he slowly stopped and bowed slightly to the strong guards standing under the pillars.

The maid behind Yunmu also bowed in the same manner.

After the guard nodded, the maids walked towards the door.

There was also a strong woman at the door. When she saw Yunmu and others coming, she looked at them carefully for a few seconds before pushing open the door.

Yunmu and others bowed again.

The guards and strong women on the corridor were not from the Chai family, but were the palace guards protecting a noble lady in the private room.

Before I even walked around the screen in the private room, I heard someone inside the room laughing and saying, "Although the elders are often busy taking care of housework, they are good at polo!"

"What Sister Zhang said is true. I have a number of noble ladies and their wives who can fight with Madam Wu!"

As he listened to the conversation, Yunmu walked around the screen and saw the noble ladies sitting at the table and talking.

Sitting in the main seat was Miss Taotao from the Gao family, who was dressed casually. The girls sitting on both sides of her were either from wealthy or noble families.

Looking at Yunmu standing next to the screen, Sister Cao Jiazhi smiled and said, "Have the dishes been delivered?"

This noble lady of the Cao family is the niece of the current queen. When An Mei got married, she was only seven or eight years old. She went to the Xu family with her family. Now she is eleven or twelve years old and is at the age of gold hairpins.

Yun Mu bowed, smiled and nodded, saying, "My lady, I have sent all your gifts to you! The gentlemen in the private room also asked me to express my gratitude to you all."

As he said this, Yunmu bowed again.

"Okay!" Sister Cao Jiazhi smiled.

Looking at Chai Zhengzheng nodding at them, Yunmu and the maids walked aside and continued to stand by.

Miss Taotao from the Gao family, who was sitting at the main seat, looked at Rong Feiyan and said, "I heard that there was another great victory in the south. Will the Rong family's heir return to the capital?"

Rong Feiyan, who was eating, quickly put down her chopsticks and said with a smile, "My brother wrote back saying that he had won a big victory, but he would have to postpone his return home."

"But, we will definitely not miss the important national events in the fall."

After Rong Feiyan finished speaking, all the noble ladies at the table started laughing.

When the court was held two days after the New Year's Day, the Ministry of Rites had already reported that Zhao Fang's wedding date had been set for the autumn, and naturally the noble ladies all knew about it.

Miss Gao's Taotao looked a little shy and nodded, "That's good."

Zhang Jia Wu Niang next to him said, "My mother said that the three princes who are serving as vassals will return to Beijing this year. Do you know when?"

Miss Gao thought for a moment and said with a smile, "It's not even the end of the first month of the year yet, and the road is bitterly cold, so I think it will take quite some time."

Everyone nodded after hearing this.

"Sister Zheng Zheng, I went to Guangfufang two days ago and saw several horse-drawn carriages loaded with wood parked in front of the door of the house. Are they going to repair the house?" Sister Cao Jiazhi asked puzzledly.

Chai Zhengzheng was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Oh! Yes, my family is an old friend in Cangzhou, and one of their children will take part in the imperial examination next year."

"It's not even the end of the first lunar month yet, and you're here so early?" a girl asked in surprise.

Chai Zhengzheng smiled and shook his head: "No, no, it takes a long time to get to Bianjing from Cangzhou, how could it be so early! My mother walked around the yard and found that some furniture was missing from the wing rooms in the outer courtyard, so she prepared some wood and asked the craftsmen to prepare to build a few."

"Oh! So that's how it is." Sister Cao Jiazhi nodded.

Chai Zhengzheng smiled and blinked guiltily.

In fact, she lied.

Mrs. Chai had said before that she wanted to set aside the outer courtyard rooms of the Guangfufang mansion to house the candidates from her old family in Hejian Prefecture who were coming to Beijing to take the imperial examinations.

But Chai Zhengzheng firmly disagreed. The Chai family had no choice but to buy another house in Guangfufang, which was separated from Xu Zaijing's house by a wall.

The craftsmen opened up the wall and used the wood to build the porch.

Whether the door opening on the wall should be repaired in the future is another matter.

Afterwards, the ladies talked about other topics.

I vaguely heard that it seemed that the master of some wealthy family was looking for a girl from a good family in the capital to be his concubine.

These noble ladies are not girls from ordinary families, and the maids and mothers who are close to them have many channels to obtain information.

After you and I verified each other's questions and followed the clues, a girl said in disbelief: "Ah? Could it be the Tan family who was just stripped of their real military power?"

The first quarter of the afternoon (after 1 p.m.)

West Fruit Lane,

The Kang Family Residence,

The front yard main hall,

The cotton curtain at the door was lifted and hung by the door, and the screen at the door could be seen at a glance from the outside.

inside the screen,
On the chair in the middle, Kang Wangshi was sitting there holding a hand warmer and wearing a decent new dress. A fawning old woman was standing in front of her in the hall.

