First Concubine

Chapter 125 Offering treasure to save son (1)

Mrs. Zhen comforted the gloomy Zhuge Shu in the room: "Daughter, are you not happy studying at your sister-in-law's place? Then we won't go there in the future!"

Zhuge Shu lay on the bed and said feebly: "I hate Qiao Hui! I don't want her to be my second sister-in-law!"

Ms. Zhen was confused. Has her daughter seen Qiao Hui? It seems not! On the wedding day of Guo Yan and the third princess, Qiao Hui did attend the banquet with Mrs. Su Chenghou, but... Zhuge Shu stayed in the mansion!

Mrs. Zhen gently patted her daughter's pink shoulder and asked doubtfully: "Did someone chew the truth in front of you? Did your sister-in-law say that?"

 Zhuge Shu rolled his eyes: "What's the matter, Mrs. Guan? Anyway, I... I just hate Qiao Hui!"

Mrs. Zhen sighed slightly. She would not like anyone her son married. In the past, the noble ladies in Kashgar were all top-notch in appearance and temperament, but her daughter hated her so much that she could not eat. Dong Jialin in the back, although Xiaojiazi is a little angry, she can still be considered gentle and virtuous, but her daughter still doesn't like it! Now, my daughter voted against this Qiao Hui without even meeting her...

Mrs. Zhen leaned over and asked, "What do you want your future second sister-in-law to be like?"

Zhuge Shu snorted and said, "Second brother, do you have to get married? What's the benefit of getting married? I have to worry about this and that every day. It's not comfortable at all!"

 “What nonsense are you talking about!” Mrs. Zhen glared at her daughter.

Zhuge Shu buried her head in the pillow in embarrassment.

Liuzhu opened the curtain and came in. Zhen tucked her daughter in and followed Liuzhu out of the inner room.

 “How?” Zhen asked eagerly.

Liuzhu frowned and said, "Madam, I guessed it right! Anping went to Huangji Restaurant today and had a food box in his hand, looking a little sneaky!"

"Hmph! That food box is probably a cover-up!" Zhen said coldly, then pinched a flower in the vase, "You know people and faces but you don't know the heart! You pretend to be a Bodhisattva, but in fact you are a wolf-hearted person!"

 Chingyouyuan.

Leng Youru had just returned from chanting sutras in the Buddhist hall, with a touch of sandalwood still lingering on her body. She was sitting on a chair, dressed in white and snowy, like a fairy from Guanghan Palace. The breeze blew and her clothes were flying. , her delicate and jade-like face was dyed with a trace of immortality.

 “Thank you very much.” She said softly.

Anping's consciousness returned and he realized that he was distracted. He lowered his body and said, "It's just a small matter. I don't dare to take credit."

"I didn't want to trouble you, but I'm surrounded by maids and I don't have a capable attendant." Leng Youru touched her fair and smooth face, looked across the window sill filled with jasmine flowers, and sighed softly, " Time is not forgiving! I didn’t expect that one day I would use this dirty method to save my appearance. Anping, do you think I did something wrong?”

Anping comforted and said: "The princess is serious. I heard from the prince that Zihe chariot is indeed helpful for a woman's beauty. Even many concubines in the palace eat it in different ways! You don't need to worry about it."

Leng Youru looked worried: "But if... the news reaches the ears of the prince and Yu'er, will they, father and son, find me disgusting?"

 Anping's throat slid slightly and he said, "I won't mention it to anyone except you!"

Leng Youru smiled gratefully: "Anping, you are so kind!"

Shui Linglong asked Zhi Fan, Liu Lu and Ye Mao to send some tea leaves from Jiangnan to Old Taijun, Zhuge Liuyun, Leng Youru and Prince An respectively. Then she opened the booklet given by Zhen and chose two After copying the more neutral patterns, Hongzhu finally asked Hongzhu to return the booklet to Zhen.

After taking a bath, several maids also came back. It was Liu Lu's turn to be on duty tonight. Liu Lu lit a very weak candle behind the screen as usual.

Shui Linglong was lying on the bed, tossing and turning.

The first night after Zhuge Yu left, she was so excited that she almost rolled on the bed. She was finally able to occupy a bed by herself, sleeping horizontally, vertically, lying down, or sleeping on her stomach...no longer having to be tightly restrained by someone. In my arms, I didn’t move anywhere all night long!

