Concubine like a house

Chapter 55
Half a month later, May [-]th.Rongjintang Dining Hall.

Mrs. Tai sits at the head of a table, with Chuxiu and Zhuoyan on her left hand, Hua Wuying on the second room, Wen Xian on the third room, and Luanqing on the fourth room in the right hand.Mrs. Tai had a kind expression on her face, she looked at the people on the table with satisfaction, she nodded and said with a smile: "This is the most complete time, my old woman hasn't had such a lively breakfast for a long time."

The aunts and wives were silent, but they could hear Xiu laughingly saying: "It's because you are sympathetic to me being pregnant, so you don't have to worry about the morning and evening. In fact, I wish I could have breakfast with you every day."

As soon as Chuxiu's words came out, everyone at the table was surprised.Since when did the widow of Marquis Lixin, who was silent and immersed in grief every day, become so eloquent?And, still smiling?For a moment, the concubines thought they saw Xia Yanran.

Sure enough, Mrs. Tai squinted her eyes and looked at Chuxiu, and smiled back with a deep meaning: "If you really want to be a mother, not only your temperament has changed, but your mouth has also become sweeter."

"This is the duty of being a daughter-in-law, and it's also because of your good training." Chuxiu laughed again.

"Say you're fat, and you're still panting!" Mrs. Tai laughed aloud after being teased, and nodded her head in approval, "Very well, as Mrs. Li Xinhou, you should be so generous. You didn't disappoint me." After saying that, he looked at Zhuoyan again, and said again: "The matter of Zhuoyan was also handled properly, very elegant."

Mrs. Tai seldom praises others, especially Chuxiu. The concubines and concubines are secretly speculating, when did Mrs. Tai change her view of Chuxiu?
Everyone had their own thoughts, but seeing that Mrs. Tai had already looked at Zhuoyan, she suppressed her smile and said, "If Chuxiu hadn't offered to propose today, you wouldn't be able to sit at this table! If you give birth to a child in the future, no matter what Whether you are a man or a woman, you should not be proud of your son. Do you understand?"

Zhuo Yan nodded again and again in fear: "Madam treats the servants very well, and the servants must know how to repay their kindness."

Mrs. Tai was very pleasant to hear these words, and she sighed more and more: "I thought that Lord Hou died young, and this mansion would be deserted. Whoever thought that Chuxiu and Zhuoyan diagnosed the happy pulse one after another would be regarded as leaving heirs for him. ...It can be seen that God is still open!" She said that the corners of her eyes were wet, and she was about to shed tears.

Both Chuxiu and Zhuoyan were speechless, especially Chuxiu, with a sad expression on his face.On the contrary, Sanfang Wenxian spoke to comfort Mrs. Tai: "This is a matter of double happiness. The Marquis knows it publicly, and it's too late to be happy! Don't feel bad."

Only then did Mrs. Tai forcefully put on a smile: "When people are old, they always think too much. Thinking about what kind of person I was before, now that I am old and have lost my son, I am actually weak."

After saying this, Mama Chi stepped forward to ease the atmosphere with a wink, and changed the subject: "Madam Tai, today Madam specially ordered Zhiyanxuan's new cook to cook a few cups of different kinds of soup, do you want to try it? "

"Really?" Mrs. Tai saw Xiu again, "It's because you have the heart, serve it up!"

Chuxiu immediately concealed his sad expression, and put on a smile: "It turned out that I was gluttonous during pregnancy. I heard that the soup made by this cook was not oily or greasy, and it was also nourishing, so I decided to invite you into Zhiyanxuan. Did you know He is really good at cooking, and he knows many kinds of soups, and the ones served today are all simmered on a low fire for two days and two nights, and they are full of flavor."

"Just listening to it makes my mouth water." Sanfang Wenxian praised first.

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw that Danxin and Qianyun had entered the door together, holding a tray in each hand, the soup bowl on top was still emitting light smoke, and the fragrance was overflowing.With a sweet heart and always a sweet mouth, Yingying walked up to Mrs. Tai and said: "This bowl of yours can nourish the body and prolong life." As she spoke, she put a glass white glaze bowl painted with graceful peonies on Mrs. Tai before.

Mrs. Tai nodded slightly, looked carefully at the soup bowl in front of her, and said with a smile: "I don't know what this soup is, but this bowl looks pretty good."

She smiled indifferently, walked behind Hua Wuying and Wen Xian, and said with a smile: "The soup base used by the concubines is all beautifying and beautifying, and it is very moisturizing!" She then poured two soup bowls Put them down one by one, the material is the same as Mrs. Tai's soup bowl, only the patterns on it are different.

