It is not easy to be the fourth master's wife

Chapter 87

"Xiao Zhangzi just sent a gift list, do you want to have a look at Fujin?" Fei Cui put away the dishes and brought some red paper, Zhou Ting leaned against the window, reached out to take it, and flipped through it. more.

Yinzhen was still just Baylor at this time, and he hadn't been promoted to the county king, but he had opened the mansion for several years, and he always had some influence of his own. Before, those gift lists were all paid by the disciples, but this year is different. The officials followed Lilly this time.

Zhou Ting carefully separated these lists, and put the disciples and subordinates in one place, and the unfamiliar new names were put into the category of ordinary human relations. After flipping through a few sheets, she found a familiar one. After careful consideration, it turned out to be Li Shi. His father, he had already been dismissed from his post, and he asked to see Yinzhen, but was turned back, thinking that his desire to be an official had not died down, and he came here to curry favor with his birthday.

Zhou Ting roughly calculated the value of the gift with a glance of her eyes. She really spent a lot of money. She raised her eyebrows when she saw the last two items. Antiques and treasures are all necessary, but Yinzhen is a big man's birthday, how could he give it to him? The silk came up.

Peony and phoenix brocade with raccoon pattern, red makeup python and golden silk brocade, no matter what kind of pattern, no one in this mansion is qualified to use it except Zhou Ting.Li's father is more intelligent than his daughter, knowing this kind of courtship, he also made sure that Yinzhen would know.

Zhou Ting smiled lightly, but it's a pity that Mrs. Li can't get up this time. She knows a thing or two about the South Courtyard, and usually only gives what should be given according to the rules. Four seasons clothes and three meals are quite a lot Hers, others are taken care of by Yinzhen.

She is in charge of the whole house, and all changes in personnel must be registered by the stewards, and she will know who is where and who is when she checks it every once in a while.It turned out that those confidantes who were promoted by Mr. Li when he was the housekeeper had already been eliminated one after another, and the one in the big kitchen didn't even know where he was going.

Zhou Ting didn't let people do this, it must be Yinzhen who did it, it seems that he really caught the evidence, so he just didn't want to make a fuss.Mrs. Li wasn't afraid, but when he spoiled his concubine and killed his son-in-law, he slapped himself in the face when he said it.

He couldn't vent his anger, and felt ashamed of his wife. No matter how many gifts the Li family gave, it was impossible for him to be employed again.Zhou Ting put Li Wenhui's gift list back together, and picked up the one below.

"Why are there still greeting cards? Xiao Zhangzi is getting more and more confused, so he doesn't say he should be clear." Although Manao is not very literate, she always knows the format, and she can tell it's not a gift list just by looking at it.

"It's Mrs. Feng who is asking to see you. You send someone to spread the word that I will be free tomorrow and ask her to come over this afternoon." Mrs. Feng has not been here for a while, and this time she probably came up with something new. In this regard, if you can support it, you will support it. If you can’t do it yourself, she can make it, and she will contribute money and effort, so what’s wrong with it.

The two daughters were flipping on the bed after they were full. Zhou Ting put the gift list aside, took off the red coral string in her hand and tug-of-war with the second girl. She clearly expressed her preference for colors. If someone wears red clothes, she is willing. Take a few more glances.

The big girl is drooling and kicking her legs. The two have their own way to communicate. They often say things that they don't understand. When lying side by side, they even pull each other's hands. Zhou Ting couldn't help but kiss each other. , the two girls giggled and kicked their legs more happily.

As soon as Yinzhen came in, he saw his wife teasing his daughter, and his brows that were still tight were loosened: "Why do you wear so little, I'm not afraid that they will be frozen."

"The ground dragon is burning in the house. These two can't be idle for a moment. I'm afraid I'll spoil them. I'm going to be late tonight. What can I use?" Pulling the skewer over, she held it in her hand and shook it vigorously, showing it to her sister.

"This strength is not small." Sitting on the edge of the kang, Yinzhen looked at the two little guys, touched Erniu's hand to try to feel warm and cold, Erniu thought he was going to grab something from her, so she let out a loud "ah", Yinzhen was amused by her: "I also know how to protect things."

