Mistress

Chapter 45

When they arrived at the Yang Mansion, Li Yan ordered the servants to start cleaning, and she and Nanny Cui looked around.

Although Dudu Yang's mansion is much worse than the prime minister's mansion, it is also a house with four entrances and four exits, and there is a small garden behind it.Except for a few rooms that will be used to open a shop at that time, it is a pity that so many rooms are left empty.

Li Yan said as she walked, "I only brought more than 20 people here, I'm afraid I won't be able to clean even a yard today. After the new year, I have to spend a lot of money to buy some servants."

"Isn't that right, our mansion is just right, so it's not suitable to move here. I heard from Manager Qi that we need to hire some eloquent guys to open the shop. He said that he has connections in this area. Does Madam think he is trustworthy? He and the accountant Yin were found by the master, so why did you say that your distant relatives helped to find them?" Cui Mama couldn't understand it, the master never interfered in the affairs of the back house before. .

Li Yan herself was still wondering about this matter, she vaguely felt that Xu Cheng did this to make it easier for him to spend money, and maybe he would spend a lot of money in a year or two.But she couldn't tell Nanny Cui what she was suspicious of, so she just said: "After Zhang Yuliu's incident, the master has become more concerned about family affairs. He trusts Qi Guanshi and Yin Accountant, so don't be too suspicious, just keep an eye on him. Just focus on it."

After visiting Yang Dudu's mansion, they went to the houses of the Yang family brothers.Although these houses are smaller, they are still quite unique.When they came to the deepest part of the last house, she and Madam Cui found an arched door locked tightly, and there were still two guards standing in front of the door.

But these two guards were obviously not ordinary servants, Li Yan knew they were the sons of the Lian family just by looking at their bodies and standing postures.The two of them didn't know Li Yan either. Seeing that she could come in, she must be the Prime Minister's wife or concubine. They just stepped forward to salute Li Yan silently, and then returned to their positions.

Li Yan and Nanny Cui looked at each other, feeling very curious, is there still people living here?
Li Yan asked them seriously, "Are you sent by the prime minister to guard here?"

"Yes." The two guards stood up straight, speaking in unison, with serious expressions.

"Is there something inside or people living there?" Li Yan asked again.

The two of them kept their mouths tightly shut and did not answer.Xu Cheng confessed that they must not leak the news, and they would not reveal a word to anyone.

Mother Cui saw that the two of them dared not answer Madam's question, so she said with a straight face, "You two opened your eyes wide, this is Madam, how dare you hide it?"

When the two guards heard that it was Madam, they went forward and knelt down on one knee to salute, and said "Madam Wanfu", and then returned to their positions, but they just refused to answer Li Yan's question.

Nanny Cui opened her mouth to reprimand sharply, but was stopped by Li Yan.Li Yan remembered what Xu Cheng said last night about the hidden beauty in the golden house, so it must be true.At this time, the feelings in her heart were mixed, and it was difficult to express.I thought Xu Cheng was just teasing her, but it seems to be true!And Xu Cheng also knew that she was coming here in the morning, but he didn't say a word to stop him, maybe he just wanted her to know.

At this moment, the extremely melodious and melodious sound of the piano suddenly came to mind inside the arch, followed by the song of a yellow warbler, which was so clear and sweet that men probably would not be able to walk when they heard it.Mother Cui's face changed in shock, and she exclaimed, "Ma'am, there is...a woman living in this place!"

Li Yan smiled lightly, turned around, and said, "Nurse, let's go."

"Ma'am! We can't leave. At least we have to see what kind of goblins live there. Over the years, I have never heard of the master raising a woman outside. I must have made a mistake!" Cui Nanny said in disbelief. Looking at the door, and then looking at Li Yan, she heard the sound of the piano inside, one after another, and the singing one after another, her face was flushed, it seemed that it was more difficult for Li Yan to accept this fact.

Mother Cui asked the two guards loudly, "Is it true that the master asked you to guard here? If you dare to tell a lie, Madam will not spare you!"

One of them replied solemnly: "I dare not speak nonsense. It is indeed the Prime Minister who asked me to guard here." The other nodded solemnly.

"Where did the goblins live in?" Cui Mama asked sharply.

