Lady Zhao

Chapter 74

At night, steam was bubbling in the casserole on the stove, and a strong smell of medicine permeated the whole hut. The caring woman heard that Mama Yang was going to take care of the old lady who had a serious illness, so she didn't come to check it out, so she shivered The head and eyelids were fighting, and the face that was heated by the stove became more and more sleepy, and he fell asleep after a while.

All of a sudden, a black figure sprang out in the silent night, approaching on tiptoe, seeing that the person was fast asleep, he carefully took out a small paper package from his bosom, quickly shook it into the casserole, and put the empty paper bag into the casserole. Holding the bag in the palm of his hand, he left quickly and disappeared in a short while.

With a "pop", the fire-controlling bamboo fan slipped from the woman's hand and fell to the ground. The woman was startled, opened her sleepy eyes, and subconsciously looked out. After wrapping up his coat and wiping his mouth, he got up and opened the lid to check the medicine in the casserole. When he saw that the boiling was over, he pressed the lid and poured a bowl of soup medicine into the bowl.

"Is Aunt Rong's medicine ready?" Mama Sun just walked in with a carved lacquer box.

The mother-in-law hurriedly went forward and said with a smile, "I've been watching, it's just finished now, it's the right time."

Mama Sun nodded in satisfaction, and asked him to put the medicine in a lacquer box, so that it would not be easy to dissipate the heat in winter, so she turned back to the side courtyard of Mingxu Garden.

Aunt Rong has not been in good health recently, and her nausea has become more and more serious. Sometimes she can't even take a bite of food. Now that the old lady is ill and has no time to take care of the side courtyard, she is in constant anxiety and restless heart. Two doses of medicine also add to the torment of three doses a day.

The door was pushed open, and Aunt Rong was taking a nap leaning on the soft pillow, probably because she was not sleeping well, she was woken up by Mama Sun's footsteps after a short while, and the servant girl saw Mama Sun coming in Then he retreated to the ear chamber.Aunt Rong's black eyes were full of exhaustion, she glanced at the lacquer box, and knew that she needed to drink medicine, so she sat up leisurely.

Mother Sun smiled, "The old slave just went to the small kitchen again and brought a bowl of sweet porridge to my aunt. The medicine was just five minutes cold, so my aunt took it just in time." She took the bowl of black medicine The juice was taken out and presented to Aunt Rong. Aunt Rong didn't take the medicine and drank it with her head up as usual, but held it in her hand and paused.

Mama Sun was slightly taken aback, looking at the medicine juice, her slightly cloudy eyes concealed a trace of dark thoughts, and she began to persuade, "For the sake of the child, drink this medicine quickly, the temperature of the medicine is just right, and the temperature of the medicine is just right. After a while, it will lose its effect, and it is bitter and astringent, and the taste is not very good for my aunt to drink. After drinking it in a while, eat some sweet porridge, and then sleep comfortably."

Aunt Rong still didn't drink while she was holding the bowl, she frowned, with a sad look on her face, "Mom, I went to Xiangzhuyuan for several days and let the snow geese find reasons to block the outside, so I couldn't see anyone at all, what's the matter? Is that good? Is Missy trying to hide from me?"

"Auntie, don't think too much. It's not good for a child to be overwhelmed with worry. The eldest lady hides from you so well. Maybe there is something wrong. You might as well wait until you feel better before going, so that people can look at you and feel more refreshed."

"Really?"

"Really." Mama Sun patiently comforted her, and then pushed the medicine, "Auntie, drink it quickly, it will be really cold in a while."

Aunt Rong nodded, and drank the medicine she was holding with difficulty. She stopped after taking a few sips, "This medicine..." She hesitated to speak, frowned deeply, and glanced at the black The soup, only reflected a pair of anxious eyes.

Mother Sun asked with concern: "What?"

Aunt Rong shook her head, raised her head and drank the medicine in one gulp, then handed the empty bowl to Mama Sun.The latter glanced at the bottom of the medicine bowl, the corners of his thick lips slanted, and passed the bowl of slightly red sweet porridge. Mom withdrew.

