First Concubine

Chapter 212 Referring to a deer as a horse (1)

When Mu Hua returned home after handling the affairs at the pharmacy, he saw his son dancing inexplicably in the front yard, three circles on the left, three circles on the right, his neck twisted, his buttocks twisted... Brother Hao learned it from Mohe Academy after the dance. "Bath Song", turned around suddenly and found Mu Hua standing at the door at some point. His smile froze, and a strong embarrassment flashed in his eyes.

Mu Hua stepped forward, knelt down, and said gently: "Son, after father solves the Zhuge family's problems, I will take you back to South Vietnam, okay?"

 “Huh?” Brother Hao made his first communication with Mu Hua. Mu Hua was overjoyed and hugged his son: "Go back to Nanyue, go back to the place where we lived before. Although the palace is nice, it is not your home after all. We belong to Nanyue."

Brother Hao's eyes flashed with anger, he struggled, jumped to the ground, and ran away without looking back!

"Hey - Mu Chenghao! You..." Mu Hua tried to shout but stopped, shook his head, and walked towards the study, but he bumped into Shui Linglong who came out first, and a faint fragrance of lily of the valley hit his face. , Mu Hua's heart skipped a beat: "Sister-in-law...sister-in-law."

Shui Linglong looked at Brother Hao's back disappearing into the night like he was running away, and asked with a smile: "What's wrong with Brother Hao?"

Mu Hua did not hide anything and explained what happened just now: "...Probably, he doesn't want to go back to South Vietnam with me."

Shui Linglong smiled slightly, the breeze lifted her hair on the temples, and a line of elegant color flew out: "Some things cannot be rushed. The child's temperament is very important. Get his permission before returning to South Vietnam, otherwise it will be hurt again."

Mu Hua looked at Shui Linglong dullly. Shouldn't she try to keep him? He has set an unparalleled business record for the Zhuge family. Even if it is for the economic development of the Zhuge family, should she persuade him to stay? But if she persuades him, he will definitely be very, very disappointed! He looked down upon women who put other people's circumstances at risk for their own selfish desires! Fortunately, Shui Linglong didn't let him look down upon her. But maybe... Shui Linglong didn't welcome him at all and wished he would leave? It seems that her friendliness these days is all pretending. If she is so good at pretending, she must be quite wealthy, and she doesn’t know how sincere she is towards people! Mu Hua glared coldly: "I still have something to do, so I'll say goodbye!"

Shui Linglong was confused. There must be something wrong with this person. Did she offend him? How come you can change your face faster than turning the pages of a book? And for no reason!

Shui Linglong walked back to Wisteria Courtyard. When she walked through the second entrance, Uncle Yu led a slender middle-aged woman to meet her. Uncle Yu saluted her: "The Crown Princess."

Uncle Yu winked at the woman again. The woman's expression was dull. After a while, she lowered her eyebrows and said, "Oh, good luck to the Crown Princess!"

Shui Linglong glanced at her lightly. For some reason, she felt slightly disgusted: "Is this new? I've never seen it before."

Yu Bo blessed his body and said, "This is the new rough servant who has joined the government. She is temporarily scheduled to work in the washing room."

 The woman always lowers her head, acting shy and timid. Shui Linglong couldn't help but take another look at the woman, feeling vaguely strange, but she didn't see anything special about her.

In the study room outside, Mu Hua is not as good as inside. Leng Youru is drinking tea and seems to be waiting for him. Qiao Hui is clearing the table and classifying the account books.

 “Mother, concubine, younger brother and sister.” He greeted me gently.

Qiao Hui bowed and said warmly: "Second brother-in-law."

Mu Hua nodded, glanced at the account book on the table, and his eyes darkened: "Have you... finished settling the accounts?"

Qiao Hui smiled and said: "Second brother-in-law is working too hard, so my mother-in-law called us to help you clear the account books."

