in spring

Chapter 250
Shi'er was startled, thought for a while, and then said, "We have to wait until spring when the weather warms up and the canal reopens before going north. I heard from Mu Chen that the second old lady is old and sick. Besides, now that the north is icy and snowy, it's better to wait for the weather to warm up before setting off. Director Xu has already started picking servants."

Erfang's family is not as comfortable as at home when they work in other places, and the number of servants at their disposal is much smaller.Originally on the northern border, even the second old lady had only two maids, but it was only increased to four when they arrived in the affluent south of the Yangtze River. Compared with the little girls, they are completely different, let alone the second wife and young masters and ladies.However, since the second master had the opportunity to be promoted, and the whole family returned to Beijing to live for a long time, the standard of living would naturally have to be raised.

After listening to Shi'er's introduction, Chunying pondered in her heart.There are not many servants in the second room. Excluding the children who are too young to be on the roster, there are more than 100 of them in total. It may not be enough to meet the needs of the second room after returning to Beijing for a long-term stay.Just for the number of maids, each master needs to add at least two to four people.The second old lady, the second wife, the fourth young master, and the fourth lady don't know if there are any aunts, so there are at least eight, and there may be more than a dozen or 20 people.Dozens of families in Dongfu have children, how many daughters of the right age can they give birth to?In the end, Director Xu either wanted to find it from the Hou Mansion, or bought it from Ren Yazi.Considering that the second master is an administrative official in an important border area, and the Hou's family has a surplus of children, it should be more likely to be picked from the Hou's mansion.Regardless of whether it is newly picked or bought, skilled workers are extremely rare, and that is their own opportunity.

It's just... even if she can be chosen, it will be more troublesome for my father and mother.She didn't know if the second room would accept a former steward-level servant like her father who had a blemish on her face.If she lived through the second room, but her parents were still under the name of the Hou Mansion, she would still have some scruples in doing things.

Chunying was meditating there, Lu's mother had already gone out, Shi'er casually finished eating the melon seeds beside her, and asked, "Do you really want to go to Dongfu?"

Chunying raised her head and gave her a wry smile: "Is there any other way? The other day when Sister Mei Xiang came, I pretended to be seriously ill and even made my last wish. It stands to reason that if ordinary people hear such words, if it's nothing serious, they should Will you all agree? The third young master treats me mediocrely, and I have only served him for less than a year, and I have no special skills. He has no reason to ignore my last wish and insist on keeping me?! I really do Unexpectedly, he would suddenly show mercy and want to compensate my family! I wish he was still ruthless!" Maybe she made that request on a whim that day, but most people's request before someone's death is not Will you be as satisfied as possible?It's like my aunt Li asked her daughter to hand over the fleet before she died. Miss Huo's cousin did not want to, but she still complied. How could it be different for the third young master?What a disaster!

Shi'er sighed, and said, "Who told you that you didn't know his temper? Sometimes he is really hated, but he often does some soft-hearted things. Actually, he just wants to Others think he is just a good man. Therefore, when we were wronged and kicked out to the farm, he could bear to not save us, and only asked people to comfort us a few words, which was sympathetic; when he had the opportunity, he promoted my father to be a A farmer is compensation; what he said and did made you mad, and after that he asked someone to come and see you and reward you with something, or promised to give your father a good errand, and he would be able to get him The previous wrongdoings are wiped out. If we still have complaints, it means we don’t know how to praise. It’s always like this, as long as there is some sweetness after the event, even if the person dies, as long as the family members are rewarded with a few taels of silver..." Shi'er sneered, "How did he know that we don't care for the little sweetness, but he would rather say a few kind words for us at that time and save us. Unfortunately, we are just girls, what can't be compared with the wife who is his own mother?" ?!"

Chunying silently handed her a clean handkerchief, she took it and wiped her face indiscriminately, then forced a smile and said, "Don't joke, I have thought a lot these days before I figured it out."

