Glory all the way

Chapter 243 Disappointment
After Chiji left, Du Xuan couldn't calm down for a long time.

Sitting alone in the reception hall for a long time, it was not until Bai Yingluo sent Xiangzhu over to invite Du Xuan back to his senses, and returned to Yixinyuan with a sad face.

Seeing Du Xuan's gloomy face, Bai Yingluo's heart tightened, "Did Chi Ji say something? What's wrong with Bai Yi?"

Telling Bai Yingluo that Bai Yi has a thousand miles of incense on his body and can be easily trained by pigeons, Du Xuan said in a daze: "The authorities are confused, but the onlookers are clear. In the past, I also felt that Princess Qingcheng had feelings for Bai Yi, but it's true. Isn't loving someone just wishing him happiness? But how is it different for her to imprison Bai Yi in the princess mansion like this, and the canary trapped in a cage? Is this the way she loves Bai Yi? "

"I can't complain, Bai Yi is so desperate to escape from the Princess Mansion..."

While muttering, Du Xuan closed his eyes, turned over and lay on the inside of the heating kang.

The smell of alcohol rose, Du Xuan was already a little drunk at this moment, thinking about being sober, he felt even more sad, Bai Yingluo waved her hand, and asked Chen Xiang to put aside the hangover soup that Chen Xiang brought.

After taking a nap and getting up, Du Xuan was somewhat awake, not as depressed as before noon.

"Since you can escape, you can escape a second time. At worst, you will be caught and come back, and you will just continue to escape with perseverance."

Du Xuan said in a desperate manner.

Seeing that he was in a better mood, Bai Yingluo responded with a smile: "It's still the same sentence, let's wait and see what happens. Perhaps, Bai Yi has already fled thousands of miles away. When the pigeon finds him, The thousand li incense on his body has dissipated and there is no smell, and when the time comes, the sky will be high and the earth will be far away, so he can go wherever he wants?"

There was such a sliver of luck in his heart, and Du Xuan felt a lot more comfortable after being told by Bai Yingluo.

While the two were preparing, the woman at the second door came back and said that someone from the Liu residence had come to pick up Bai Yingluo and Du Xuan.

"It must be uncle's arrangement."

Speaking confidently, Du Xuan leaned close to Bai Yingluo's ear and whispered, "Uncle has a steady and meticulous personality, and he will definitely be able to rise to the top in the future. It's a pity that Auntie couldn't help Uncle."

Mrs. Wang is small-minded and likes to think she is smart. She always treats others as fools, but she doesn't know that her calculations have been seen through by the other party from the very beginning, but others didn't say anything, and just looked at her with cold eyes. Those who talk to themselves are just acting there.

Although it is bad to talk about elders behind their backs, what Du Xuan said was the truth, besides, his original intention was not to make fun of Wang, but to feel sorry for Liu Tinghuai.

Bai Yingluo smiled, "No one is perfect."

The carriage stopped in front of the gate of Liu's Mansion in Bachelor's Lane. After getting out of the car, I saw many carriages parked in the alley. Bai Yingluo saw it and asked the woman who came to pick her up: "Is there a guest in the mansion? Then we enter through the side door." Bar."

"Miss Cousin, it's okay. The master has spoken a few days ago, and there are no outsiders, so all the people who come are relatives and friends. Today, only a few wives from the wife's natal family brought the young masters and ladies. They are all relatives." .”

After Liu Tinghuai became the Minister of Dali Temple, he was really ruthless and selfless as the old master Bai said. During this year, many changes have taken place in Dali Temple.

For the civil and military officials and the common people in the capital, Dali Temple is the most lucrative yamen, eating plaintiffs and defendants, as long as they can be an official there for a year, their wealth can be several times richer.

Liu Tinghuai jumped from the fifth-rank Zhizhou to the third-rank Dali Temple Secretary. This promotion speed was one of the few in Emperor Jiayuan's time, and Liu Tinghuai lived up to expectations. As soon as he took office, the first fire burned to Abandoned his colleagues, as well as a group of subordinates.

