Forensic lady champion husband

Chapter 61

As a conscientious traveler, history spoilers can't do it, Mingshu can only suppress the tsunami in her heart, and said with a dry smile: "It's nothing, Ouyang Xiu... What a good name!"

She was joking wholeheartedly, when suddenly Wang Anshi tugged at her sleeve and said, "Madam Qu seems to be over there."

Following his gaze, it was indeed Mrs. Qu who was caught among a group of beautifully dressed ladies, chatting and walking while walking, getting closer and closer to the corridor where Mingshu was.Fortunately, Mrs. Qu was busy talking to Mrs. Yuan and didn't notice her daughter.

Looking at her mother's expression of resentment, Mingshu knew that she was complaining about herself, and looking at Madam Yuan's round face and her kind smile, she was indeed a good listener.

Would she rather listen to other people complain about trivial matters than stand up for her own daughter?Mingshu was puzzled.

It's just that the situation can no longer allow her to think too much, she bowed to Xurou and smiled, and then she left.

She counted the time, and thought that Yan Ziqin should have asked Yuan Tingyong to talk to Yuan Tingyong, so she walked out of the garden so that Yan Ziqin could find her.

Sure enough, after a while, Xu An appeared outside the garden gate, looked inside, saw his wife at a glance, walked over and said with a smile: "Madam, the officer invites you to go over."

Ming Shu confirmed it: "Is Uncle Yuan there?"

Xu An nodded, and said: "Master Yuan is also here, this old slave will lead you there."

There is a high wall between the garden and the house, and a water pavilion is erected under the wall facing the water. Now the water has frozen, and the water pavilion is also surrounded by natural mulberry paper tents with fish scale patterns. Silver charcoal, elegant and warm.

Speaking of paper tents, Mingshu was also surprised when she first wore them. She couldn't figure out why all these gentry families used paper to keep out the cold, and it wasn't that they couldn't afford green bricks.After experiencing it myself, I realized that the heat preservation effect of the paper tent is outstanding, and the key lies in its convenience—it can be removed when it is not needed. In this way, a gazebo can be used to enjoy the cool in summer and enjoy the snow in winter.

After Xu An asked Mingshu to go in, he backed out, grabbed Wang Anshi, and whispered to him, "Shh! Your master and wife have something to say to the master, Wang Langjun and the old slave are waiting outside." , or go to the Xiaoxuan over there to listen to the chatter of the husbands."

Just as she was talking, she always felt that there was someone behind her, and she suddenly answered, but with her hands behind her back, she overheard Xu Rou who was engrossed.

Xu An didn't recognize her, and the guest could tell from her Shu brocade rabbit fur beanie that she was a young lady from a mid-level official family, so she quickly covered her mouth.

Xu Rou glanced at him, and said: "The one inside is my uncle, Master Yuan, Minister of the Imperial Palace?"

Xu Jianan said stupidly: "The masters talk, how do we slaves know!"

Xu Rou knew that he was trying to put it off, and said: "Just now I said that it is the head of the family, my aunt is still in the garden, it can't be that the two cousins ​​who are working outside suddenly came back!"

As Xu Rou talked, she didn't talk nonsense with him, she came to the outside of the water pavilion like a smart and quiet cat, and listened to the conversation inside with the paper curtain.

Although the paper tent keeps warm, it is not soundproof. After all, it is a thin layer of paper, what can it hide?
There was only the crisp voice of picking up the teacup, and then a man of some age spoke, his voice was like a bell, it should be Xu Rou's uncle Yuan Tingyong.

"Master Yan wants to take care of my family affairs?"

Yan Ziqin smiled lightly, and said, "Is the matter of making the young master take the exam a state matter?"

The ear-piercing vibrating sound of porcelain seemed to be Yuan Ting's trembling hand holding the teacup. He said, "What wind did Lord Yan hear?"

Exam?Xu Rou also felt puzzled, isn't that the official year-end assessment, they just want to talk about it?
Ignoring Xu An's silent pleading with bared teeth, Xu Rou continued to listen.

"Zhang Lin and Ding Xun tampered with the test results of the young master Yuan Yicun. If he did this, his wolfish heart was revealed. Will Uncle Yuan still stand by and watch?" Yan Ziqin asked.

Maybe it was about his eldest son, Yuan Tingyong's attitude obviously softened, lowered his voice, and said: "I don't know that Mr. Zhang Jialang is not a good man who can be entrusted to, it's just... the man of Yuan's family who didn't commit crimes, a relative I don’t have any remarried daughters, I’m afraid I’ll ruin my reputation.”

Hearing this, Xu Rou couldn't help being surprised.

Isn't Zhang Lin his cousin-in-law?Uncle said he was not a good man, did he do something beyond the rules to his cousin?Thinking about it again, I haven't seen my cousin for more than a year, and I am really worried about her.

