First Concubine

Chapter 130 Lantern Festival Troubles (1)

In Mohe Courtyard, Shui Linglong couldn't help but smile knowingly after checking Shui Lingqing's homework. Shui Lingqing was once so rebellious, even risking her own reputation and running away from home. How can she become so well-behaved now, I have to say. , her stick education lost to Zhuge Yu's tender therapy.

Shui Lingqing put down the book in her hand, blinked her eyes and said, "Sister, why hasn't my brother-in-law come back yet? It's been more than a month!"

Shui Linglong tucked her temple hair behind her ears and said with a gentle smile, "I just received a letter saying that I will be back in the next few days."

Shui Lingqing tilted her head and said hopefully: "Can you catch up with the lantern festival in three days? I heard from Qiao'er that the lantern festival is very lively and fun!"

Shui Linglong nodded her forehead and laughed out loud: "If you want to go to the lantern festival, just say so. You're still beating around the bush in front of my eldest sister!"

Shui Lingqing snuggled into Shui Linglong’s arms and said sweetly: “I have never seen a lantern festival when I have grown up!”

The two chatted and laughed for a while before having dinner. Shui Linglong still did not eat the plate of spicy dishes specially prepared for her. She was sure that the dish was filled with conventional contraceptives, so she was never able to conceive a child.

After dinner, Shui Lingqing reluctantly returned to her yard. Shui Linglong called Zhifan: "Ask Liu Lu why she plays red beads."

Zhi Fan was stunned for a moment and then asked: "The eldest lady suspects that Hong Zhu lied?"

Liu Lu has a vicious mouth, willful and selfish. She is less servile than ordinary maids and is harder to control. But she is not stupid. She has received so many looks and cold words in Shui Minyu's yard, and she has never taken the initiative to be violent with others. , If Hongzhu hadn’t said something that was really unbearable, Liu Lu wouldn’t have had an attack on the spot. Shui Linglong held up the storybook and said calmly: "Just go and do it."

Zhi Fan said respectfully: "Yes, I have remembered it."

Shui Linglong pursed her lips. She had eaten too many spicy snacks recently, which made her angry, and she had a bump on her lower lip. Shui Linglong put down her book, looked at the plate full of spicy skins and pretzel cookies on the table, licked her lips, and decided... to stop eating them tomorrow!

"Miss! You can't eat any more!" Seeing the water, Zhi Fan picked up another piece of pretzel full of spicy pepper and hurriedly advised, "The prince will be back in a few days. Your mouth is swollen. I am not well-groomed, and it is not convenient for me to serve the prince.”

Shui Linglong made a careful comparison in her mind, and still felt that the pretzels were better than Zhuge Yu: "What a big deal, look at how surprised you are! Apply some mint Luhui ointment at night and it will be fine, hurry up and do it Your errand!"

 After eating a few pieces of pretzels and drinking a glass of goat's milk, Shui Linglong took a walk around the room, stroking her bulging belly. As she walked, she thought about Guo Yan. God knows she wished she could grow a pair of wings, fly to the border of Mobei, and hear him say in person that he was her bin'er!

With Zhuge Liuyun's promise, she believed that Concubine De's people would not succeed. If Concubine De was more powerful than Zhuge Liuyun, Concubine De would not be attached to Zhuge Liuyun after all these years.

Another thing that made her happy was that the third princess did not send any good news. This was very different from her previous life. Look, the fate of the three princesses had changed. What reason did Guo Yan have to die in a battle with his previous life?

With this thought, Shui Linglong put down the pastry in her hand, cleaned her hands, took out the embroidery basket, and made a winter coat for Guo Yan.

 She was separated from him for five years in her last life, and she missed him so much that her heart ached. God had mercy, and they were reunited in this life. It doesn't matter whether his original body was there or not. In short, she will cherish him and love him well, and make up for all the shortcomings in his previous life.

 The days, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up...

Zhifan found Liulu in the house. Judging from the sweat on her face, she must have returned not long ago. She didn’t know what she had done. Her eyes were so panicked! Zhifan poured her a glass of cold water: "Where have you been? I've been looking for you for a long time." In fact, she had just left Shui Linglong's master bedroom.

Liu Lu cleared her throat, not daring to look at Zhi Fan's probing eyes. She covered up her slightly unnatural expression by drinking water: "Oh, I was so worried that I took a walk in the house for a while."