Mama Sun tucked the quilt for him, turned off the oil lamp and went out.

The surrounding area was quiet, the sky was dark, as if a mass of miasma was coming, Zhao Wenwan was falling asleep in the middle of the night, when he heard the chaos outside, he called Jin Ling who was on duty to come in, put on a long coat and sat on the bed , asked: "What's going on outside?"

When Jin Ling came in, she was wrapped in a wisp of frost, obviously she had just gone out, and Zhao Wenwan immediately replied, "I heard that Aunt Rong from the side courtyard had a miscarriage, and the bedding was stained with a lot of blood. It's dangerous and frightening, this meeting has alarmed people from all the houses to visit, and the old lady has also gone, would you like to..."

Miscarriage?

Leaning on the pillow, Zhao Wenwan looked thoughtful, her dark eyes gradually darkened, and she said slowly: "Go ask Xueyan to come and prepare clothes for me, and I'll go to Mingxu Garden to have a look." Grandma is old, I'm afraid I can't stand the blow.

"Yes!" Jin Ling responded.

When we arrived at Mingxu Garden, the not-so-spacious side room was full of people. The old lady sat beside Aunt Rong's bed and looked worried.

Mrs. Ye, who had improved slightly, was the first to arrive, and Mrs. Xu, Mrs. Leng, and Wenxi and Wenxuan, who were slightly older, all entered the house. The waiters in each room crowded in the ear room, whispering , noisy.The servant girl came in and out carrying hot water, her face was full of worry, and the bloody water that was replaced by the pots was very scary.

After Zhao Wenwan came in, she first went to comfort her grandmother. Originally, an aunt like this did not need the masters of each house to visit in person, but because the sick old lady was concerned about the safety of her children, they all came to see her, and the rest of the house also came to be a guest. It looks like, some are really worried about the old lady coming to accompany, and some want to use this to please the old lady, they have different thoughts, and most of them are on the sidelines.

After inquiring about the situation after a while, I realized that Aunt Rong was only showing signs of miscarriage. Fortunately, she found out in time and saved the child.Looking at the blood-stained mattress, Zhao Wenwan could imagine how dangerous the situation was.

It turned out that in the middle of the night, Aunt Rong screamed in pain, so shrill that the maid on duty was frightened. Seeing red on the bed, she thought the child was gone, and passed it on as a miscarriage.With the approval of the doctor at this moment, the child was lucky to be saved, but the adult is too weak, the next few days are the key, if you can keep it, keep it, if you can't keep it, the child will really die.

Doctor Yuan withdrew the needle, Aunt Rong lifted it up in one breath, and woke up suddenly, her eyes were full of bloodshot eyes from panic and exhaustion, her face was even more frighteningly pale, her dry lips squirmed, and Mama Yang, who was always on hand, got it. The old lady motioned, and put her ear close to Aunt Rong's, and she was shocked when she heard it.

Immediately, Mama Yang whispered in the old lady's ear, and everyone in the room watched curiously.Knowing that she was still ill, Ye Shi retreated far away in order not to collide, glanced quickly across the room, and then stood there without saying a word.Xu seems to be tense, with a trace of confusion on her face, Leng is just like her surname, with no waves on her face, Zhao Wenxi and Zhao Wenxuan blinked, looking at a loss, but they are not the same Before the intimacy, each stood on one side, and Zhao Wenwan also stood on the side quietly observing.

But when Aunt Rong woke up and said something in Mama Yang's ear, the expressions of several people changed again. Zhao Wenwan had a delicate mind, and looked a little suspicious.There must be something behind Aunt Rong's miscarriage.

Since there is nothing to do for the time being, the old lady finally breathed a sigh of relief, and let the group leave the house, leaving Mama Yang to take care of her personally. Mama Sun wanted to stay too, but the old lady said solemnly: "Mama Sun comes with me." , Doctor Yuan is also together."

Mother Sun was startled, and looked at Shi Ye slightly sideways. Shi Ye's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly calmed down.After the words fell, Xu's expression also changed suddenly, and he secretly glanced at the old lady with a hint of panic.