Mu Hua thanked him, and Leng Youru put down the tea cup in his hand, took out a seal from the purse he carried with him, put it on the table and said slowly: "The Zhuge family's seal should be kept well."

Having a family's seal is equivalent to having the absolute right to exercise the family's property, including house deeds, land deeds, finances...all can make decisions. There are two royal seals in total. The one Leng Youru owns is the child seal, and the mother seal is in the hands of Zhuge Liuyun. Mu Hua didn't dare to answer: "Mother, concubine, you should keep this for yourself."

“You’re tired from running back and forth, so it’s okay to leave it where you are, just don’t lose it.” Leng Youru stood up and cast a meaningful look at him, “We are all one family.”

"What? Did the princess give the seal to your second brother-in-law?" In the Xianglan courtyard, after listening to Qiao Hui's statement, Mrs. Zhen was so excited that she almost fell off the imperial concubine's couch. Was Leng Youru's brain flooded? He actually gave the seal of the Imperial Palace to an outsider? No matter how good Mu Hua is, his surname is Mu, not Zhuge, and he is not a son-in-law. He will leave the palace one day. When the time comes, will he leave with peace of mind, or will he make a big deal with his seal and then escape?

 Qiao Hui was secretly annoyed that she had let it slip. She just wanted to ask what the seal did. Why did her mother-in-law react so strongly? She calmed down and said, "Well, I'll leave it with my second brother-in-law for now."

"Temporarily? Haha..." Mrs. Zhen sneered, "Isn't she afraid that she won't be able to get it back?" Both the second and the eldest family are prosperous and destructive. If Mu Hua has a different intention, she will also be affected! Therefore, she was really worried and disapproved of Leng Youru's move!

 Qiao Hui frowned slightly, her second brother-in-law was a bit weird, but he had a good heart. Could her mother-in-law not always think of people so badly?

Zhen ate a melon seed and said with a mocking smile: "Is it for Brother Hao?"

 “Yeah?” Qiao Huixing’s eyes widened.

Zhen vomited out the melon seed shells, her sarcastic smile unchanged: "I didn't expect that this snake-scorpion woman who had been poisonous for most of her life would finally start to have a kind heart! That is Zhuge Ling's son, doesn't she feel disgusted when she looks at it? Even if everything is Shangguan Yanxia's poisonous hand, if there is no Zhuge Yu and no Shangguan Qian, the only antidote will be Yan'er! If I were her, I would kill Shangguan Qian's flesh and blood to vent my anger!"

 Qiao Hui sighed slightly, without Zhuge Yu, the only antidote would have been destroyed by Shangguan Yan, because they just didn't want the princess and the prince to be good, and they just wanted to destroy the alliance between the Leng family and the Zhuge family.

Mrs. Zhen kept chattering alone, unaware that Qiao Hui had already stopped talking: "No, I'm just confused. The princess has always hated Zhuge Yu and the others. Why did she suddenly treat Brother Hao so well? Do you remember where it started? Did it start to change?"

Qiao Hui was stunned for a moment: "It seems...it started with bringing Brother Hao back to Qingyouyuan."

Zhen took another melon seed and said thoughtfully: "Of course I know it started when she took Brother Hao, otherwise, why did she take him? I want to say, did anything happen before she took him? Something special?"

Something special? Qiao Hui touched her belly. She had the impression that a fairy girl selling Guanyin Guanyin came to the door of the house that day. She and Dong Jialin both wanted to buy it, but they failed to buy it. Instead, the princess bought it.

  Qiao Hui roughly repeated what happened that day. Mrs. Zhen narrowed her eyes and even forgot to knock the melon seeds: "Xiangu? Has anyone seen what she looks like?"

Qiao Hui shook her head: "No, I heard the guard at the door said that she couldn't see her face with the hat on. I only knew that she was wearing red clothes."