The second night after Zhuge Yu left, she was still very excited and ate countless spicy snacks before going to bed. No one stopped her and said that it was difficult to digest at night!

On the third night after Zhuge Yu left, she was tired and not in a good state, but she was still in a very happy mood. She no longer had to toss her back so hard that she read the romance book all night long, but she caught a cold.

Now that the cold has recovered, Shui Linglong feels that she can really sleep peacefully this time. But she moved outwards habitually, as if she felt uncomfortable without being pressed against something.

After moving like this for a moment, she plopped down.

Shui Linglong rubbed her **** and slept on the bed with a pillow: "Light another lamp! It's too dark, I can't sleep!"

Liu Lu was holding the quilt and was about to go to Baoxia to rest. After hearing Shui Linglong's words, she quickly put down the quilt and lit an extra lamp.

Shui Linglong was lying on the soft big bed, her breath filled with his elegant fragrance, and her mind uncontrollably recalled the way he used to possess her domineeringly or tenderly... her face felt hot.

 You don’t have to be pressed to do exercise at night, and you can get up earlier in the morning.

Mother Zhong smoothed the wrinkles on the skirt with her hands and asked with a smile: "The eldest lady has become more and more beautiful. The prince will be happy to see you when he comes back!"

Shui Linglong looked at the calendar hanging on the wall. It was fifteen. Maybe Zhuge Yu would be back in half a month?

"Old lady, can you please have something to eat?" Ping'er was holding a bowl of vegetable and lean meat porridge, half-kneeling in front of the bed, and begging the old lady who was sleeping with her head covered.

 The old lady snorted and ignored her!

Ping'er frowned in embarrassment. The old lady had not eaten even a drop of rice since last night. She had only eaten two meals. What would happen if she was starving?

It turns out that since Zhuge Xi got married, the old lady moved the small kitchen to Tian'anju and ordered the cook to make all kinds of sweet cakes for her all day long, but she didn't even eat. After several attempts of persuasion to no avail, Zhen reported it to Zhuge Liuyun. Zhuge Liuyun was worried about the health of the old lady and forcibly removed the small kitchen.

No, the old lady is angry!

Ping'er squeezed out a soft tone and coaxed: "Old lady, before I left, the prince told you not to eat sweets anymore. The prince did this for your own good. Don't be angry with your body." , Your Majesty will be worried!"

 “Hmph! He’s so worried!” the old lady spat.

Ping'er was so anxious that she tried to coax her for an hour, but the old lady just refused to eat obediently.

She put down the dishes and chopsticks and decided to go to Zhen's yard again.

When Shui Linglong entered the house, Ping'er had just left, and only two maids were waiting inside. They bowed to Shui Linglong: "Good luck to the Crown Princess!"

 The old lady rolled her eyes and resolutely chose to remain covered in the quilt.

Shui Linglong ordered: "You guys retreat."

The two little maids looked at each other, then walked out of the room.

Shui Linglong sat down beside the old lady's bed and called softly: "Grandma."

The old lady made an unhappy groan from under the quilt: "You want to persuade me to eat, but there's no way!"

Shui Linglong laughed: "How could it be? Grandma and I are of the same mind, and I won't advise you to eat!"

After hearing this, the old lady couldn't help but pull down the quilt, revealing her face which was slightly red from holding back, and looked at Shui Linglong.

Shui Linglong didn't look at the old lady. She just lowered her head and tied the tassel around her waist. She said with a hint of disapproval: "Grandma, don't blame me for disrespecting my elders. I really feel that my father did something wrong this time! How could he withdraw?" Where’s your little kitchen?”

Zhiyin, absolute Zhiyin!

The old lady slowly sat up straight and said angrily: "Really? I just ate a few pieces of sweet cake, so why did it bother him? Does he think I am his mother? How dare he do this to me!"

Shui Linglong followed the old lady's words and made an angry tone: "Actually, I have seen people in the same situation as grandma in Zhuangzi. It's not a problem to eat sweet cakes for three or two months! You can also evacuate later. God! Father is so anxious!”

The old lady quickly and keenly grasped the key point of Shui Linglong's words: "What does it mean to eat 'three or two months of sweet cakes without any problem'?"