Glancing at the maid in the hall, Wang Madam Kang curled her lips and said, "Mrs. Zhang, since you have been doing the dental business for so long, I will trust you this time! Let the person come in, so I can see the quality!"

"Hey! Thank you for your trust, madam!" Mrs. Zhang bowed with a smile.

Mrs. Zhang waved her handkerchief and said, "Let her in."

After a while,
A middle-aged woman wearing silk with some folds on her clothes walked in holding a handkerchief.

Glancing at Lady Kang Wang, who was sitting in the middle, the middle-aged woman bowed politely and said, "I greet you, Madam."

Kang Wang looked the old woman up and down and said calmly, "I heard from Old Lady Zhang, which mansion did you stay in before?"

"My dear madam, yes! I used to be the housekeeper of the inner house of the Bao family in the Ruyang Marquis's mansion."

After the middle-aged woman finished speaking, she glanced at Lady Kang Wang and continued, "Later, I worked in the Changxing Earl's Mansion for some time, but I was not able to enter the inner house."

Princess Kang nodded and said, "Well, why didn't you stay in the Changxing Marquis's Mansion for a long time?"

"My dear Madam, no matter how hard I work, I cannot enter the inner palace. I heard that Sister Zhang said there is a job for you, so I dared to try."

After the middle-aged woman finished speaking, she looked at Mrs. Kang Wang again.

Kang Wang nodded, looked at a piece of paper beside her, and said, "Is your last name Wu?"

"My dear madam, yes."

Kang Wang looked at Mrs. Zhang in the dental shop and continued, "Mrs. Zhang said that you, Madam Wu, once had a feud with the housekeeper surnamed Liao in the Changxing Marquis's mansion?"

The mother of the Wu family nodded and said bitterly, "Yes, madam, that thief woman relied on being the personal mother of the second madam of the Fu family to scold me at every turn. I responded with a few words, and she targeted me everywhere."

Hearing this, Mrs. Kang nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Well, have you heard about my family outside?"

Mother Wu looked up at Lady Kang Wang, pursed her lips and nodded: "Madam, I have heard of it."

"Tell me about it." Kang Wang said with a straight face. "It is said that you were kind-hearted and trusted others, allowing Madam Qi, who was close to you, to take advantage of the situation and collude with the maid named Liao to embezzle the money from the mansion!"

"If it weren't for the old lady of the Wang family, you don't know how long you would have been deceived!"

"Maidens and old women like these are simply ruining the reputation of us slaves!"

Hearing these words,

Mrs. Zhang from the dental shop had a look of indignation on her face and her breathing became faster, as if Mother Qi had cheated her out of her money.

Kang Wangshi nodded with some embarrassment and enjoyment, and said, "Well, you don't need to talk about this kind of past."

"Yes, madam, I was too talkative." Wu said with his head down.

Princess Kang pondered for a moment and said, "Since you have been to the Ruyang Marquis Bao's family, I think you have many ways to get information in the capital, right?"

Mother Wu bowed and said, "Madam, there are some."

"Then tell me some of the latest news." Mrs. Kang said, glancing at Mrs. Zhang beside her.

Mrs. Zhang nodded and said, "Don't worry, madam. I'm here. If she says anything nonsense, I'll know it."

Mother Wu lowered her head and thought for a while, then said, "I heard from my sisters before that there is news in the capital recently that a wealthy family is looking for a girl from a good family to be a concubine."

"Oh?" Mrs. Kang sat up straight with interest and glanced at Mrs. Zhang.

Mrs. Zhang nodded and said, "Madam, I have heard a little about this matter."

"There are princes and dukes everywhere in the capital, and which one of them is not a wealthy family? Do you know which one it is?" asked Wang Kang.

Mother Wu shook her head: "Madam, if we want to get to the bottom of this matter, we need to use some 'Deng Tong' to pave the way."

Deng Tong means silver and money.

Just as Lady Kang was about to continue speaking, a maid called out at the door, "Madam, Aunt Hu is here."

Upon hearing the message, Mrs. Kang's expression instantly showed some impatience, and this expression happened to be seen by Mother Wu.

"Come in." Queen Kang said with a pout.

quickly,

An elderly lady came in and nodded, saying, "Hello, Madam."

Kang Wang's expression had turned into a smile at this time, and she said flatteringly: "Madam Hu, why are you here? Please take a seat."

"I dare not." Madam Hu bowed and waved her hand.

Glancing at Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Wu beside them, Madam Hu said, "Madam, are you looking for some maids?"

Without waiting for Lady Kang to reply, Aunt Hu nodded and said, "Mrs. Zhang has contacts with several of our relatives. I think she will be able to satisfy the lady."

"Hey, thank you Ma'am Hu for the compliment." Mrs. Zhang bowed and said with a smile. Her attitude was even more respectful than to Lady Kang.

