box of hearts

Chapter 96
Tears began to flow wantonly on Xihe's face, her knees fell straight, and she threw herself forward and hugged Qi She, "Brother-in-law, I didn't expect my sister to commit suicide. I'm sorry for my sister, I'm sorry for your children! Honger's life It was exchanged for your children, today I will exchange my life for Hong'er! I swear to the gods and Buddhas in front of my brother-in-law, as long as Hong'er is safe and sound, I, Zhan Xihe, will not care about any serious diseases from now on. Never take the bait, God wants Zhan Xihe's life anytime, take it anytime!"

Qi She looked down at Xi He from above, after a long time he broke free from her embrace, knelt down one by one, and slowly opened his arms to hug her again.Their hug was as tight as that Bai Lian that once strangled Yongyuan's long neck. They hugged his wife, her sister, and a mother who was about to lose a child before it was too late.

Still just in a flash, the eyes that seemed to be intertwined with each other's arms were separated.

Xi He picked up a Jinshou handkerchief from the head of the bed, turned her head away and wiped away two lines of remaining tears.Qi She sighed, and put the medicine bowl on the flower table beside the bed. After a short thought, he raised his vacant right hand to his ear, "By God, the death of my wife and son back then, Qi She, It was caused by his own competition for the reserve position, and has absolutely nothing to do with the current Queen Mother. The sky net is restored, and all retributions will be retribution. Picking up the medicine bowl in which the dragon and the phoenix are auspicious, he passed it into the curtain, "Drink the medicine."

The hot tears that had just been wiped flowed down Xihe's cheeks again, and a strand of silver threads and emerald beads on the slanted bun trembled like the wind.Xi He reached out her hand, touched the man's fingertips, and held the medicine bowl.She couldn't believe that he was willing to cross the boundaries of smart people, like crossing a fence full of poisonous thorns, to give back the feelings she had confided in words, and to combine the two in a way that was no longer utilitarian. together.

Si Shi Xihe didn't notice that the honey vow that made her very happy in this marriage was a promise related only to death, and the matchmaker was a political cleansing with the blood of thousands of people. .

The purge quickly began to spread to the localities. In Henan, Hunan, Shanxi, Shandong and other places, senior officials were sacked, and according to their confessions, a group of rich men who "climbed and made friends" were implicated in the capital. The scholar-bureaucrats expanded to the folk.The Chessboard Street and Fugui Street at the foot of the imperial city are full of horseshoes, and all the people coming and going are the town officials with warrants.When passers-by saw it, they felt like avoiding ghosts, not knowing which house these gods of death dressed in black were going to.

This sunny June has become more and more stormy - bloody and bloody.

2.
With the wind and rain, there will be clouds of sorrow.All of a sudden, not only the big yamen were in turmoil, but even the usual singing and dancing scene was bleak.The most bleak place is Huaihua Hutong, which used to be the most prosperous. In the past, those who were qualified to play tea circles and make flower heads here were either high-end officials or wealthy businessmen. Officials are busy suppressing political enemies, and a group of wealthy merchants are in dire straits, and no one has the leisure to come here to ecstasy.From the entrance of the alley to the end of the alley, there are more than 20 brothels with a hundred or so prostitutes. There are only three or five visitors a day, and most of them are poor and poor, because they heard that the business here is not good.Don't understand the rules at all, take out three big boys and dare to call the popular ladies "come down to sleep with me", the old bustards are so angry that their noses are crooked, and they tell the nursing home to throw these rascals out and finish the job.

After scolding the street, I looked at the flower building where there were no ghosts. I still coughed and sighed, and gathered together to complain and chat to comfort myself.

"Hey, think about Duan Er in Huai Yatang, her old sister is used to making money every day, and Hua Yong doesn't know how to restrain herself, so I'm afraid it's really sad to catch up with this festival. No matter how difficult it is for us, how can we compare to her? Tighten your belt and go."

"Come on, I have never seen you tighten your belt in this life."

"Bah, you old slut, do you want me to reveal a couple of scandals about you when you were receiving guests, and see whose waistband is looser?"

……

The bustards laughed and scolded. The colorful and bright clothes matched with the faces of youth gone, it was also a romantic dream and the passing of time.

As for the Second Sister Duan of Huai Ya Tang, as everyone said, she was indescribably agitated. Whenever she met someone, she would swear if she said something wrong. hole to.

"Tsk, since you paid homage to Xizhu that day, you haven't been well. You've been coughing for almost a month. It sounds like you haven't coughed much these two days. Why are you still so lethargic and sick?"

Qing Tian was leaning on the bed wrapped in a half-worn familiar Luo jacket that he carried with him, his face was even thinner than before, when he opened his mouth, Zeng's delicate and sweet voice became hoarse and unpleasant: "The doctor said it was due to long-term internal fire depression, The medicine has to be taken for a while, evacuate and evacuate, and just send it out. It doesn’t matter. Mom is worried about business matters recently, so don’t worry about me anymore. She is also an old person, and she should know how to meditate maintainance."