The bowl for Hua Wuying is pomegranate flowers, and the bowl for Wenxian is sweet-scented osmanthus.It is also in line with the temperament of the two, one is red and green, and the other is light and pleasant.Finally, Danxin placed the only bowl left in the tray in front of Sifang Luanqing, the pattern was forsythia.

Luanqing looked at this bowl and smiled for the first time: "Forsythia can be used as medicine. It tastes bitter and cold in nature. It can clear away heat and detoxify. I like it very much." She looked at Chuxiu at the opposite table and nodded slightly to thank, "Madam Hui Zhilan Heart."

Chuxiu just smiled.

After the soup bowls were placed with Danxin in this room, Qian Yun in the other room continued: "The two bowls in the hands of the servants both have the effect of nourishing and preventing pregnancy." forward.

Chuxiu's bowl is a white peony; Zhuoyan's bowl is painted with three-sided beauty butterflies.

Chuxiu picked up the soup bowl and said with a smile: "Mrs. Tai and a few aunts, quickly taste how this soup tastes. If you pass the test, this cook will stay for a long time!"

There was a burst of light laughter on the table at the right time, Mrs. Tai, Chu Xiu, Wen Xian, and even a few serving maids all laughed.Out of Xiu, he lowered his eyebrows and picked up the spoon, then turned his head to look at Zhuoyan, and asked with concern: "Why, it doesn't suit your appetite? I saw that you like this soup a few days ago."

Zhuo Yan's complexion was tense, staring at the bowl of nourishing soup presented by Qian Yun himself, pursing his lips and saying nothing.

Seeing this, Mrs. Tai immediately changed her face: "Who is not the master at this table, who are you showing off for?"

Seeing Mrs. Tai got angry, Zhuo Yan didn't dare to care about it, she quickly picked up the soup bowl in her hand, and wanted to put a spoonful into her mouth, but her hands were shaking so badly, she couldn't put it into her mouth no matter what.In the blink of an eye, she suddenly had an idea, looked at the soup bowl in her hand with the three-faced beauty butterfly painted on it, and asked Chuxiu: "Ma'am, what is the painting on your bowl?"

"It's peony, white peony." Chuxiu replied with a smile.

"Crack", Zhuoyan put the bowl back on the table and said: "You are Mrs. Li Xinhou, isn't Shaoyao too plain? It's clear that my bowl should be yours, the three-faced beauty butterfly, um , your beauty is overwhelming, shouldn’t you be matched with a beauty butterfly?” Zhuo Yan looked at Qian Yun behind him, and said angrily, “You give the peony to my wife and the beauty butterfly to me? Is this trying to scare me? ?”

Qian Yun was reprimanded inexplicably, her eyes widened as if she wanted to refute, but in the end she still hesitated to say something and bowed her head to admit her mistake: "I know my mistake."

Zhuoyan reluctantly gave a "huh", then looked back at Chuxiu, and smiled again: "I should change it with my wife, Qianyun accidentally brought the wrong bowl, please don't blame me."

Chuxiu didn't care about it, and pushed the white peony soup bowl in his hand to Zhuoyan, and said with a smile: "It's okay, don't get pregnant because of such trivial things. The left and right soups are the same, and they are all prescriptions for anti-abortion. "

Zhuoyan immediately picked up the bowl in front of her, and handed it over respectfully: "Madam is generous, don't care about it, it is really a blessing for Zhiyanxuan."

Chuxiu didn't say any more, took Zhuoyan's soup bowl to test the temperature, then scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth.This joke was over, and everyone at the table started to use soup, praising the cook's good craftsmanship and the ingenuity of this set of white porcelain glazed bowls.

After breakfast, everyone enjoyed themselves happily.Mrs. Tai still wiped her mouth with a towel and washed her hands with water, and said slowly: "Today, Dr. Qu is coming to Rongjintang to ask for a pulse. Since you are all here, don't rush away. Let him take the pulse together. There is no need to run around in various gardens anymore."

Everyone obeyed and stayed.

Mrs. Tai got up and walked out of the dining hall, unexpectedly she had just taken two steps when she heard an urgent exclamation from behind: "Ma'am!" Mrs. Tai immediately looked back, only to see Chuxiu's pale face protecting her lower abdomen, staggering steps About to fall to the ground.And the white skirt on her lower body was faintly stained with blood...

"What's the matter?" Mrs. Tai's face changed drastically in an instant.

Chuxiu was already in great pain at the moment, her lips were bloodless, leaning against Danxin, she said weakly: "I... my child..."

Mrs. Tai's expression froze, and she shouted towards the dining hall: "Don't clean up all the dishes!" After saying that, she turned to Qian Yun and said, "What are you still doing in a daze! Go and ask the miracle doctor Qu!"