The two of them kept their mouths tightly shut again. In fact, they didn't know the origin of the woman inside, and they couldn't answer even if they wanted to.

Li Yan pulled Nanny Cui, "Let's go, don't embarrass them here, they are just obeying the master's order, and they probably don't know what happened. You are yelling here, don't you?" Let the woman inside hear the joke and think that we are like shrews, not a decent lady."

Although Nanny Cui felt that what Li Yan said was reasonable, she couldn't swallow it. She felt that the master treated his wife much better, so how could there be a woman hiding here?

Nanny Cui glared at the two guards angrily, then followed Li Yan, fearing that Li Yan would feel sad, she comforted her again, and said, "Ma'am, maybe this woman is just for the master's own use, and she didn't mean it." Hidden here to enjoy. Think about it, the master let you take care of these six houses and put her here, isn’t it obvious that he doesn’t want to hide it from you? Since he doesn’t want to hide it from you, it must be that he has nothing to do with this woman of."

Although Li Yan was not feeling well, she smiled relievedly at Mammy, "Don't bother trying to comfort me, Mammy, it's no big deal if the master has many women, don't we still have Aunt Ji and Aunt Song in our house, and I'm not afraid of seeing you again." There's one more. The master told me last night that he has hidden beauty in a golden house, but it's not like a golden house, but like a birdcage. I don't care, so why bother?"

Mother Cui didn't know why, but she even shed old tears, and said with some sobs: "I see that the master treats his wife better and better. Compared with the past, it is very different, and the master has not been to Qiushui recently. Pavilion and Mingxiang Pavilion, I thought the master would take care of himself from now on, and only his wife will be in his heart from now on, and the days to come will be stable and peaceful, but I didn't expect another vicious person to appear here."

She wiped her tears with a silk handkerchief, fearing that Li Yan would be sad, she changed the subject and said: "However... since the master is willing to tell the madam, he must value the madam more. If the master proposes to raise this woman Go into the mansion, my wife will never agree!"

"Nurse, you think too much, the master will not carry her into the mansion. What's wrong with this woman living her own life here, why should she enter the mansion to live under our noses?" Li Yan saw Guanshi Qi and the two servants were measuring the length of the land in the inverted room, and they walked forward quickly.

"Qi Guanshi, what do you think about opening a tea shop here?" Li Yan just wants to focus on doing her own business now. She doesn't want to care about what happened to Xu Cheng and the hidden woman, although she is worried Some pain, but she believes that she will recover soon.

Manager Qi said with a smile: "Ma'am, the market for tea shops is really good recently, and it should be feasible. And I have another idea, which is to set up the first eight rooms as tea houses, and set up a stage in this courtyard." My son, please come to the storyteller or singer. Nowadays, many high-ranking officials like to come out to drink tea and listen to books and music. Such a show will attract many guests. I wonder what Madam would like?"

"Guan Qi really has a brain, no wonder the master wants me to discuss with you more, this idea is really good!" Li Yan is really happy, and she can come to listen to books and music often in the future, so her life will not be too boring .

"However... I think Dudu Yang's official residence is bigger than this house, and it is more suitable for opening a teahouse. I wonder which courtyard Madam thinks is better for a teahouse?" Steward Qi asked Li Yan seriously.

Before Li Yan could think carefully, she was pulled aside by Nanny Cui. "Ma'am, if you want me to tell you, it is better to open a teahouse in this courtyard. This is a courtyard with three entrances and three exits. If the first entrance is a teahouse, the storytellers or singers will definitely make the place noisy. That The goblin can be heard in the inner courtyard, the more noisy the better, so that she will not have a quiet life and nowhere to hide! It is best for everyone in the capital to know her and think that she is just She's just an opera singer, can't she play and sing, hum!"

Although Li Yan felt very trapped in her heart, she quickly persuaded herself not to take this matter to heart. Aunt Ji and Aunt Song are both powerful characters, so they couldn't trap Xu Cheng either?But Li Yan felt that she didn't need to be a good person, not to mention that Cui Momo said so, she must give Cui Momo a face.

She came over to the steward and said, "The teahouse should be set up in this yard. I have great use for the main mansion, except for the upside-down room to open a silk shop, and I will let people clean it out. In my spare time, I will be with you." The master may live there occasionally. If the teahouse opened there, it would be too noisy, and the master would not like it if there are too many people."