Ming Shu's voice came from the waterside pavilion, "Uncle, even for Big Brother Yuan, you should testify against Zhang Lin and others, otherwise his future will be ruined."

Yuan Tingyong hesitated even more, only heard the rustling sound of cloth rubbing, he should have stood up, and said loudly: "I will think about it, thank you Mrs. Yan and Mrs. Yan for letting me know."

Hearing seeing off guests, Xu Rou hurriedly wanted to hide, but it was the middle of winter, the waterside pavilion was surrounded by dead branches, there was nowhere to hide, so she simply didn't hide.

Turning his head, he saw Xu An's disheartened face, and heard a gasp next to his ear.

It turned out that Ming Shu walked out of the paper tent, but she was surprised to see Xu Rou outside, and she didn't dare to let Yuan Tingyong, who was still in the water pavilion, know that Xu Rou was eavesdropping, so she could only pull her to the garden, and found In a secluded place, he asked, "Miss Xu, what are you doing outside?"

Mingshu didn't know whether to tell her or not, so she glanced sideways at Yan Ziqin, only to see that he was being entangled by Xu An, who was holding him and gesticulating to describe the situation just now, it wasn't that he wanted Xu Rou to eavesdrop, but He didn't dare to make any noise, and was noticed by Mr. Yuan.

Yan Ziqin smiled helplessly in Mingshu's direction, but there was indescribable tenderness in his eyes.

This smile doesn't matter, Ming Shu is used to seeing him, but Xu Rou is different.

Although Xu Rou is young and lively, she is a real lady from the official family. Unlike Ming Shu, a "half-way monk" who changes her mind and travels, she is naturally shy when meeting young men she doesn't know well.

In particular, Yan Ziqin has grown a lot in the past two years, and he has just shown his charm. He is wearing a blue gown, and a hair crown carved in amber is faintly revealed under the soapy black square scarf. She has matured a lot, not as childish as before.

Xu Rou pulled Mingshu to the side, and said in a low voice, "This is Mr. Yan, the No. [-] scholar in Tiansheng's five-year list? He really is a good-looking talent."

There was a slight blush on her face, which made Ming Shu panic.

She must have fallen in love with Yan Ziqin!He quickly patted his cheeks to stop him from thinking wildly, what he was holding was Ouyang Xiu's potential stock, why should he fight with himself.

But the current Ouyang Xiu is not the leader of the literary world in the Northern Song Dynasty, nor is he one of the eight great masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, but just a poor scholar...

Sure enough, the more she thought about it, the more angry she became, she was going to protect the food!

Xu Rou also felt that her performance was inappropriate, she turned pale with fright, and hurriedly said: "Master Yan is a good-looking talent, Mrs. Yan is a hero among women, they really are a match made in heaven."

"Ms. Xu's praise is ridiculous!" Mingshu came down the steps, touched Xu Rourou's boneless hand, and said to herself, fortunately you have self-knowledge, otherwise I would have a good chat with your parents about tutoring.

Xu Ju said: "Then... about my cousin?"

Ming Shu didn't have the patience to chat with her, and said, "That's Uncle Yuan's family affairs, and we don't want to interfere, so why talk about gossip about Miss Xu?"

After finishing speaking, she smiled very politely, turned and walked away, leaving only her back with a swaying skirt.

Sitting with Yan Ziqin on the stone bench under the wintersweet blossoms, brushed off a layer of fallen flowers, and spread a thick cushion.

Yan Ziqin said: "Although Mr. Yuan has not clearly agreed, he will definitely stand by our side."

Mingshu said, "How can you see that?"

Yan Ziqin said: "The more people value 'family reputation', the more they favor their son. Think back, when we mentioned Mrs. Yuan, his attitude of being irrelevant, and then think about Yuan Yicun, he is Didn't you get nervous all of a sudden?"

Ming Shu said: "Patriarchal!"

Yan Ziqin had never heard of this statement, and asked in surprise, "What?"

Ming Shu said: "It's just favoring men and despising women!"

Yan Ziqin said: "According to what you say, isn't the imperial court the most patriarchal in the world, only allowing men to be officials and not allowing women to take scientific examinations?"

Mingshu shrugged and said: "Forget it, this topic can't be discussed, and if we continue talking, even the emperor will be involved again."

Yan Ziqin said with a smile: "No, why can only a man be the emperor, not a woman..." He stopped in the middle of the sentence.

Who knows, now is an extraordinary period, although the emperor is a man, but the empress dowager is actually in power.At that time, Cheng Lin, the imperial censor, presented the "Picture of Empress Wu's Advent" in order to flatter her, using Empress Wu Zetian as an analogy to the empress dowager Liu E in order to express her determination to support the empress dowager and proclaim herself emperor.

The queen mother was silent for a long time, and threw the scroll to the ground, expressing that she would never usurp the throne, and the minister was relieved.