Anyone who accepts bribes from the plaintiff and the defendant will be immediately dismissed and investigated once they are discovered, and those middlemen who help make connections will naturally be severely punished.

As soon as the announcement was posted, there was endless ridicule and disdain from the officials of Dali Temple, but within a month, these people stopped laughing.

Because Liu Tinghuai didn't just talk about it, and Emperor Jiayuan obviously acquiesced in his approach.

In that month, the Ministry of Officials was busy punishing officials who committed crimes. On the other hand, they had to re-examine the officials who were transferred.

But after three months, initial results were achieved.

Above the hall, the plaintiff and the defendant no longer had the fearless aggressiveness. After the hall, there would not be so many undercurrents, and everything was moving in the direction that things should have developed.

Now, a year later, the Dali Temple, which was originally disdainful for the common people, has become a topic they like to talk about. Liu Tinghuai is also secretly called "Liu Qingtian".

Mrs. Wang complained a lot about this.

Because the oil and water that could have been obtained suddenly disappeared, and what the husband did did not seem to be good for his father and elder brother.

Mr. Wang Ge said: "When the water is clear, there will be no fish. It is ill-considered for the court to conceive this."

At the end of the hundred official assessment at the end of the year, although Liu Tinghuai won the top prize, he did not receive any substantive awards. The Wang family was even more unhappy. Officer, with such a great gift, how can you be complacent just because of a small achievement?"

After Liu Tinghuai's beating, everyone in Liu's mansion became more cautious and careful, and Wang's dissatisfaction with Liu Tinghuai became more and more profound.

Followed the woman who came to meet her all the way to the second main room, sure enough, Wang was surrounded by several ladies wearing gold and silver, Bai Yingluo and Du Xuan greeted everyone, Wang introduced: "This is my The eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law of her natal family."

Mrs. Wang was over forty years old, with a big round face and a warm smile. Seeing that Bai Yingluo had a body, before she could bend down to salute, she got up and helped her up, and said with a smile: "They are all relatives of my family. It's not outside, what do you want those vain rituals for? Get up quickly, so you can sit comfortably."

The second Mrs. Wang on the side has a shrewd face, a melon-shaped face with red phoenix eyes, and a smile on her face, but it doesn't reach the bottom of her eyes. Looking at Du Xuan and Bai Yingluo, thinking of the rumors in the market, she is not like Mrs. Wang So enthusiastic.

After talking for a while, Liu Tinghuai sent someone to call Du Xuan to the study, leaving only a group of female relatives in the room to talk.

The two wives of the Wang family came to visit their relatives and brought three young ladies, all of whom were twelve or thirteen years old. They were lively and charming. Seeing them staring at her intently, Bai Yingluo raised her eyes and smiled at them. , one girl lowered her head shyly, and the other two smiled back gracefully.

Noticing Bai Yingluo's gaze, Mrs. Wang Er turned her head and gave the shy girl a look. With just one look, the girl burst into tears, but she didn't dare to shed tears in front of everyone.

Feeling a little surprised, Bai Yingluo turned her eyes away, and then she heard Wang's introduction: "These three ladies are all cousins ​​of your Wang family, the one next to the eldest lady is Yaowang Yahui, and the two next to the second lady, One is Second Miss Wang Yazhi, and the other is Fourth Miss Wang Yalin."

I didn't know in advance that I would meet the relatives of the Wang family when I went to the Liu Mansion. The purses that Liusu and Liuying brought as rewards were all for the children in the family to play with. At this moment, it was a bit inappropriate. Bai Yingluo got up and went forward, He took off the pair of mutton fat jade bracelets, handed them to Wang Yahui and Wang Yazhi one by one, and took off the filigree silver gilt butterfly and flower hairpin from his head, and inserted it in Wang Yalin's hair.

"Be careful, and I hope the younger sisters don't dislike her."

Bai Yingluo laughed.

The heavy gift made Mrs. Wang's face a little awkward, and even the smile on Wang's face deepened a little.

