Jin Tingjiao

Chapter 8 Are you sick?

The ancient bricks in the corners along the way reveal its vicissitudes, but the paint on the doors and windows is still fresh.

The climbing vines on the wall are also growing neatly, and the small pool under the screen wall can clearly see the aquatic plants and koi below.

Such a wealthy and wealthy family can do such a thing as allowing their second family and the same line to live in a small dilapidated courtyard and be scolded by servants.

Shen Xi's father, Shen Chongxin, was a Jinshi in the previous dynasty. During the years when Li Ding, the founding emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, led his clansmen to fight, Shen Chongxin had just been admitted as a Shujishi.

It is said that the new ruler does not need the old ministers, but this war is not like anything else, the Great Zhou was in a hurry to employ people, Shen Chongxin, like the rest of the Tuoba officials who also served in the Great Qin court, began to serve the country.

In less than five years, Shen Chongxin was appointed doctor of the Ministry of Officials again, and he was the only one among the three sons of the Shen family who remained in the capital.

Before he passed away in the same year as his wife, Hu Shi, he had been in charge of the general affairs of the mansion and the middle class, and was often proudly called "the only king in our family" by Shen Ruopu outside, and he was also the most prosperous member of the Shen family.

However, after they passed away, the second room's status plummeted.

In the name of filial piety, Shen Ruopu ordered the Shen Xi siblings to take the servants and others to live in Xing'ergou where the ancestral grave outside Beijing is located.

The power of Zhongfu was taken over by the third wife, Mrs. Ji, and there were only a few thin products including porcelain pillows left in those households.

As for the legendary "[-] acres of fertile land, prosperous shops and farewell to Ye", all of them have disappeared.

Now the only thing whose whereabouts can be known for sure is Hu's dowry, which is still locked in the public treasury.

As for the Minxiang Courtyard, it has already been locked up.

It was a fact that the status of the Second Household had been lost, but what Shen Xi wanted to know more was, how did Shen Chongxin and the Hu family die?

It must have a lot to do with their death that Erfang fell to such a point.

Tiger poison does not eat children, even if it is a generation later, if Shen Ruopu is not really hard-hearted, it is impossible for Shen Ruopu to treat his grandchildren so harshly after the death of his own son.

It's just that whenever her topic touches here, Pearl sensitively diverts it, and she doesn't know it.

Soon we arrived outside Wanrong Hall.

This is the main courtyard of the Shen family, it is naturally spacious, and the servants who came in and out of the door did not see any interruption.

Standing at the gate of the courtyard and looking around, just as she was about to go to the upper room, a maidservant with crescent eyebrows came out from behind and said, "Why did the girl come here? The old lady is waiting in the outer study, hurry up !"

The servant girl was half a head taller than Shen Xi, and she kept her waist straight. When she spoke, she waved the sweat towel back and forth, so she didn't feel disrespectful.

Shen Xi didn't say anything, just stared at her twice, then turned around and went out the door.

Seeing that there was no one around, Pearl couldn't help muttering in a low voice: "That's why they dare to do this now, so they want to try it in the past? Whenever we come to Pianxiangyuan, don't we just get close with 'sisters and sisters' from a long distance away!"

Shen Xi glanced across her face without moving.

In the past, the second wife was the head of the family, and the servants were of course the only ones to obey, even these servant girls were also superior to others.

Now not only have they lost their power, but they have also lost their basic status, and they have lost the value of fawning over them. Of course, they won't waste their energy in pursuing you again.

What is conscience to a snob?
If she still has a lot of money in her hands——

She has long known the poverty of the second bedroom.

However, Shen Chongxin has been an official for many years and has accumulated so much private property, but after his death there is almost no money left, and he has no whereabouts. This is really inappropriate.

Unknowingly, I followed the pearl to an independent small courtyard.

She raised her head to look at the plaque with the word "Bao Mo", and when she looked away, she found that the servant girl who shot a few poisonous lights at her from under the corner door was the one who let her kick Chen Xin's knees earlier.

"The second girl is here."

The maid inside the door raised the curtain, her face was smiling, but her eyes were cool and cool, she glanced at Shen Xi's face, and then looked away.

Shen Xi ignored her, raised his foot to enter the door, glanced around, and got a thorough look at the situation in the room.

There were only three people in the room.

Sitting on the seat by the west side was Shen Xin, with a hesitant look, completely different from the robber who robbed and plundered before.

Behind the desk in the southeast corner sits Shen Ruopu, who is about fifty and dressed in a green robe.

Even though he just glanced at it, Shen Xi also guessed from the two decree lines on his cheeks that were as deep as a knife carved, this master must not be easy to get along with on weekdays.

Unlike Zhang Xie, who is young and ambitious, gentle and introverted, his expression is very gloomy.

In addition, standing beside Shen Ruopu was a woman in her forties wearing a purple long bikini, wearing an ingot bun, with two or three golden hairpins on her head, she had a smart figure and her eyes were particularly flexible.

The moment Shen Xi came in, she had already looked at Shen Xin from her, and from Shen Xin to Shen Ruopu.

Shen Xi couldn't figure out whether she was Aunt Sun or Aunt Zhou, but no matter which one she was, she only had to salute Shen Ruopu when she entered the door: "Granddaughter pays respects to grandfather."

In the past, whenever she came to Wanrong Hall, she would always be timid and frightened, and she couldn't see the slightest appearance of a lady, which also made Shen Ruopu have preconceived antipathy towards her.

But now seeing that she acted generously and her voice was clear, her heart was a little smoother, she moved a piece of paper in front of her hand, and said in a deep voice: "I heard that you recovered from your illness?"

"Thanks to the care of the grandfather, the granddaughter has indeed recovered."

Everyone has arrived, and it is no longer appropriate to pretend to be sick.

What's more, she didn't intend to use this illness to make any fuss.

(End of this chapter)