Chunying nodded: "Although I don't understand as well as you, I also know that he is not a good master. I really don't want to keep messing with him anymore. Who knows when he will go crazy and think that he is giving me grace. So which cat or dog will you promise me to? He is also the little master, and the entire Hou Mansion, no matter where I work, will inevitably be under his control. Now that there is no way to leave, we have to start a new one. The East Mansion is the most likely place for us to go. If you really become a member of the East Mansion, neither the third young master nor the wife can deal with us casually. Didn't you say that the second wife is a kind person? I think she is easier to get along with than the wife. "

Shi'er smiled slightly: "Although I heard that the second wife is a kind person, she is not bad at her wrists. She is the first wife and has a son, so she speaks more confidently than our wife. Do you know that the second master used to have Concubine Ji, one had a miscarriage, one corpse and two lives, the other died of illness, and there were people in the south who sent beauties to the second master, but no one had ever given birth to a son and a half daughter, let alone no one dared to be rude to the second wife! You say Is such a person really easy to get along with?"

Chunying waved her hand and said: "That's all because she was cruel to my concubine, what has it got to do with me? Just by seeing her doing these things, when talking about her in the clan, they only say that she is a kind person, so you know her scheming , better than Mrs. by more than 01:30. I'd rather work under a smart person than be sent around by a stupid person."

"In that case, I'll ask for you." Shi'er paused, hesitating, "Have you ever thought about it? If you really come to the East Mansion, you won't be able to get out after a year or two. Mr. Hu Didn't he want to marry you? Isn't he too young? Can he wait until then?"

Chunying is silent, it's not that she hasn't thought about this issue, but she can't get rid of this identity for a day, and wanting to marry Hu Fei is just a day and night talk.Whether she is married to Hu Fei or not, her pursuit of freedom remains the same.

Finally she smiled lightly and said: "Ask first, there are still many days before spring, if you ask clearly, it's up to me if you want to go, if it doesn't work, it's just another idea."

Shi'er thought it was the same, so he agreed and went home.

On Chunying's side, she thought hard all night, and went to see her parents the next day with dark circles under her eyes, and confessed her plan, and said, "That's it. I must fight for it, I just don't know what my parents mean, if I go to Dongfu, what do you think?"

Lu's mother said: "Why do you want to go to Dongfu? It's fine now! I only worry about your lifelong affairs, and then your younger brother's future! As long as these two things are done, I will stay with your father It’s a good place to retire here!”

Lu Yougui glared at her, and then said to her daughter: "It would be the best if you can be a decent commoner. But now that your second uncle has told us to be careful, we should think twice. Let's ask to be expelled, isn't it? What a serious crime, but it seems too urgent. In the eyes of others, it is infidelity. Letting the master know is not as good as us. Don't be too eager. Now that your brother is still young, get yourself out first. .”

Chunying thought about it, and Zheng nodded.

She asked her father to deliver a letter to Hu Fei's house in Qingrundian town, and asked the servant to inform Hu Fei to come.The next day, the latter arrived in a hurry. He seemed to have lost weight, but he was still in good spirits. For some reason, Chunying always felt that there was something special in his eyes.

She asked tentatively: "Are you okay? How are you doing these days?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry." Hu Fei smiled and handed over a small package. Chunying opened it and found several kinds of tonics inside, and then heard Hu Fei say: "I heard in Beijing that you are seriously ill. I vomited blood, and I don’t know if it’s true or not. I was taken aback. I asked Hu’s internal supervisor to get this. It’s all good medicine from various places in the palace. You keep it carefully and take it slowly. It's good for your body."

Chunying was both moved and funny: "I told you that day that I was going to pretend to be sick, how did you fall for it? And you got these things? Are tributes easy to get? Don't let anyone find out!"