I thought the Empress Dowager would return to power in the next few years, but there was no further news, and the hearts of the officials were suspended again.After all, people change, and there are still differences between today and yesterday, not to mention that it has been many years since the event, maybe it has been in power for a long time, and I have become attached to the Ninth Five-Year Position, and the Queen Mother has changed her mind and wants to replace it.

Mingshu saw his gaffe, and said, "It's time for a woman to be the emperor, so that you men with wives and concubines can wake up. We are not at the mercy of others."

Innocence was written in Yan Ziqin's eyes, and he said: "What does it matter to me if there are many wives and concubines? I am different from Zhang Lin and Ding Xun."

Mingshu said: "It looks good now, what about the future?"

Yan Ziqin blushed, pointed to Wang Anshi who was sitting not far away, picking up fallen flowers, and said, "The child is still here, don't talk about it."

Mingshu said: "What child, he can't listen."

Just as he finished speaking, he heard a familiar voice.

"Child? Ouch, my Ning Ning, quickly show your mother!"

It was Mrs. Qu who spoke, and she didn't know when she came behind the two.

Being caught by her mother, Mingshu's face was ashamed, she stood up with a dry smile, and said, "Mother, Wanfu, it's my daughter's fault that I didn't have time to say hello to my mother."

Why didn't he have a chance to say hello? He was clearly avoiding her all the time.

Mrs. Qu was in full bloom, she quickly asked her daughter to sit down, and even touched the soft cushion on the stone bench, seeing that it was still warm, she didn't ask Qiu Lan, who was following her, to add another layer.

Seeing Qiu Lan, Ming Shu was both surprised and happy, and said with a smile, "Sister Qiu Lan, long time no see."

I lived at home before, but I didn't see her. The last time I saw her was before I went to Shuzhou. It has been a year and a half.

Qiu Lan said: "Thank you, Miss, for your concern. The maidservant's mother is sick in the countryside. Madam is kind-hearted. Allow me to go back and serve the decoction."

Mingshu nodded, and wanted to ask if she was cured, but saw a white silk flower on her head.People in the Song Dynasty were taboo to wear white headdresses. Only when there was a funeral in the family would they wear white headdresses, which was called Dai Xiao.

I remember that there is a favorite concubine of the official family, Mrs. Zhang, who got the pearl from the imperial family. In order to win the holy family, she made the best pearl into jewelry, and put it on so that her head was full of pearls, but she was disgusted by the official. There are many white hairs, there is no taboo."

In this way, Qiu Lan's mother is gone.

Qiu Lan grew up with her, and now her mother suddenly disappeared, Mingshu's mouth was bitter, and she wanted to comfort her, but Madam Qu brought the topic back.

"Did you get someone to check your pulse?"

Mingshu said angrily: "Mother, there is nothing wrong with the horoscope, and the Xi pulse has not been diagnosed yet!"

Although Mrs. Qu didn't lower her face, the air around her suddenly became a little colder. Even Wang Anshi, who was standing by the side, couldn't help shivering.

"Forget it." Mrs. Qu got up and wanted to leave, "I don't care about your young people's affairs, just an old bone, let me regret it for life!"

Mingshu pulled her mother and said, "Mother, you're not old!" A person who is about 40 years old is not very old.

Mrs. Qu was dragged by her daughter to sit down, she waved her hand calmly, and Qiu Lan retreated with insight.

Yan Ziqin was still waiting for his mother-in-law's advice, but she stared at him without saying a word, Yan Ziqin realized that he was also the one who was excluded, touched the tip of his nose, and pulled Wang Anshi up to leave.

After the idlers left, Mrs. Qu looked at her daughter meaningfully, and sighed, "You can see that, Qiu Lan's mother is gone."

Ming Shu nodded, not knowing what to say in the face of the farewell that happened around her.

Mrs. Qu said again: "You often say that I am young, but Qiulan's mother is still a few years younger than me. Even if my mother has a better life and a longer life, fate is determined by God after all, who can say That's right!"

Mingshu said: "Mother will live a long life!"

Seeing her sincerity, Mrs. Qu couldn't help laughing, and said, "Are you the Supreme Lord or the Tathagata Buddha? What you say doesn't count."

Mingshu said: "But I... can't help it." She has already tried her best to take tonic.

Mrs. Qu said: "I heard that the son-in-law is living in the yamen. It is a good thing for young people to be self-motivated, but they must also take care of their families. Besides, the man is always away. Do you know what is unclear about him?"

Ming Shu hurriedly said: "Mother, he is not that kind of person!"

Mrs. Qu said: "He's not that kind of person, but there are too many caring women in the world. Do you know why Qiu Lan wasn't there during the time you went home to live? It's one thing to let her go back to serve her mother, but on the other hand, mother I have long seen that she is a high-minded person, and it is hard not to be immune to crooked thoughts. You have to be more transparent, don't be confused all day long, there are many women with seven or eight eyes in this world, you just have one heart, or You bastard, be careful!"

(End of this chapter)