Because Mrs. Zhang knew that this Madam Hu was the old nanny serving Old Madam Wang, and was sent by the Wang family to serve Mrs. Kang after Madam Qi was dealt with.

After dealing with him several times, Mrs. Zhang, who knew countless people, realized that this person was not an easy one to deal with.

Mother Wu next to her looked up at Aunt Hu with a hint of dissatisfaction in her eyes.

But Madam Hu seemed to have eyes behind her back. She turned around and glanced at Madam Wu's face. She said calmly, "Is your last name Wu? Did you work for the Bao family of Marquis Ruyang before?"

"It's my older sister." said Mother Wu.

Madam Hu said uncertainly, "There is an old steward named Lai in the Dongchang Marquis's mansion, who was from the Fa generation and served the previous generation of Dongchang Marquis. Do you know him?"

Hearing this, Queen Kang curled her lips, somewhat puzzled.

After all, Aunt Hu was talking about the Bao family in her previous sentence and the Qin family in the next sentence.

But the expressions of Mother Wu and Mrs. Zhang in the hall changed slightly.

Mother Wu's eyes were filled with more surprise, and she said hesitantly, "Old sister, of course I know this person!"

Madam Hu nodded: "So, you also know Madam Lai, who was married to the fourth room of the Tan family along with Miss Qin San?"

"How do you know this? Mother Lai is my cousin." There was some fear in Mother Wu's eyes.

Madam Hu nodded: "Well! Then the child of Madam Lai is..."

"Two girls, one is called Dayue and the other is called Xiaoyue," Mother Wu replied hurriedly with some fear.

It’s no wonder that Mother Wu was scared. She really didn’t know the person, but after he took one look at her, he almost asked her whole family about it.

The manager Lai mentioned by Madam Hu is none other than Mama Wu's uncle.

"Well, she is a well-connected person. If the lady wants to use her, let her enter the mansion."

Madam Hu smiled and bowed slightly to Lady Kang, saying, "Then I will take my leave."

"Oh!" replied Mrs. Kang Wang.

After perfunctorily sending Aunt Hu to the door, Lady Kang turned around and glanced at Aunt Wu, saying, "Okay, since Aunt Hu said so, you can come to my house and do it."

"Hey!" Madam Wu bowed and said with a smile, "Madam, with Madam Hu's golden ingot as ballast, I will not hide my incompetence."

Glancing at Mrs. Zhang, Mother Wu walked over to Lady Kang and whispered, "Madam, the one who is looking for a concubine in the capital is none other than the old prince Kang, a member of the imperial clan."

"Oh?" Mrs. Kang's eyes lit up.

evening,

The Kang family's mistress,

Inside the house, Princess Kang took the teacup from the maid and walked towards Madam Hu.

"Madam, you are so polite." Madam Hu bowed and took the teacup and said.

"Madam, what are you talking about? You are my mother's close friend." Lady Kang continued with a smile, "Today, I heard that the old prince Kang wanted to take a concubine, so I thought..."

After hearing this, Madam Hu nodded and said, "Madam, it is not excessive for you to treat your concubine's children like this."

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Queen Kang's lips.

"Then which concubine's daughter do you want to enter the palace?" asked Madam Hu.

"I heard that Prince Kang likes young girls. I think Kang Zhaoer is of the right age, and she has younger brothers and sisters who are easy to take care of." Princess Kang said lightly.

Looking at Madam Hu who was noncommittal, Lady Kang asked, "Madam, isn't it appropriate?"

Madam Hu nodded: "Think about it, Madam! Does the favored concubine's daughter get more property when she gets married? Or does the unfavored concubine's daughter get more?"

"Of course it's Mammy. You mean to send the child of that bitch surnamed Jin to the palace. Right, right! Mammy, what you said makes sense."

As she spoke, it was unknown what she was thinking of, but a very happy look appeared on Kang Wang's face: "Kang Ni'er, this little bitch relied on her good birth to speak ill of Yuan'er in front of the master, she deserves to be sent away!"

"But, if Miss Jin goes to cry in front of Master Kang and Master Kang asks you about it, have you ever thought about how to answer?" asked Madam Hu.

Mrs. Kang: "Well, I am the mistress of the house, why should I answer! Besides, my husband is addicted to alcohol and women, who knows when he will return home and know about this."

Madam Hu shook her head and said, "Madam, you can't say that! You have to know that you are doing this for the career of the master of the Kang family!"

"Mammy, that's right! She's in a relationship with old Prince Kang. I'm watching my sister."

Stopping the topic in time, Kang Wangshi smiled and continued: "Sir, you have no conscience. How are you going to thank me when you find out?"

Madam Hu put down the teacup in her hand, pretended not to hear, and smiled faintly.

(End of this chapter)