Zhifan sat down on the stool: "What are you blocking? I have advised you not to use chicken feathers as arrows. After all, those people were picked by the princess. They don't look at the monk's face to look at the Buddha's face. Even if they are more arrogant, we You have to endure it. You are good for refusing to listen and getting addicted to bullying! What kind of status does Hongzhu have? You really deserve her to talk back to you!"

Taking words from Liu Lu's mouth, asking her directly may not necessarily tell her, but the provocation method is more effective.

Sure enough, Liu Lu's face suddenly darkened when she heard this: "Hasn't she contradicted me enough? Don't I tolerate it all the time? These people's eyes all grow to the top of their heads. I am here to poke their spirit for the eldest lady!"

Zhifan keenly grasped what was wrong in her words: "Since you can tolerate it normally, why can't you endure it this time? In my opinion, you are just proud and complacent, and you take yourself too seriously! You are a big brother The young lady’s maid actually beat up someone sent by the princess. If the young lady hadn’t been smart and behaved in front of the old lady, there would have been rumors in the house tomorrow that the young lady disrespected my mother-in-law!”

"You..." Liu Lu glared at Zhi Fan, sat down, and said, suppressing her anger, "You don't have to provoke me. I have no intention of hiding this from you. Even if the eldest lady asks, I will tell the truth. You Do you know what that **** Hongzhu said? She said that the eldest lady and the prince had an affair. First, the eldest lady rescued the prince in Yao Mansion. That time, the second young lady fell ill, and then the prince rushed in regardless of life and death. Who in the whole capital didn’t know about the rescue of the eldest lady? I was so angry that I beat her because I was afraid that she would spread the word. "

"Nonsense! That time it was the Queen who ordered the Prince to go rescue the Imperial Concubine! The eldest lady was just there by the way!" This is the official statement, but as slaves they must insist on it! Zhifan looked at Liu Lu with a look of disbelief and said, "No wonder you didn't expose Hongzhu when she made such lies. Fortunately, you held back. If not, she tried her best to deny that she had said this, and you would have Become the initiator of rumors about the eldest lady and His Royal Highness in the palace. If you get to that point, the first person who can't get around you will be the prince."

 After a pause, Zhi Fan nodded Liu Lu’s forehead, “It’s probably because of your face that brings disaster to the country and the people that people are jealous of you!”

Liu Lu opened Zhi Fan's hand, but inadvertently revealed a very delicate jade bracelet with twisted gold wires. Zhi Fan grabbed her wrist and said, "Where did it come from? I don't remember you having such a valuable item!"

Liu Lu pulled Zhi Fan down and muttered a few words under his breath. Zhi Fan's expression changed, "Exactly...such a thing could happen?"

In the Xianglan Courtyard, Zhuge Shu was sitting on a stool, and Mrs. Zhen picked up the feather duster and brushed her arm hard!

Liu Zhu was shocked and quickly hugged Zhuge Shu to receive the heavy blow for her. She frowned in pain and broke out in cold sweat.

Zhen was so angry that she shook her head and her chest rose and fell like a long wave, stirring up countless violent waves: "Get out of here! Stay outside and no one is allowed to come in! Otherwise, I will kill every one of them!" "

Humber tugged at Liuzhu's lapel and motioned for her to go out. If something like this happened, they, as slaves, could not interfere at all.

Liuzhu didn't feel sorry for Zhuge Shu at all, she was more concerned about the future of the second lady. If the second lady really defeated Zhuge Shu, the old lady would definitely be resentful of her. Without the blessing of the clan leader, the old lady was the only one at the moment. The big tree, the second lady was determined not to offend the old lady.

Liuzhu reminded: "Second madam, the old lady loves the fourth lady, you can curse her, but don't be really violent."

 Zhen Shi waved her hand, and Liuzhu and Hubo retreated.

Zhen dropped the feather duster and said in a calm tone: "Shu'er, tell me the truth. On the day your second brother and Miss Lin got married, when you pushed Miss Lin out of the bathtub, were you... drunk? ?”

Zhuge Shu’s heart skipped a beat, and his face turned pale...

Zhen took one look at her daughter's expression and combined it with the scene she saw in the pavilion before. How could she not understand why? Her daughter didn't accidentally knock Miss Lin into the hot pool, but did it on purpose!

Zhen Shi beat her heart sadly: "What evil have I done? How could my daughter be such a crazy devil?"