Hearing what Li Yan said, Guan Shi hurriedly responded: "Yes, then listen to Madam, although this yard is smaller, if the second room is also opened, it will be enough."

Li Yan nodded, "Well, that's very good, let's clean up the second room as well."

At this time, Wang Yingying had stopped playing and singing. She heard a woman talking outside just now, and guessed that it was Xu Cheng's woman who had come.In order to create more trouble for Xu Cheng, and to make the jealous woman push Xu Cheng to her, she played and sang at the same time, in order to arouse Li Yan's anger.

If she knew that Li Yan was happily talking about opening a teahouse outside, she would probably be very disappointed.At this time, she put down the piano and walked out of her room. Seeing someone guarding the gate of the courtyard, she walked over aggressively and said to the little leader: "Go and tell your prime minister, I will even practice a small courtyard like this." I can’t even use the sword, at least I should be allowed to walk freely in this big courtyard, hurry up!”

The little leader was very handsome, he smiled at Wang Yingying, and said, "I hope Miss will be considerate, I have never known the whereabouts of the prime minister, and I have nowhere to report."

Wang Yingying snorted and said, "Oh? Could it be that your prime minister wants to treat me like a prisoner and lock me up in this broken cage?"

The little leader looked left and right, and said: "There are four elegant rooms in this inner courtyard, and there is such a large area paved with blue bricks, there are also a few ginkgo trees and flower beds over there, which are common to ordinary people. It's pretty good that Miss can live in such a yard, why does Miss say it's a cage?"

Wang Yingying looked the little leader up and down, and found that he was not only decent-looking, but also well-spoken. What was Xu Cheng's intention in placing such a person by her side?

At this moment, a soldier came out from the side room. He was also handsome and tall. He came out with a fruit plate, put his hands in front of Wang Yingying, and said, "Miss, please taste the fruit."

Wang Yingying stared into his eyes, and found that there was a suave charm in his eyes.snort!Is this Xu Cheng playing tricks on her?

"Crack!" The arched door opened, and Wang Yingying walked over, and saw an elegant-looking soldier enter with vegetable baskets and a large pastry box.As soon as he entered, the arched door was quickly locked by the two guards outside.

Wang Yingying couldn't help laughing secretly, even the cook is a handsome man, this Xu Cheng really took great pains.If she is not tempted by these men, and only reluctant to part with Xu Cheng, wouldn't he be very satisfied?
The soldier who was the cook came over and asked politely: "Miss, I don't know if you want to eat chicken or duck, radish or lettuce, vegetarian soup or broth for lunch?"

Wang Yingying couldn't help covering her mouth with a handkerchief and giggling straight away. Seeing his earnest questioning appearance was pleasing to the eye. She replied with a coquettish smile, "It's up to you, as long as you cook delicious food, I like it."

The cook turned around and went into the kitchen. After Wang Yingying returned to her bedroom, she realized that she was fascinated by that guy just now?No, she must not be easily fooled.

"Miss, please drink tea." The soldier who handed the fruit just now came in again with tea this time, just by hearing his voice, one can tell that this man is attractive.

"Get out!" Wang Yingying yelled, she didn't look up at him, because she was afraid of being easily seduced by these men, although these soldiers did not behave in any way to seduce her.

The soldier had to retreat.

She yelled out the door again, "From now on, no one is allowed to come in unless I pass it on!"

She came to the dressing table and took a closer look at herself in the mirror. With her appearance and talent, she couldn't get any man. She didn't believe Xu Cheng could hold back for long.In front of her were just two guards, a small leader, a cook, and a person serving tea and water, just five men. She had never seen any man before, so how could she be fascinated by these five men?Xu Cheng underestimated her too much!
She stood up, went to the door and locked it, then sat down and dressed up, she believed that Xu Cheng would come to see her later.

Manager Qi and the servants had to carefully measure the size of each room. Li Yan wanted to see how the business of other shops on the street was doing, so she went shopping with Madam Cui, and just after leaving the hospital, she met Xu Cheng riding a horse. Followed by Su Bai, Zhu Yan, and Chen Hao.

Seeing Li Yan, Xu Cheng immediately jumped off the horse.