Second Sister Duan pulled out two handkerchief fans from the button of her clothes, and there was a wishful knot on the corner of the handkerchief, but her face was full of dissatisfaction, "I want to meditate, but where can I calm down? Good girl, think for me I thought, it was fine last month. I counted that there were two pieces of redemption money from Diexian and Duixia, and someone who lit a big candle for Fengqin. Three joys came. Knowing that the news in the capital was wrong, I ran back to Henan in a hurry, not to mention Master Sun of Xia and Erye Jia of Fengqin, all of which were ransacked by the Zhen Fusi. Even your old guests, Qiu Yushi and Liu Yanei I heard that he was also overwhelmed by the discussion of the Taoist officials. Qiu Yushi sent him to the Ministry of Criminal Justice for questioning. Liu Yanei and his Shangshu Laozi directly sentenced Xishi to be beheaded and waited for the autumn judgment. That is to say, Zhaohua had better luck, and the five young masters Mr. Kang didn't get involved in this turmoil, but he lost his courage, and he didn't come back again. Counting, eight of the ten big customers fell down, so don't worry about it. Just thinking about how to do business in the future, even my hair is graying."

Qing Tian let out a long sigh, didn't say anything, just took a half-moon poetry fan from his pillow and fluttered lightly for the second sister.

The second sister also raised her hand and rubbed Qingtian's cheek, "My son, I wanted you to go out for some fun today, but now that you look like this, you can't go out, so I have to talk to you Just a girl."

Qingtian smiled softly, "What fun?"

"Having fun in bitterness. This is not true. Dozens of high-ranking officials and wealthy families were all confiscated. For those who committed the crime of treason, the female relatives of those who committed the crime of treason were routinely sent to low status, or sent as slaves, or used as prostitutes. Locked in the detention center, during the day they will be sent to Caishi Street to open the market. You girls have never seen it before, so you are going to see something new. Hey, it is said to be an open sale, but in fact, those beautiful young grandmas, aunts, and maids You guys, or Miss Qianjin, who is seven or eight years old like Xizhu, was secretly transferred to Yanwang Temple Street to wait for someone to pick them up. I am also going to take a look today, and if I like it, I will buy it back and train it on."

"Why, mother wants to buy another one?"

"What should I do if I don't buy it? There are five in the yard. You have stopped doing business a long time ago. The age of Yuxia and Diexian is also 'Yan Qi's last spring', and it will last for another three years at most. The two small Li Fengqin is not very useful, there is only one Zhaohua left. If I don’t add a few more, I’m afraid there will be no one to take care of them in the future.” Second Sister Duan tucked the handkerchief back under her armpits, lowered her head and trimmed the tassels, "My heart, the prince regent will return to Beijing for a while, so why doesn't he take the time to come and see you? If he comes again one day, you can ask him for me, when will this whirlwind day in the officialdom be over?" ?”

A morbid blush suddenly appeared on Qingtian's pale face, "Look at what mom said, people are busy with business these days, how can they remember me?" She turned her head and looked down at the clothes on her body. silk quilt.The patterns on the surface of the quilt are concentric and double-heavy, and the squares of various colors are overlapping and connected, as numerous as summer flowers, but what is covered under the quilt is just a lifeless, withered and sick body.

Although the withered family makes the second sister Duan anxious, the girls are happy and carefree.Every day, I am lazy in idle clothes, talking and laughing, writing lowercase letters, zipping locks, and putting pink thread... There is also a sense of boudoir.This day was very different because I went out with my second sister. I made up with jewels and jewels before I went downstairs and boarded the car.

Along the way, I saw hats and whips, rushing to be the first, and all went to the west city.The second sister Duan was afraid that the good stuff would be picked up by others first, so she didn't get out of the car, and went straight to Yanwang Temple Street outside Xuanwu Gate.Diexian, Duixia, Fengqin, Zhaohua and each other's personal maids got off the bus at Caishi Street in Xuanwumen, and entered a quiet tea house on the side of the street. Although the tea served was mediocre and expensive, But Gaoxuan balcony has a very good view, looking down, you can have a panoramic view of the whole street.

The vegetable sellers on the street have been driven away long ago, and a long selling shed was set up at the entrance of the street, and a high platform was built in front of the shed, and a long table was placed on the platform. , one responsible for the transcript.Behind the two of them, there were three or five ferocious yamen servants escorting several rows of men, old and young, some were servants of the offended family, and some were the masters of the family, and they were all treated equally at this time Make one place on the ground.Whoever is called by the singing and selling soap slaves will be pushed to the entrance of the stage.The dark people in the audience were all spectators, some were buyers, and some were just joining in the fun.The young and strong men were sold off in a short time, and the rest were the old, the weak, the sick and disabled, or some Gaoliang children who were powerless at first glance, crying and sent back to the village. The canopy under the stage awaits another day of selling.

(End of this chapter)