In the lobby of Mingxuyuan, the old lady sat on the main seat, looked from Doctor Yuan to Mama Sun, and said in a low voice, "Just now my aunt said that the medicine she drank last night tasted a little different, and after If there is a sign of miscarriage, tell me why."

Mother Sun asked the old lady to take a look at it, she showed timidity, and hurriedly knelt on the ground and shouted for grievances, "Old lady is aware, Aunt Rong said that she has a bitter mouth and has no appetite all day long, so this old slave put a little honey in the soup, Nothing happened two days ago, I don’t know why something happened today, it has nothing to do with the old slave! Aunt Rong is going to have trouble, and the old slave will be the first to be questioned, so speaking of it, the mansion is looking forward to Rong the most. People who are good to my aunt will never harm her!"

This was said quite skillfully, and the slightly directional rhetoric made the people present couldn't help but look at the person in the mansion who was looking forward to the best of Rong Chun.

Surprised, Xu stood up and accused, "You bastard, what did you say, could it have something to do with those of us who are not close?"

Hearing the words, Mrs. Ye pulled Mrs. Xu, covered her mouth with a handkerchief and coughed softly, "Sister and sister, don't get excited, you did what you didn't say."

Obviously it was soft words, but Mrs. Xu saw Ye's eyes looking at the show, as if she stepped on her tail, she unceremoniously shook off her hand, her brain became hot, and she said without hesitation , "You must be playing tricks!"

Mrs. Ye said aggrievedly: "Ahem, what did my brother and sister say? I have been better these few days and devoted myself to copying scriptures and praying for the Yuan and Jin Dynasties. I knew I was wrong a long time ago, and what I said was not pleasant. The heir of your third house I have nothing to do with..."

"That's enough. Before this fact has been found out, I know random suspicions. I have already called someone to get the medicine, and I will let Master Yuan see if there is any problem. It happened suddenly, and the old lady does not want to wrong someone. .”

Only then did the room quiet down, and the atmosphere was heavy for a while.

After a while, the little master came over with the dregs of the medicine. Doctor Yuan pinched it up and smelled it, then looked through it one by one with his fingers, and finally came to a conclusion, "Old lady, this medicine is fine." Dr. Yuan ordered a little bit of the remaining concoction, and tasted it, "This medicine is not harmful, it does add some honey, it will not cause miscarriage, it should be an accident."

The old lady's eyes carefully scanned several people, and she couldn't help coughing again, and sent away the group of people. Zhao Wenwan and Zhao Wenxi were worried, and asked to stay with the old lady. The latter squeezed out a smile and responded. He said hello, and left the two of them to talk with him for a while.

The personal servant girl who took care of Rui Ge'er stopped Rui Ge'er when something happened, and didn't let him go to look at it. She was afraid of being frightened. Right now, she was being troubled. When she learned that the old lady came back, she brought her here. .

"Grandmother, I want to see my little brother." Brother Rui ran forward and shook the old lady's calf, looking forward to it, obviously not knowing what happened tonight, and thinking about Aunt Rong's stomach little doll.

"Brother Rui didn't go to bed so late, but the little brother is asleep. A grandmother will take you to see it tomorrow." The old lady was also looking forward to the grandson of the third room. After being so frightened, she lowered her eyes and comforted her. He rubbed Rui Ge'er's head gently, and after making a promise, someone took Rui Ge'er to sleep.

Zhao Wenwan watched the loving expression on the old lady's face gradually disappear as Ruige'er left, and thought for a while, thinking about what happened tonight, I'm afraid it was not just an accident.

"Aunt Rong was born as a maid, and her foundation is not weak. She will definitely get through it, grandmother, don't worry." Zhao Wenwan comforted her.

Zhao Wenxi also nodded in agreement, and then heard Zhao Wenwan continue, "It's just that she is also a maid, and Rong Chun was raised to be an aunt. It is inevitable that some servants will not be convinced. Take today's matter as an example. How could it be like this, the ones in the courtyard still have to be beat hard."