As soon as the words were finished, two men came together from the archway. An elderly man was Qu Fang who came to ask for Ping An's pulse; the other young man was Shen Yu who was planning to bid farewell to Mrs. Tai.As soon as the two stepped into the archway, they saw what was happening in front of the dining hall from a distance, and ran over immediately.

"Miraculous Doctor Qu is here!" Wen Xian was the first to shout out with sharp eyes.

Qu Fang didn't say much, glanced at the blood stains on Xiuxiu's skirt, and quickly reached out to feel her pulse: "Madam has taken the medicine for abortion."

"Aborted baby!" Mrs. Tai stroked her forehead and staggered back, as if she couldn't bear the blow.

Doctor Qu's face was solemn, and he said again: "Where there is a room, let Madam lie down first."

At this time, Shen Yu didn't care about any differences between men and women, so he hurriedly stepped forward and hugged Chuxiu, then walked to the nearest wing.

"Why is Young Master here?" Erfang Hua Wuying suddenly asked.

Mrs. Tai and Wen Xian looked at her together, as if they were blaming her for speaking indiscriminately.

Hua Wuying knew that she had made a slip of the tongue, and was a little embarrassed, but she heard Qu Fang explain on her behalf: "Zifeng's garden has been tidied up, and I came here today to bid farewell to Madam Tai." fetal.

How can Mrs. Tai care about Shen Yu's intentions?Turning to tell Luanqing: "Go and guard the dining room, and no one else is allowed to interfere with the dishes on the table."

Luanqing immediately said yes, and turned back to the dining hall.

Mrs. Tai ordered Mama Chi again: "You go and tell the head nurse that no one in the mansion is allowed to go out today!" She paused, and emphasized: "Regardless of master and servant."

With a solemn expression on her face, Mother Chi took the order and left.

Only then did Mrs. Tai look at the other two concubines and Zhuoyan, and said coldly: "You guys, follow me every step of the way today!"

The rest of the people looked at each other in blank dismay, both surprised and suspicious, but they didn't dare to say more.Sanfang Wenxian took a deep look at Zhuoyan, and sighed: "Let's go! Don't delay any longer!"

Half an hour later, a five-month-old dead baby fell out of Xiuxiu, and it was already faintly recognizable as a boy.

After Mrs. Tai learned about it, Lao Lei nearly fainted, and the wives of several rooms also lowered their eyebrows and wept.Not long after, news came from the dining hall that Fourth Aunt Tai Luanqing had tested the composition of oleander in the beauty butterfly bowl where she drank soup out of Xiuxiu.Oleander, cold in nature, should not be eaten by pregnant women.

As soon as the news reached Mrs. Tai's ears, from the cook who cooked the soup, the servants who delivered the soup, the shallow rhyme of serving the soup, to the burning face who changed the bowl, they were immediately sent to the punishment hall for trial.This time, Shen Yu did not accompany Chuxiu, but went to the criminal court with Mrs. Tai to try the case, leaving only Qu Fang, Dan Xin and Chi Mama to take care of Chuxiu who was so sad that he was unconscious.

In the gloomy and cold punishment hall, the second room Hua Wuying, the third room Wenxian, Zhuo Yan, Qian Yun, the housekeeper Yun Zhong, the head manager of the punishment hall, and Shen Yu, the room was full of people.Except for Mrs. Xie Badan who sat on the main seat, everyone present was standing, trembling and silent, the atmosphere was so stagnant that even a needle could be heard falling on the ground.

At this moment, Mrs. Tai was holding the armrest of the seat, and said in a deep and stern voice, "Who is so cruel! Even Hou Ye's posthumous child will not be spared!"

There was no one in the execution hall for a long time, only Wen Xian said with great sorrow: "Mrs. Tai's condolences. Fortunately, there is still a child named Zhuoyan."

It's okay not to mention Zhuoyan, but when Zhuoyan was mentioned, Mrs. Tai immediately glared at her, her expression was ruthless and she remained silent.Seeing this, Zhuo Yan's heart skipped a beat, he swallowed unconsciously, and said timidly: "Tai Furen... my condolences."

"Clatter!" There was a crisp sound, Mrs. Tai had already dropped the teacup in her hand to the ground, and said to Zhuoyan: "Kneel down!"

Zhuo Yan didn't know why, but he knelt down immediately: "Madam Tai..."

"Fourth Auntie found oleander in the soup bowl, and you insisted on exchanging that bowl of soup with Chuxiu, burning face, you are extremely suspicious." Mrs. Tai said coldly.

Zhuoyan opened her eyes wide and seemed unbelievable, and it took him a long time to realize: "No! This is blaming! The servant did not! Even if the servant wanted to harm the madam, how could he be so stupid as to exchange bowls with her in full view of the public!" Zhuoyan said Bian rolled his eyes in a panic, trying to find a more suspicious person in the execution hall.