Shui Linglong faced the old lady and said seriously: "Mother Jiang in Zhuangzi, the doctor also said that she can't eat sweets, but she doesn't eat sweets, and her family doesn't care about her. She just eats every day, every meal, and keeps eating. It’s been more than four months!”

The old lady swallowed her saliva: "Since you don't care, how come she only took it for more than four months?" If it were her, she would take it for the rest of her life!

Shui Linglong shrugged: "Oh, she got sick and died later!"

 The old lady is stunned!

Shui Linglong approached the old lady, held her arm, and said softly: "She took it for four months before anything happened! I think you only took it for two months, and everything will be fine."

　　The old lady shuddered: "Ahem! Actually... I didn't say I had to eat sweet cakes. I was just angry that your father had removed my small kitchen. I was so embarrassed!"

Shui Linglong calmly picked up the vegetable and lean meat porridge on the side, pretending to be serious and said: "Yes, what are you worrying about, father! The injury on his leg has not healed yet, and he can't walk, so he put a pair of eyes on it. It’s so unreasonable to worry about you!”

The old lady’s mind flashed back to her son’s weak appearance when he returned home from injury, and he felt a throbbing pain in his heart...

Ping'er went to Xianglan Courtyard to truthfully report the old lady's condition and asked Madam Zhen to help her think of some ideas. Madam Zhen then went to the dining room and ordered someone to make some light desserts using cornmeal mixed with red dates. In her opinion, It is unrealistic to completely give up the old lady's sweet cakes. Giving less and coaxing the old lady to eat is a no-brainer. But when she entered the old lady's house with the sweet cake, she saw the old lady eating the vegetable and lean meat porridge fed by Shui Linglong. She was so well-behaved!

Ping'er was also stunned. The old lady had vowed to go on a hunger strike just now. Why did she start eating so fiercely when she turned around?

Shui Linglong saw them and stood up to greet Mrs. Zhen: "Second Aunt!"

Mrs. Zhen wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, wiped away the coldness on the corner of her lips, and squeezed out a bright smile: "Mom, you're up!" She quietly hid the plate behind her, Ping'er said sharply He took it, turned around and opened the curtain and went out.

The old lady was full and in good spirits, so she took Zhen and Shui Linglong to have a long chat, during which they focused on the marriage between Prince An and Qiao Hui. What the old lady meant was that the sooner Qiao Hui gets married, the better. It would be very satisfying if it can be done by the end of the year!

After leaving Tian'anju, Shui Linglong smiled and asked Xiang Zhen: "Second Aunt, is the tea still to your liking?"

Zhen Shi said with a smile but not a smile: "I am getting old after all, and I can't adapt to the taste of you young people, so I have to reward others."

Shui Linglong was stunned for a moment and said with a smile: "Is that so? Second Aunt still likes to drink Laoshan Mei? I still have some..."

"No, Princess Royal, please keep it to yourself. My teeth have been bad recently and I can't drink strong tea." Zhen said a few words in a strange tone, and then left without looking back.

Behind her, Liu Lu was furious: "Did the Second Madam eat a cannon today or something? It's really amazing to live in someone else's house like hers! The first and second bedrooms are in separate homes, and the Second Madam said she was here to accompany the old lady. Damn it, no one can see clearly that she is actually seeking refuge with her relatives! It is natural for the prince to take care of his wife. She is the legitimate mother, so what is the second wife? Son! How annoying!”

Zhi busy covered her mouth and yelled in a low voice: "You are seeking death, you are so arrogant!"

Liu Lu opened her hand, glanced at Shui Linglong, and muttered: "I know what I should do and I won't tell anyone."

Shui Linglong looked at Zhen's retreating back and said calmly: "Then what do you think I should do?"

Liu Lu was shocked. She didn't expect that the eldest lady would ask her such a question, but she still had the courage to express her inner thoughts: "I think that I must teach the second lady a lesson and let the second lady know who is the right person." The real master of the palace! Of course, this must be done secretly!"

If she wants to cure Zhen Minglan, there are many ways to make Zhen Minglan, who is mute, eat Coptis chinensis. But can this really prevent the slightest change? Shui Linglong tucked her hair behind her temples and looked at Zhi Fan: "Do you also agree with Liu Lu's idea?"