"I've used it, you don't have to be busy, are you feeling better today?" Yinzhen took the tea served by Zhou Ting and carefully looked at her face: "Tomorrow, I will call the imperial doctor to feel your pulse again."

"I was just bluffing for a while. It's useless to say it. Seeing her rushing towards me, I can't even hide." This was the first time the two talked about it after the accident. Zhou Ting frowned: "Pie The women in the past came back and forth, saying that she was confused for a while and then cleared up again, so I let someone untie her, poor thing, I can't blame her for this problem."

Yinzhen lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea with a "huh", Niu Hulu's family can't stay, since he had an idea, it's best to end it as soon as possible, so as not to have long nights and dreams.

"Although I'm fine, it's a pity for Pearl. I originally wanted to find her a good man to marry, but now I'm hurting my face..." Zhou Ting is really uncomfortable. For an ancient woman like Pearl, marrying a good man is a I've been happy for a lifetime, and now with such scars on my face, no matter how thick Zhou Ting's dowry is, I'm afraid that that man will treat her badly when he gets married.

"You girls are all good," Yinzhen knew she was sad, and pulled her to put his arms around her shoulders: "Since she protected you, she has done a great service, you don't have to worry about getting married, I will Take a look at the good ones below, and choose a few for you to decide.”

"I'm afraid that others will force her to marry her because of you and me, so it's better to stay by my side." Zhou Ting leaned on Yinzhen's shoulder and sighed, and the second girl looked up at her parents with difficulty and smiled. Go hook Zhou Ting's skirt, amused Zhou Ting, reached out and stroked her daughter's soft hair and asked: "Master, have you figured out the name of the big girl and the second girl? Today I hugged Hong Shi and asked him which is the big sister." , he bit his finger and couldn't say it."

Yinzhen pondered for a while. Originally, the children of the royal family were not given names until they were not easy to die. Princesses were always called according to their rankings, and they were given titles when they got married. He looked at Zhou Ting's face and the two The little girl who tried to hold her hands up and then got down, and then got up and got down again, said with a gentle expression: "I have already thought about the names, I am afraid they are too young to hold them down, let's wait until they are older." .”

The two girls were round and strong, and Yinzhen pinched their little arms: "I see how these two girls are stronger than the son of the fourteenth brother." They are like two meatballs, and they have the strength to cry One cried and the other cried too, and when the nanny couldn't coax her, it could be heard in the yard.

Zhou Ting gave him a sideways glance, but he laughed instead, playing with his daughter in a particularly good mood, until they woke up before asking the nanny to carry the child down, and as soon as the curtain was lowered, he asked, "Have you fed the child today?"

"The one who drank the medicine yesterday, how dare I feed it, I have to wait for two days anyway." Zhou Ting removed the flowers on her hair, and just picked up the comb when she saw Yinzhen's ambiguous smile in the mirror, Only then did he realize what he was referring to, and turned to spit at him, his ears burning.

The next day Zhou Ting was a little lazy, her body was limp and she couldn't lift herself up, she kept leaning on the warm pavilion kang, holding an embroidery stretcher to get a needle from time to time, the sun made her sleepy, if she knew it, she should have restrained herself It's a little bit, it's going to be endless, causing her to be so lethargic that she will see Feng Shi later.

Since Feng came to visit, he naturally brought something with him. The glass box in front of Zhou Ting had an exquisite and extraordinary model ship installed. Seeing Zhou Ting's surprise, Feng smiled slightly: "This is what our master brought from Guangzhou." It’s not easy to get something, it’s very delicate, and the rudder can turn, that’s the kind of big boat that foreigners use to travel to and from my country.”

At this time, foreign trade was considered to be developed in the Qing Dynasty. Zhou Ting didn't think it was strange. She had been away from high school for many years. When it came to the Qing Dynasty, except for the first few emperors, she only remembered Lin Zexu and Cixi. At that time, she watched movies.

After living these days, she realized that the Kangxi Dynasty had already opened a port to trade with foreigners, and the business was very large. Guangzhou and Fujian were especially prosperous, but why did Feng Jiuru go to Guangzhou? He was not in the glass business Well.

"Our father has never been idle, and he always likes to toss these novel things. The business here is more stable, so he went to Guangzhou again, and brought a lot of things he had never seen before." If Zhou Ting hadn't known Feng Shi is also from the same village, so what she said is really reasonable.