Sitting down again, listening to Zhang's parents and Li's family chatting about those trivial matters, Bai Yingluo's eyes swept over the three girls, and then fell on Wang's face involuntarily.

Bai Yingluo would not take it for granted that today was a chance encounter.

Since it was not a chance encounter, what did Wang mean by allowing him to meet these three ladies from the Wang family?
Thinking wildly in her heart, she heard Liu Ruomei's voice in the yard. Mrs. Wang frowned, smiled and said to the two sister-in-laws: "I have spoiled my eyebrows, and they are getting more and more unruly."

After entering the room, seeing Bai Yingluo was there, Liu Ruomei was startled for a moment, stepped forward and saluted reluctantly.

After sitting for a while, Mrs. Wang called the big maid beside her, and said: "The plum blossoms in the garden are just in bloom. You are serving the second lady, and the three cousins ​​are going to enjoy the flowers. If there are beautiful ones, I will pick some and put them in." bottle."

Seeing her mother speaking, Liu Ruomei happily stepped forward and took Wang Yahui and Wang Yazhi's hands and went out. Wang Yalin took a step behind and followed with her head lowered.

Bai Yingluo became more and more sure that Wang Yalin was the concubine of the second wife of the Wang family.

Avoiding a few ladies, Wang's conversation turned to the main topic.

"Sister Luo, I heard that the fifth young master of your family is asking for relatives these days. Did you hear your aunt say, whose young lady did they fall in love with?"

Wang asked.

On the side, the corners of the mouths of the first lady and the second lady of the Wang family twitched imperceptibly.

What Mrs. Wang was talking about was Bai Jinzong, the fifth young master born by Mrs. Xue, who is one year older than Bai Yingluo. He is now 17 years old and has passed the Juren examination. He will enter the Jinshi examination three years later.

These few times when she went back to the Marquis Mansion, Bai Yingluo didn't hear Mrs. Bai and Mrs. Xue talking about Bai Jinzong's marriage, but heard them muttering about Bai Jinlu.

Bai Jinlu is 19 years old, and he was born by Aunt Qin, the eldest family. He just passed the exam last year. Compared with Bai Jinzong, he is naturally inferior. For this reason, the Marquis of Jing'an beat a few concubines.

Bai Yingluo shook her head, and mentioned Bai Jinlu by the way.

The eldest lady of the Wang family didn't answer, and the second wife of Wang curled her lips in disdain, with a disdainful expression on her face, and the Wang family's face suddenly became embarrassing.

For a moment, Bai Yingluo understood a little.

The Wang family wanted to be married to the Jing'an Hou Mansion, but none of the young masters of the Jing'an Hou Mansion were of the right age, so the Wang family looked down on them a bit.

Feeling amused and angry at the same time, Bai Yingluo took a sip of her tea and said with a smile: "The marriage of my elder brothers is decided by my grandparents and uncle, and others may not be able to intervene. "

The implication is that Jing'an Hou's mansion is a concubine, and he is more expensive than the young masters of other people's families, so those outsiders can't help but pick and choose.

Immediately, Wang's complexion became more and more ugly.

After dinner in Liu's mansion, Du Xuan and Bai Yingluo went back home when it was getting dark.

In the carriage, I was talking to Du Xuan about the fact that the two wives of the Wang family had entrusted Wang to speak out. Bai Yingluo repeated what Du Xuan said in the afternoon: "It's really a pity for uncle. If there is a good helper, his future achievements will be greatly reduced." It must not be underestimated.”

Du Xuan chuckled, and nodded affectionately on Bai Yingluo's nose.

After getting out of the carriage, the two of them walked towards Yixin Garden in a short walk. As soon as they entered the yard, they heard a fluttering sound in their ears. Looking up, a group of pigeons spread their wings and rushed to the sky, white and gray, flying in the night. There is a palpitating faint blue in the middle.

The complexions of Du Xuan and Bai Yingluo instantly became serious.

(End of this chapter)