Zhuge Shu knelt down at Zhen's feet and begged with tears in his eyes: "Mother, you...don't tell second brother, I beg you..."

Seeing that her daughter, who had always been stubborn and proud, was now as humble as a slave, Zhen's anger that she had finally suppressed burned again as she begged: "Wake up! You and your second brother are siblings! How could you? Do you have such unethical feelings for him? Stop this thought immediately!"

Zhuge Shu's tears fell down.

Zhen pressed her temples and roared: "Liuzhu! Amber! Come in!"

Two maids entered the room cautiously.

Mrs. Zhen said sternly: "The fourth lady has contracted the cold. Take the fourth lady down. No one is allowed to visit without my instructions! The fourth lady is not allowed to go out privately!"

After Zhuge Shu was settled, Liuzhu returned to Mrs. Zhen. Seeing Mrs. Zhen's haggard appearance as if she had aged ten years overnight, she sighed slightly: "Madam, the most important thing right now is to find a way to deal with Prince Cheng. It was true that Prince Cheng was at fault, but he was drunk at the time, but the fourth lady was sober. She pushed him down the steps without giving Prince Cheng a chance to explain, causing Prince Cheng to panic. Angry, although as Prince An said later, he was protecting himself and did not intend to hurt anyone, but he was still injured. "

Ms. Zhen has a headache thinking about the trouble her daughter has gotten into! Chengjun Wang is not a thing, he won't even let go of little girls who haven't even got hairpins!

Liuzhu suggested: "Look, should we talk to the prince and princess about this matter and ask them to help us deal with it?"

Mrs. Zhen waved her hands and disagreed: "That's not necessary. Although King Cheng is a mess, he has an upright father. He was wrong in this matter. Shu'er is a child. How can he care about a child? Besides, he has an upright father. Qiao Xu is here and he always wants to speak for us."

Liu Zhu nodded: "That's right. Over there at Liu Lu..."

The anger in Zhen's eyes suddenly disappeared, replaced by a smile with unknown meaning: "She only saw Prince An and Prince Cheng fighting, but she didn't see what was behind. Nuer came back behind Liu Lu, Nuer "Er knows nothing about it, so Liu Lu, who arrived earlier than Nuer, is even less likely to discover the truth behind it."

Liuzhu looked at Mrs. Zhen's meaningful smile, and deep doubts arose in her heart. She saw the bracelet that the second lady gave Liu Lu. It was the birthday gift that the old lady gave to the second lady. If it was a thank-you gift, The money was enough, but I gave him something that the second lady loved very much!

Does the second lady want to bribe Liu Lu to act as an internal agent?

  No, Liu Lu’s wife is in the Shangshu Mansion. It is impossible for her to betray the Crown Princess. If she must bribe her, the orphan Zhi Fan is the first choice.

Looking at the look on the second lady's face, it is obvious that she has some purpose. So, what exactly is the second lady planning to do?

Zhen didn't notice anything strange about Liuzhu. She suppressed her momentary joy and returned to the topic: "I'm writing a letter to Mrs. Qiao. You can send it overnight. You must deliver it to Mrs. Qiao personally. Do you understand?"

In the Mohe Courtyard, Shui Linglong had just finished taking a walk to eat. Mother Zhong cut another plate of honeydew melon and came in. Shui Linglong couldn't resist the temptation of delicious food, so she pulled Mother Zhong to sit down together and brought a piece of honeydew to her lips. Smiling gently: "You eat too."

Mama Zhong was so moved that she burst into tears. After the eldest lady’s temperament changed, she was indeed sad for a while, but now she is relieved. The eldest lady may be cold on the outside, but she is as persistent as ever on the inside.

Shui Linglong reached out her hand and touched the blood scab on Zhong’s mother’s forehead: “Does it hurt?”

Mother Zhong shook her head: "It doesn't hurt, it's just a bit of a scratch! I couldn't stand upright and fell, so I didn't do other people's business! Really! You...don't be angry with them because of this, okay?"

Shui Linglong just looked at the plate of fragrant fruits and suddenly lost her appetite. She respected Mother Zhong, so she didn't show much expression. She just said in her usual tone: "I know what to do. You can go back to the house and rest."

I thought Mrs. Zhong was sincerely holding the fruit for her to eat, but I didn’t expect that she was interceding for Hongzhu and the others in disguise! Mother Zhong has a temperament in which more troubles are worse than less. She understands that what she cares about is not the behavior of Mother Zhong pleading for mercy, but that Mother Zhong has actually learned to use her compassion for her to achieve a certain purpose! Although the starting point is for her own good!