The old lady narrowed her eyes when she heard the words, she quite agreed in her heart, and she still had such incomprehensible thoughts, according to Sanfang's temperament, maybe something wrong would happen, so she simply took precautions before they happened, and beat them first. .

"Hanchun, go and ask the third master to come over."

As soon as the clapper was knocked at Haishi, the lights of Duke Dingguo's mansion were turned off one after another to sleep peacefully.The three-bedroom house on the west side courtyard is lit with bean-sized oil lamps, and the wind pours in, and the flames are swaying, looking like they are about to go out at any time. Jacket, against the background of the same bleak face, the hand holding on to the teacup trembled slightly, and his eyes slipped out of the door unconsciously.

Seeing the servant girl rushing in, he immediately asked with an angry look, "Where did you die, I asked you to do something, how did you become like this?!"

"Ma'am, calm down. The old lady is short of manpower. The servant was called to help." The maid hurriedly explained, then retreated to the door to look around, closed the door and returned to Xu, "Ma'am, the servant will do as I told you." , the weight is enough, absolutely can't keep..."

"If you can't keep it, then what's in her stomach now!" Xu's anger was uncontrollable, and her pretty face couldn't hide the traces of hostility, "The child is still alive, and it's messed up all over, that mother-in-law of the Ye family can't wait for something to happen. to cover up her fault."

"The servant girl was very careful, the medicine was indeed put in the soup, and no one found out, but I don't know why it happened like this." The maid also kept muttering in her heart, unable to figure out the reason.

The sudden sound of footsteps outside the door brought the conversation in the room to an abrupt end. Mrs. Xu stroked her temples and walked forward and said, "Master, you're back so soon, why did the old lady call you over?"

Zhao Hongming glanced at the maidservant who was still standing. Mrs. Xu asked people to step back, stretched out her hand to undress him, and heard a low sigh above his head, with traces of helplessness, and was caught in the next moment. people embraced.

"Shu Yun, back then I fell in love with you at the Shihui, and I insisted on marrying you, as if it happened yesterday." Zhao Hongming resisted her hair, and said in a gentle tone, "I am not as good as my elder brother and second brother, and I have no intention of doing business to find a way out. , followed such a worthless person like me, I have wronged you."

Shu Yun is Xu's nickname, listening to the buzzing resonance in the chest, Xu also thought of the scene at that time, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously raised slightly, "What did the master say, although sometimes I can't speak Heart, but I never really thought about it that way.”

Zhao Hongming treated her very well.

"You also know that I'm indifferent to the issue of offspring. Let nature take its course. Rong Chun was an accident, but there will be no second one. I can guarantee this." Zhao Hongming hesitated for a moment, and then said, seeing Xu's surprised look Looking at each other, he sighed and continued, "It's just that since it has happened, it's good for Shu Yun to bear it for me."

"Is this what mother means?" Xu Shi withdrew from his embrace, looked at him steadily and asked.

"No, my mother thinks that I am obsessed with calligraphy and painting and ignore world affairs. Rongchun...is pregnant with my child, but for the sake of the child, he should pay two attentions, instead of focusing on calligraphy and painting and...you " At the end, Zhao Hongming touched his nose uncomfortably.

Xu's tense face relaxed a little because of these words, and then looked at his slightly embarrassed appearance, did not hold back his smile, and suppressed the slight unhappiness in his heart, pretending to be unreasonable, and deliberately misinterpreted the meaning of the words, " Do you want Rong Chun and I to live in harmony so that you can hug each other?"

"God testify, I never thought about it that way!" Zhao Hongming reacted quickly at this moment and quickly said, "I can only hold you in my heart." He calligraphy and painting, only the last few words are killed dare not export.

Mrs. Xu was coaxed into a sweet heart, and she also knew that after Rong Chun became pregnant, Zhao Hongming only visited the old lady twice for the sake of the old lady's face. She said she was looking forward to the child, and it could be said that it could make the old lady miss him a few times. treasure.

"It's not impossible." As soon as Xu Shifu opened his mouth, Zhao Hongming hugged him into his arms again, and swallowed his premise.