Zhifan thought for a while and shook his head solemnly: "The second lady was not like this originally. She seemed... quite prejudiced against the eldest lady, but I don't remember what we have done to offend her. In case, who did she suffer? If she misunderstands the eldest lady due to her instigation, then if we fight with her like crazy, we will laugh to the heart of the person behind the scenes. "

Shui Linglong nodded: "Yes, I don't care what her character is, but she has always been smooth in dealing with others. Unless she is provoked to a certain extent, she will definitely not show such a face to me."

If she remembers correctly, Zhen's fight against her started on the day she went with Zhuge Shu to Xianglan Courtyard to get the flowers. Mrs. Wu was also there at that time, and Mrs. Zhen must have given Mrs. Wu a box of extremely valuable gifts. Does this have anything to do with Zhen's sudden dislike of her?

The weather was getting cooler day by day, and the war between Dazhou and Mobei finally started on a late autumn night.

According to the news from the front, Guo Yan led 10,000 cavalry to Heze and was suddenly attacked by Prince Taijiu that night. Prince Taijiu took advantage of the wind and launched a fire attack, burning all the tents in a military camp in Dazhou. Yan had to lead his troops back to the city and forced the battle line into the territory of the Zhou Dynasty.

Prince Taijiu took advantage of the victory and pursued him all the way into the city. Unexpectedly, Guo Yan came to catch turtles in the urn. Ten thousand archers shot most of Prince Taijiu's 50,000 horses to death. Prince Taijiu fled with his tail between his legs, following him. Less than a hundred people are in danger.

 In the first battle, Da Zhou won brilliantly!

 The emperor was very happy, and generous rewards were sent to the Guo family as if they were free of charge. The queen even summoned Mrs. Guo and Guo Rong from time to time to show everyone that the royal family valued the Guo family.

In the blink of an eye, it was the end of October, and three letters of success in Guo Yan's battle with Mobei had been sent back. Compared with the considerable extent of the war in the north, the water conservancy project in the south encountered considerable obstacles.

Since ancient times, the construction of dams has required the occupation of some fertile land and villages. The court paid compensation according to the population and provided them with a new place to live. However, some old people with pedantic ideas were unwilling to leave their hometowns and threatened to die in the ancestral home even if they died. On their territory, the one causing the most trouble was an old man over 100 years old in Baima Village named Bai Jinhua.

』 The government awarded Bai Jinhua the title of honorary military dependent and gave him a generous pension. However, Bai Jinhua did not use the pension to make a career. Instead, he donated it all and bought a brick kiln. Since then, Baima has The villagers in the village began to escape poverty and become rich. Later, the brick kiln factory grew bigger and bigger, and the entire village gave up farming and devoted themselves to business. Now it has become a very influential brick kiln supply base.

This village is within the scope of the flood storage tank. Old Bai Jinhua quit her job. She cried, made trouble, and hanged herself. No one was allowed to enter the brick kiln.

Governor Jiang’s white hair has sprouted several times! As a last resort, he could only find Zhuge Yu and ask him to make up his mind: "Hey, prince, brother-in-law! I really have nothing to do! I coaxed her, scolded her, and even put a knife on her neck. But she still doesn’t back down!”

He has been an official for decades and is about to retire. He cannot spend his whole life shining brightly and eventually fall into a shithole.

 Zhuge Yu flipped through the calendar in his hand. It was the end of October and he still couldn't return to the capital. He wondered if that little woman was doing well and whether she missed him.

He touched the bridge of his nose and said seriously: "How long does it take to get from the Governor's Mansion to Baima Village?"

Governor Jiang’s dim eyes regained their luster: “Hurry up and we’ll be there in one day!”

 “Leave immediately.”

 …

Shui Linglong tore off another page of the calendar. The last day of October has ended, and someone hasn’t replied yet...

Zhifan opened the curtain and entered the room: "Miss, Liuzhu's mouth is very tight, and the servants can't detect anything. I only know that Mrs. Wu was discussing the marriage between Prince An and Miss Qiao that day with the second lady."

Mrs. Wu’s price for this business was clearly marked. A deposit was paid before the marriage was negotiated, and the settlement was settled together after the marriage. In the middle of the marriage, Mrs. Zhen clearly gave Mrs. Wu a heavy gift. Is it just to pay for Mrs. Wu’s hard work?

Shui Linglong pressed her eyebrows and stared, "What's going on in the Suchenghou Mansion?"

Zhi Fan paused and replied: "Oh, today the eldest princess went to see her aunt!"

 (End of this chapter)