Hu Fei smiled: "I haven't seen it with my own eyes. Hearing others say it is so serious, I always feel uneasy. Now that you are fine, I am relieved. Don't worry about me. Medicines and so on, the hospital only uses fixed medicines. The emperor never eats the things bought by the imperial merchants, which are brought in from outside. They are all cheaper for the servants in the palace. I exchanged them with a pair of palm-sized corals, which are not worth anything. Since you are not sick, keep them Among them, ginseng, bird's nest, white poria cocos, etc. are the best for nourishing your body, you can eat according to your own discretion, and it is also good to honor your parents."

Chunying gave him a sharp look, put away the medicine carefully, and then sat down again, and said seriously: "I came to you because I couldn't make up my mind about one thing. You know that I have asked my second uncle to help me talk to the young mistress. , Let our family out, I didn't expect that the third young master had sent a message to the housekeeper in advance, counting us among the people he needed, and we were not allowed to be released. The eldest young mistress is not willing to go against his wishes, so it is absolutely impossible to agree. I Pretending to be seriously ill is also to coax him to soften his heart and let me go. Unexpectedly, he suddenly became merciful. Not only did he not agree, he also told me to take care of my health. He will definitely arrange errands for our family in the future. I really can’t do anything Already!"

Hu Fei sneered coldly: "I guessed about this a long time ago. After I went back that day, I met your old master at the eldest son's place, and said that a young boy with meager qualifications like me can win the title of emperor." I value it, but because I have no root or foundation in the capital, I can still be regarded as a useful person. If I really marry a wealthy family, even if this benefit is lost, how can the emperor use me? I If I have no future, which high-ranking family will take me seriously? Thinking about it, although I am at odds with my elder brother, I am still a child of the Imperial Merchant. My two sister-in-laws are both from aristocratic families. Is that lady bad? If I get ahead, I am not afraid that I will not be able to marry a lady from a famous family. Why should I ruin my future for an unwilling marriage? I want them to stop talking about marriage, even if the eldest son treats me well. Well, I have already paid it back, and now there is nothing more important than my own future, if they get entangled, I will turn my face." He smiled at Chunying, "Do you know that after I say these words , What did your old master say? He asked me if I didn't even care about my old friend? I said, even if there was an old friend, I would have repaid the favor. Naturally, I should take care of myself first. , and said that I am a heartless person and not worthy of his girl. When I heard him say that, I thought that he might want to make up for you. But I didn't expect that he would make up in such a way. "

Chun Ying just thought it was funny: "What kind of good man is he pretending to be at this time?! He obviously made it up by himself! It's really a thief shouting "stop thief!"

Hu Fei shook his head: "I'm just a child, I only know that I'm right, how can I know how to be considerate of others? Just ignore him, you say you can't make up your mind about something, but you have other ways to escape?"

Chunying hesitated for a moment, then whispered: "The second master's family in Dongfu is going back to Beijing, I guess they need to increase their manpower... I know how to serve and know the rules, and I am better than little girls. If I fight for it, Maybe I can be selected. When I arrive at the East Mansion, the master of the Hou Mansion will no longer be my master, but... I won’t be able to get away for a while..." Seeing Hu Fei’s strange expression, he hastily added : "Don't worry, it won't take long, I'm not young anymore, at most one or two years, I still have to be released from the house..."

Hu Fei stretched out his hand to stop her words, opened his mouth, and felt that he didn't know what to say.Chunying was flustered in her heart, bowed her head and said, "If you don't agree, forget it, let's think of another way..."

"That's not the case." Hu Fei hesitated, "Actually, it's me...I have a dilemma...and I can't make up my mind..."

Chun Ying was startled: "What is it?"

"Nanyang's shipping... I don't know if it's my crow's mouth, or..." He smiled shyly, "I'm afraid it's really not going to happen. Hu Neijian asked me the other day if I would like to go to the West. "

Chunying stood up abruptly, panicking in her heart: "What?! How can this be done?! That's too dangerous!"