Agate held up the box, and there was a pair of identical enamel dolls inside. She knew it was for Zhou Ting's two daughters at a glance. She picked it up and looked at it carefully and nodded to Feng: "You have a heart."

"There are also shops selling these things in Beijing. I thought they were good things when I saw them at first, but this time when I saw them brought back by our master, they are nothing more than ordinary." Feng Shi was not in a hurry at all, and Xu Xu said to Zhou Ting Speaking of the scenery in the south, it is as rare as seeing it with your own eyes.

"Although most of those things are good, the glass one is not as good as ours." She couldn't help being a little complacent when she said this, but Zhou Ting already knew that she must have a purpose for making such a big detour, so she just listened with a smile, and clicked from time to time. Nodding and sighing twice, seeing her proudly pinching the veil and laughing: "What, is it possible that you can still do glass business with foreigners?"

Feng clapped his palms together and laughed: "This time our glass is a big show in front of foreigners. The price of those small screens brought by our master has increased by five times, and they are willing to ask for it. The money is like this." It’s easy to make money, so why not go to Guangzhou and open a branch.” She looked at Zhou Ting with a smile on her face and said, “There are people in the capital who are willing to pay high prices for these things, and I still want to buy foreign goods. If you don’t come, there will be no supply.”

"It's good for you to have such a heart. Anyway, I don't understand these things, but I also heard that the eldest brother and the ninth brother also have business in Guangzhou. I think it is not against the rules. It will be good if it can be done." I'm afraid. It's not just as simple as opening a semicolon, Zhou Ting took a sip of the tea cup and waited for her to continue.

"Since I have this thought, I should inquire about it. Our master came back and said that the place is good. I'm afraid we won't be able to do it in the future." Feng's face showed a rare eagerness, and she tightened her hand holding the handkerchief. : "I heard from those foreigners that the pope over there has changed the rules, and the people in Fujian are not allowed to worship their ancestors. There is no such reason in the world."

"There's such a thing?" Zhou Ting didn't hear Yinzhen mention it, and she also frowned: "Monks, lamas, and monks are all monks. How dare the Pope meddle in other people's family affairs?"

Feng's brows also frowned: "That's right, I don't know how to judge this matter because of the exchange of envoys. Will the rules of doing business be changed? If a semicolon is opened on the front foot, the foreigners on the back foot will not It's coming, so it's better to wait a little longer."

Zhou Ting nodded: "This matter depends on Han Ama's intentions. I have never heard of it. I think there is no conclusion yet. If there is news, I will let you know. "

Although Feng had a smile on his face, the eagerness in his eyes did not fade away: "It would be best if we can continue to do business, but the foreigner's stuff is ingenious, and there are some things we have never seen before." He took out a crystal bottle from the box: "This is the perfume brought by the English from the sea. Put a little on your wrist and it will smell good all day long." Static electricity has become a motor, but the Chinese have not thought about going to sea to see the world.

Zhou Ting suddenly understood, her heart skipped a beat. Looking at Feng's again had a different meaning. She always thought it was inconceivable to travel through a powerful country. How could it be possible for a single person to make the whole country strong.

Now facing Zhou Ting of Feng's family, she couldn't help but feel ashamed. She is as good as the sky, but she is only on the queen's throne. People think much more far-reaching than her.Since she came here on purpose to test things out, she must know something. Zhou Ting is not familiar with history, but Feng Shi has always acted reliably. It is good to ask Yinzhen, Feng Shi even thought of the reason for herself, even if she may not be able to At least he has done his best to control him.

"It's strange to say that foreigners always come to us to do our business, why no one goes out to do business with foreigners?" Zhou Ting put down the tea cover and put it on the table: "Just by looking at this doll, you can tell that they didn't bring good things. Woolen cloth."

Mrs. Feng did not expect Zhou Ting to say this, and she was overjoyed for a moment. Just as she was about to say something, she held down the conversation: "I've never heard of anyone going out to sea for business. Our boats are probably not stronger than others, so we can't travel long distances."

"I'm just talking nonsense, I remember what you asked." Zhou Ting picked up the tea again, making up her mind to inquire.

(End of this chapter)