"I know that Shu Yun is the most reasonable." Zhao Hongming said happily with his arms around him, a flash of relief flashed across his face. "There are servants to take care of her. Madam visits her occasionally. It's a good story to show Madam's tolerant demeanor."

"Ah."

Mr. Zhao San's ecstasy soup really made Mrs. Xu calm down a lot. The two raised their eyebrows together, and they had some good times when they got along in the past. What's more, the mansion has been extremely peaceful these two days, and Mrs. Xu has been faintly worried. Nothing happened, and I was completely relieved.

Today, Mrs. Xu was thinking about what Zhao Hongming had mentioned, so she brought her servants to Mingxu Garden to visit Rong Chun with some exquisite snacks, intending to show her performance in front of the old lady, and there was quite a commotion along the way.

There were many people waiting in the side courtyard, and Mama Yang was quite surprised to see people and the food box carried by the maid behind her, so she heard Madam Xu say, "Mama Yang, is Aunt Rong awake?"

"Wake up, just eat some rice and say you're full, and you can only rest if you lose your vitality. Now I'm talking to Rui Ge'er."

After hearing this, Mrs. Xu said with a smile on her face, "Brother Rui is here too, it just so happens that this snack can be cheaper for this little glutton."

Mother Yang watched people enter the house, thinking to herself what method the third master used to treat the third lady like this, so it would be peaceful.

In the room, Brother Rui stared at Rong Chun's stomach curiously. After a while, one question became a curious baby, and there were all kinds of weird things. Rong Chun answered patiently. If he couldn't, he asked for help. Looking at Mama Sun anxiously, the latter was quite good at coaxing children, so she turned away after a while.

Rong Chun also loves Rui Geer very much, the child is well-raised and tender, he is very blessed to look at it, and as he looks at it, he hopes that this one in his stomach can also touch it.Mama Sun was right, she had a three-bedroom only seedling in her womb, if she gave birth to a son, life would be different in the future.

"Hey, it's so lively. Brother Rui can't make trouble with Aunt Rong. It's not good if you're tired." Mrs. Xu opened the curtain and came in. When she saw the picture inside, a dark look flashed in her eyes, and she only reminded herself to restrain herself. He smiled again.

Rong Chun suddenly saw that the person shrank back on the bed subconsciously, and it was still difficult to change his identity to Xu, showing a trace of humbleness. "lady."

"You don't need to be so polite, it's good to lie down." Xu quickly held her down and said with a smile.

But Rong Chun was secretly startled and broke out in a sweat, feeling uneasy about Xu's change of temper.Mama Sun, who was standing on the side, looked at her, and the moment she lowered her head, she curled her lips in a strange arc.

Mrs. Xu stayed in the side courtyard for a while, pulling Rong Chun to tell her what to pay attention to when she became pregnant, and even the servants who waited in the courtyard beat them one by one, showing the demeanor of the court, and she knew it The people who had a bad relationship between the two before saw their jaws dropped, but the master is the master, so they have to accept it.

Yang's mother was not at ease watching in the house, but after looking at it for a long time, she found that the third lady was indeed a little different from usual, she secretly felt the third master's ability, and thought she had made sense of things.

When Mrs. Xu was about to leave, Mama Sun followed her out. As Mrs. Xu walked, the smile on her face was not as warm as in the room, it faded a little, and there was a hint of jealousy in her eyes, only thinking of Mama Yang's expression before she left. For the better, this person is the old lady's confidant and eyeliner. With his performance today, he will be told to listen to the old lady, so it's good to get an impression.

Mama Sun sent her off all the way, and she also saw the flickering emotions in Xu's eyes, which she didn't know how to hide, and smiled secretly.

"You've become Mama Sun, you go back." Walking near the rockery, Mrs. Xu felt that Mama Sun followed her a little strangely, so she said.

The latter heard the words and looked around, and when he saw no one, he straightened his body, "This old slave has something to say to the third grandma in private, I don't know if it's convenient for the third grandma?"

Mrs. Xu frowned, seeing her sneaky look flashed a hint of displeasure, "Let's talk about it here."