"Don't worry, sit down first, and let me explain it to you carefully." Hu Fei pressed her shoulders to ask her to sit down. Chun Ying saw that something was wrong, and quickly asked: "Are you willing? Why?!" After all, I was a little sad, "But because I'm too tired here, are you impatient?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Hu Fei scolded, "Listen to me first, this is not a bad thing!"

Chunying was very surprised, and listened carefully to what he had to say.

It turned out that the emperor planned to send a fleet to the west to explore trade routes, but rumors got out somehow.Some people in Beijing are eager to make a move, but because they don't understand the risks at sea, most of them hold a wait-and-see attitude.On the contrary, there is a county prince who has a certain status in the clan and is a man of Buddha. He often hears that Western India is the ancient Tianzhu, the birthplace of Buddhism. He wants to go on a pilgrimage, so he ran away I went to the emperor to beg, and I had to go with the boat in person, no matter how my family tried to dissuade me, I refused to change my words.He was the emperor's uncle, and the emperor couldn't bear his repeated requests, so he had to agree, but he repeatedly asked him to go with the fleet and not to go alone. "

Chunying's eyes widened when she heard this: "Then...that's too messy, isn't it? What does this have to do with you?"

Hu Fei blinked: "Didn't you hear that? The emperor sent an eunuch to lead a fleet to the West to explore trade routes, and a county prince to lead a fleet to the West. They are two different things!"

Chunying's heart moved: "I understand! If the clan leads the team, this matter can be raised to a diplomatic incident!"

Hu Fei blinked again, guessing Chunying's meaning: "Uh... yes, the prince took people there, that is... he has become famous overseas! The emperor has been mediocre in martial arts and martial arts since he ascended the throne. If there is a change, if it can make some achievements in the West, it will be left in the history books in the future. Therefore, the emperor specially ordered the Nanjing Bao Shipyard to rush to build a big ship. According to the notes of the predecessors, the trip is at the end of January. If you miss it, it will be the end of next year. You are used to Nanyang anyway, and you don’t need training. You can start in the early spring of next year. You will be able to reach Western countries in just one year. Stay there for several months. If all the countries go around, they will be able to come back, and if everything goes well, they will be able to go back and forth in three years."

Three years...

Chunying took a deep breath: "Do you want to get involved? But this matter... what... benefits to you?"

Hu Fei stared into Chunying's eyes, and said sternly: "Hu Neijian told me that because the emperor is not at ease, people who are familiar with HNA affairs should transfer as many people as possible to follow, but most of these people are major The private members of the family, when they heard that they were going to the West, they all found excuses to refuse, but those who couldn't find an excuse also said that they were not familiar with that area, and it was useless to go there. Hu Neijian said that the emperor was very angry, and when he thought of me, he Ask me if I want to go."

Chunying smiled wryly: "The emperor asked that, why don't you go?"

"Just go, I have nothing to be afraid of. Although I have never been to such a far place, there are notes left by the predecessors, and the risks that will be encountered on the road are also clearly recorded, and...follow the prince's side He's fine, so I'm fine." He held Chunying's hand, "I'm only worried about you... If I go and you stay here alone, what should I do?"

Chunying pursed her lips and asked, "If you go with me, will it be good for you?"

"Of course there are benefits. These days, maybe the rumors have really spread, and there are a lot of people who come to look for me, which is really annoying. If I go, these people will not come and say nothing, and I can be regarded as climbing the county prince's mansion Yes." He smiled, "This prince has never been involved in government affairs. This time the emperor can be considered to have his support, which is of great benefit, and I have also benefited a lot. I have paid a visit to that prince. It's good for me, I will try my best to curry favor with him along the way, and let him treat me as his own. I think... When I come back, with his backing, no one will dare to bully me anymore, no matter whether it is in Beijing or the south. If you haven't left the Hou's Mansion by then, then I will ask the prince to come out to the Hou's mansion to beg someone, and then ask the princess to be the matchmaker for me!"

He looked deeply at Chunying: "Chunying, are you...would you like to wait for me for another three years?"

(End of this chapter)