This time I am begging her. If the situation becomes serious next time, will she have to force her?

Mother Zhong hit a soft nail, smiled awkwardly, got up and left the house.

Zhifan happened to ask about the news from Liu Lu. When he came in, he heard the conversation between the two and saw the slightly frustrated look on Mother Zhong's face when her back was turned. She put down the curtain, walked to Shui Linglong and said, "Mother Zhong I'm afraid you'll be sad, but there's no need to tell Mother Zhong if you're angry with Hongzhu and the others. Just say something in response and you'll be forgiven."

Shui Linglong glanced at Zhi Fan, who was confused: "You seem to be very smart on weekdays, but at critical moments, your mind turns to lard! If there is one, there will be two, and if there are two, there will be three. If I agree to Mother Zhong today, in the future Mother Zhong must become those people’s spear against me!”

Zhi Fanxing’s eyes widened: “Miss, do you mean that someone instigated Mother Zhong to come to plead for mercy?”

 If this is the case, then the eldest lady has defeated the hopes of those people once and for all, and Mother Zhong will not be used endlessly. She always thought that the eldest lady was heartless, and the reason why she was nice to Mama Zhong was just to respect the wet nurse. But now it seems that she has misunderstood the eldest lady.

Zhifan smiled happily and repeated what Hongzhu had said to deliberately anger Liu Lu: "...Miss, it is understandable that Liu Lu would take action."

"What? Do you think I punished Liu Lu too harshly?" Shui Linglong raised her voice, clearly showing displeasure.

Zhi Fan lowered his eyes: "I don't dare."

Shui Linglong said: "Just because she always bullies others, this fine is not unfair at all! Also, you send people to keep an eye on Hong Zhu's movements. Maybe gathering a crowd to fight is just an appetizer, the main event behind."

Zhifan agreed respectfully, and then told everything about Liu Lu's encounter with Prince An and Prince Cheng's fight, as well as Liu Lu's tip-off to Zhen: "...the second lady felt that Liu Lu had done something good in reporting the news, so she rewarded her with a reward. Gold bracelet."

"That's all?" Shui Linglong raised her eyebrows. Liu Lu was annoyed that Mrs. Zhen instigated her to do hard labor, and secretly scolded Mrs. Zhen. Now she would be so kind as to tip off Mrs. Zhen so that she could rescue her in time?

Zhi Fan nodded: "That's all she told me." Could it be that Liu Lu was hiding something?

Liu Lu did conceal part of the truth of the incident. Just as Shui Linglong suspected, Liu Lu was not so kind as to tip off the Zhen family. She actually just wanted to make Zhen family jump in anger when she saw her daughter and son doing such scandalous things. But Liu Lu told no one about Zhuge Shu kissing Prince An.

Even to Mrs. Zhen, Liu Lu only said: "No, no, no! Second madam, hurry up and go see me! I don't know who Prince Cheng is fighting with! That man is well dressed, and the slave must be from a noble family." My dear! I don’t know if the people next to me tried to persuade the two of them to stop!" She took a shortcut and ran all the way into Zhen's yard before Nuer, thus clearing up the suspicion in time.

 In Tian'an Residence, Old Taijun and Shui Linglong were sitting on the Kang. Ever since Shui Linglong "scared" Old Taijun once, Old Taijun had been very well-behaved when eating. Occasionally she wanted to eat something sweet, but she held it back.

The old lady turned over the flower rope with Shui Linglong and said with a smile: "Is Yu'er setting off on his journey?"

Shui Linglong smiled shyly: "Well, we will arrive in the capital in seven days."

The old lady looked at Shui Linglong's flat belly, squinted her eyes and said with a smile: "When Yu'er comes back, you don't have to say hello to me. You can sleep as long as you want!" She wants to have a great-grandson at night!

How come Shui Linglong doesn’t understand what the old lady means? He turned the flower rope over and said "hmm" softly.

The old lady liked Shui Linglong's shy look the most, so she immediately took out her hand and pinched her tender face. As a result, the "bridge" that she had managed to pull out was destroyed.

 The old lady threw the string away in frustration: "Don't play with this anymore, you are childish!"

Shui Linglong snickered in her heart, but she had a calm expression on her face: "When the second aunt comes back, how about we get together at a table and play leaf cards?"

 (End of this chapter)