Li Yan looked at him indifferently, stepped forward and called Master.Nanny Cui stood behind angrily, as if Xu Cheng had offended her.

Xu Cheng immediately understood what was going on in his heart. In the morning, he guessed that Li Yan should be able to wander to the place where Wang Yingying was locked up today.He smiled meaningfully and said, "Madam knows? I wonder if Madam is interested in meeting her with me?"

Li Yan shook her head and said: "No, Madam Cui and I still want to go to some lively shops so that we can get some experience back. Since that girl is a treasure in the golden house, not just anyone can meet her. Why bother to disturb her tranquility?"

Cui Momo stepped forward and said anxiously: "Madam, why didn't you see her? She is not even a concubine, so she should pay homage to Madam!"

"Mommy, why are you so confused, if she wants to beg me, she should come to me, not me to see her." Li Yan dragged Cuimomo away.

Xu Cheng waved at Zhu Yan and Chen Hao, signaling them to follow behind Li Yan and protect her safety.

In fact, Li Yan also had suspicions in her heart. She always felt that Xu Cheng was deliberately trying to see her jealous, but after thinking about it, Xu Cheng hadn't found a confidante for so many years, and now he hid a girl, which might also make sense.

The only thing she couldn't understand was, did he need to hide?He likes that girl, and he can take her back to the mansion without hesitation. What dare you say?Even if a hundred of them were unhappy and a thousand were unhappy, what would happen to him and that girl?

Forget it, don't think about these bad things anymore, Li Yan saw a shop in front of her surrounded by three floors inside and three floors outside, so she moved over curiously.Nanny Cui hurriedly grabbed Li Yan, "Ma'am, that's just a family that sells grilled chickens, and they only sell thirty chickens a day, so those people are rushing to buy them. Madam, you majestic prime minister, don't crowd the messy pavement to call!" It's a joke, if you want to eat, you can tell, and Manager Lin will definitely send someone to buy it for you."

"Grilled chicken?" Li Yan pondered for a while, "Mommy, have you ever eaten roast duck?"

Nanny Cui shook her head, "Our house often eats stewed duck, but I have never eaten roast duck before."

"Then let's open a roast duck shop. There will definitely be masters who can do it. Maybe the business will be better than that one that sells grilled chicken. We have already planned to open a medicine shop, a silk shop, a jewelry shop, and a tea house. Now we have another shop." There is a roast duck shop, what shop should the last one open?"

Nanny Cui may have been agitated by the woman in the yard just now, so she still has no thoughts about the things in the shop.She felt that the emperor was not in a hurry and the eunuchs were in a hurry, but she couldn't do it if she was told not to worry, the lady was her heart and soul.This urgency made her feel dizzy and unsteady when she walked, because she was old after all. "Ma'am, how about we go back to the house earlier, I'm dizzy, I'm afraid I won't serve you well, if there is an accident, it's okay?"

"Don't worry, mama, I seldom go out of the house, and few people know me, what could be unexpected?" In fact, when Li Yan turned her head, she seemed to see Zhu Yan and Chen Hao, and she knew that Xu Cheng asked them to protect her .

She helped Nanny Cui to walk back, then got into the carriage and headed home.

When she returned to the mansion, Nanny Cui was no longer dizzy. She thought that it would be better for Aunt Song and Aunt Ji to know about this matter.She asked Qi'er and Qing'er to go out for a walk, and then intentionally or unintentionally revealed the matter to Aunt Ji and Aunt Song.

Li Yan couldn't help laughing when she saw Cui's mother behave like this, "Mother, if you let Qi'er and Qing'er go out to make public like this, I'm afraid that the whole house will know that the master is hiding women outside."

Cui Nanny sat down and drank tea, still very angry, said: "Master doesn't even hide it from his wife, so he is afraid that people in the house will know? Recently, because Master treats Madam better, Aunt Ji and Aunt Song must be right in their hearts." Madam is jealous, now we will turn the blame on that goblin to see if there will be any trouble between the two of them. It's just..., alas, the two of them don't leave the door, and they don't leave the door. Can't do anything out of the ordinary."

Li Yan sat at the desk again and got busy, smiling while writing and said: "You are making trouble for the two of them."

(End of this chapter)