She scanned for a moment, raised her eyes and pointed at Qian Yun: "Mrs. Tai! It must be made by Qian Yun! This soup is served by her! She hates Chuxiu the most! She must want to harm Chuxiu, and then blame him. I!"

Zhuoyan originally thought it was Chuxiu's bitter trick, but after thinking about it, even if Chuxiu wanted to frame her, how could he risk his own flesh and blood?It should be known that the child is Yun Ci's only heir, and no matter whether it is male or female, it is very precious!Thinking about it this way, Zhuo Yan suspected that Qian Yun was acting as a hindrance.Of course she didn't know that Chuxiu's pregnancy was a cover from beginning to end.

Looking at Qian Yun again, at this moment, her eyebrows have already frowned, and her expression is angry: "Everyone in Yunfu knows what I am, Qian Yun! Even if I want to harm anyone, I will be upright and aboveboard, and I will never sneak around! What's more, Madam is the child of Lord Hou , How could I harm her..." As she spoke, Qian Yun's tone changed and she choked up.

Everyone present knew Qian Yun's loyalty to Yun Ci, and also knew how she behaved in normal times.Even if I heard the rumors about her assassinating Chuxiu, I feel that this woman is so hot that she will definitely not do such a sneaky assassination.Therefore, no one believed Zhuoyan's excuse to evade blame.

Mrs. Tai also said coldly: "Qian Yun was trained by me personally. I know her character very well. According to what you said, it is because I failed to observe people clearly and employed people improperly, which harmed the son of Lord Hou?"

How could Zhuoyan bear such a crime, she hurriedly kowtowed and said: "I dare not! But my servant is indeed wronged!"

"Injustice? At this juncture, you can even set the blame on Qian Yun who you had a good relationship with. There is no doubt about your character!" Shen Yu suddenly said coldly, his eyes were bloodthirsty and scarlet, as if he wanted to use his gaze to burn his face a thousand times. Wan Gua: "That's Wan Zhi's child!"

Shen Yu clenched his hands into fists, and turned to look at Mrs. Tai on Danchi: "If Chuxiu's baby is gone, who will benefit the most? It must be the lowly servant girl Zhuoyan! If there is an accident in Chuxiu , in her stomach is the only heir of Wanzhi! Her mother will be as expensive as her son is just around the corner!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone suddenly woke up.In this way, Zhuoyan is really the most motivated!

"No! No! Mrs. Tai! Don't listen to the young master's nonsense! He...he..." Zhuoyan wanted to say that Shen Yu had an affair with Chuxiu, but after another thought, Shen Yu was the son of Marquis Wenchang after all, and also The adopted son of the current Holy Majesty, she, a slave, must never be offended.So Zhuoyan hurriedly stopped talking, for a while, he didn't know how to defend himself.

Who exactly?Who designed this plan to kill two birds with one stone?It can harm both Chuxiu and her, who can benefit the most?Zhuoyan looked at the people in the hall, without the slightest clue.Although Erfang benefits, but she is pregnant with Yunqi's flesh and blood, so why should the Erfang mother and son make such a fuss?
Is it three rooms?As soon as this idea came out, Zhuoyan immediately said loudly: "Mrs. Tai! This is someone who framed the slave! This kills two birds with one stone, and kills the slave and the madam. Someone can reap the benefits of the fisherman!"

Hearing this, Mrs. Tai seriously frowned and thought about it, as if she was considering the truth of her words.Seeing this, Zhuoyan felt a glimmer of hope in his heart, and continued to confess: "Mrs. Madam! A servant is a person who is pregnant. Even for the child in her womb, she must accumulate virtue and good fortune. How could she do such a vicious thing?" !"

"Based on your slander and slander just now, do you still dare to say that you have accumulated merits and blessings?" Shen Yu sneered, his black pupils gleaming with anger, "You clearly have a good plan, knowing that even if your evil deeds are exposed, too For the sake of the flesh and blood in your belly, Madam will spare your life. Only in this way will you have nothing to worry about!"

"Why is Young Master so aggressive?" Zhuo Yan was also annoyed, and finally fought back head-on, "Furthermore, this is Yunfu's family affairs, what are you talking about?"

"I was entrusted by Wanzhi on his deathbed to take care of his widowed mother and widowed wife, and I was the matchmaker between him and Chuxiu. How could I stand by and watch? Do I want to watch you, a vicious woman, kill Chuxiu?" Shen Yu said. clanging.

"Really? I'm afraid your mind is not that simple!" Zhuo Yan was annoyed, but said sarcastically.

This sentence aroused Shen Yu's anger, and he no longer cared about the art of etiquette, he hurriedly pulled Zhuoyan from the ground, and was about to beat him up.

(End of this chapter)