"What I want to say about the third grandma's reputation, it would be bad for someone passing by to hear it." Mama Sun said, as if she was sure that she would follow suit. "Drinking and talking nonsense, neither medicine nor words."

Mrs. Xu suddenly remembered the matter of being drugged, and then she was a little confused when she heard what Mama Sun had said, so she asked the servant girl to watch outside, and she still insisted on listening and listening, and then followed Mama Sun to the rockery to hide. place.

"Say it."

"The third grandma asked someone to put something in Aunt Rong's medicine, in order to make Aunt Rong abort the child." Mama Sun said sharply.

Xu's expression changed abruptly, "What nonsense are you talking about!"

"Third Mistress, don't deny it. The old slave has evidence. Aunt Rong's medicine was taken by the old slave. She was careful in case of accidents, and tasted it by herself every time. I felt it when I tasted it yesterday. The smell was a bit wrong, so I took the dregs of the medicine and went to the doctor outside to test it, and it turned out that red flowers were found in it. Coincidentally, the drugstore where the old slave took it for testing had the third grandmother's personal maid Xunchun on the account A record of buying safflower."

Clutching the handkerchief in her hand, Xu's face changed again and again, she gritted her teeth and squeezed out the words, "Based on this, I want to say that I hurt Aunt Rong, and I bought it for my family, and I have something to do with you." What's the matter!"

Mother Sun was not in a hurry to refute, she held a two-pointed respectful attitude, and said clearly, "I don't mean that, it's just that I spent some money to hire a clerk in the pharmacy, and asked for the records of Xunchun to buy. There are medicinal residues mixed with safflower, and if you present it to the old lady, who do you think the old lady will believe?"

Mrs. Xu didn't expect that the article she thought she had uncovered would come back again, and asked this person to pinch her. She also saw that this person was planning to use this to blackmail her, so she calmed down, "What does Mama Sun want?" Just say it."

"The third grandma is really smart." Mama Sun hurriedly said, "This old slave spends some money..."

"I'll give it." Although I was aggrieved, but thinking that this person didn't stab it at that time, but helped me out, the money had to be spent.

Mother Sun's face was wrinkled with a smile, showing shrewdness, she held her hands together and said, "This old slave is getting old, and I originally wanted to get along well with the old lady, but who knew that I was allocated to Aunt Rong, and the third master is obviously not good. I am happy, because the child is now favored by the old lady, and she wants to give birth to a daughter, the old slave will also have no way out, so she wants to make a plan for herself."

"If the third mistress has any orders, just help the old slave."

Mrs. Xu looked her up and down, showing a bit of thought, now the old lady is on guard against her, and she puts someone next to Aunt Rong, and Mama Sun is a good candidate.

Mama Sun rubbed her hands, and spoke again with some hesitation, "Actually, this old slave also has something to ask for, that is, this old slave's granddaughter, when she is old, wants the third grandma to see if there is any suitable one at your mother's house? Old slave There are not too many requirements, just find a child of the right age for a small official or a small family." A child of slavery like them is also ordered by others, unless the master's grace revokes the contract of sale, or marry You can get rid of slavery only if you give it to the officials.

Mrs. Xu was in a dilemma, but she still complied with her words.

Mama Sun was very happy, so she told Mrs. Xu about Aunt Rong's matter, and analyzed with her, "Since the old slave has followed his wife, he naturally wants to turn to you, and wants to talk to grandma about something of her own. Third Grandma, don't think of ways to kill that child again. If she is framed by someone with a heart, isn't Grandma the biggest suspect? Besides, if the child is lost at this moment, the third wife will have nothing to do. I will keep on holding on to it, and when the time comes, the third master and his wife will be in a dilemma, why not—let Aunt Rong give birth to the child, and when the time comes, the mother will keep the child, and the child will naturally belong to the third grandmother's name, wouldn't it be the best of both worlds."

After hearing this, Xu's eyes flickered, and she didn't agree with it, but she agreed in her heart, and she was secretly happy, why didn't she think of it.

Ms. Sun didn't ask any more questions like a human being. In order to please the new master, she sacrificed the last big plan and whispered in Xu's ear. Clearly said the word "good".

(End of this chapter)