Red clothes? Mrs. Zhen threw away the melon seeds in her hand, held up the tea cup and fell into deep thought. In her memory, there was also a person who loved to wear red and was as beautiful as a passion flower. For her sake, the prince actually planted all the Qingbaili Long Causeway in Kashgar. Passionflower, when the flowers are in bloom, when the breeze blows, it burns like a blazing flame all the way to the top of the sky. That was the sweet dream of every girl in Kashgar. Even when she was young, she once burst into tears looking at thousands of passion flowers. She thought that she didn’t expect anyone to plant a thousand or ten thousand passion flowers for her. One flower was planted from the bottom of her heart, and she was devoted to that person for the rest of her life... Zhen lost interest in drinking tea and chatting: "Go back, I'm tired."

But he said that Mu Hua took the seal and walked towards his yard. He urgently needed to go back to his room to open the secret letter in his arms. It was not that something happened to the pharmacy just now, but that the charlatan he hired had returned from South Vietnam for reconnaissance. He had dreamed of that scene more than once, which made him suspect that it was not a dream at all, but a certain memory that he had lost. There was no one else he could call his wife except Zhuge Ling. In his mind, Ling'er died from childbirth, but since he dreamed that his wife was killed, he began to suspect that his memory was inaccurate.

In fact, his memories of the past were all vague. He remembered Ling'er's outline, Ling'er's habits, and some of the sweetness and warmth between Ling'er and him, but he always felt that something was missing. what is it then? Is the truth about Ling'er's death?

With a feeling of uneasiness, he opened the secret letter with trembling hands. But what surprised him was that the spies said that Ling'er had indeed died of hemorrhage due to dystocia, and they also provided evidence of the midwife's signature. how so? If Ling'er died of unnatural hemorrhagic collapse, how could he explain his frequent dreams?

Perhaps someone covered up the original truth? right! That must be it! Someone must have taken care of the aftermath and kept strict confidentiality, just like Shangguan Yan bribed the governor to forge documents of his death. Even he was in South Vietnam and didn't know that the news of his "death" had reached Zhou Dynasty. If it hadn't been for Guo Yan After traveling thousands of miles to find his home, he may still be kept in the dark and is still foolishly searching for his long-lost son in South Vietnam. He can't get away now, but when World No. 1 Street is completely on the right track, he will immediately go back to South Vietnam to investigate the truth of the incident. He doesn't believe that he will not find the murderer of his wife to the end of the world!

After making up his mind, Mu Hua put the letter in the bedside table and the bracelet in his arms. When he saw the bracelet, he missed it even more. He always felt that there was something missing in his life. He felt lonely, so he picked it up from the bookshelf. The flute played a tune gently.

Like the moonlight flowing across the sky for a long and long time, it is also like the green pine trees that stand alone on the top of the mountain and are silent and lonely. Dong Jialin was sewing a purse like a mandarin duck playing in the water. Suddenly she heard the weeping sound of the flute, as if a strong sorrow hit her heart. Her hand shook involuntarily and tore off a red thread. The thread, the perfect mandarin duck tail was just ruined!

Xing'er wiped the jade on the Duobao grid with a rag and asked, "Who is playing the flute? It sounds... quite nice."

Dong Jialin stood up and walked outside the door. She glanced at the vast starry sky and found that the sound came from the direction of Fenglin.

Xing'er took out a cloak and chased her out. She put it on Dong Jialin and said, "Auntie, it's windy outside. Come in."

Dong Jialin tightened her cloak with her hands and sighed melancholy: "He is missing his deceased wife. There are indeed people with the most affection and nature in this world."

Xing'er took a deep look at Dong Jialin and said: "Auntie, it is not impossible to regain the favor of the county king. Although the second young lady has a deep love for the county king, she has never been able to do anything and is not valued by the second lady. , Auntie, just go to the Second Madam’s room more often, and the Second Madam will arrange it for you when you have the opportunity to bear the rain.”

Dong Jialin's eyes darkened when she heard this: "I'm tired. I'm tired of fighting over and over again."

　　It was you who insisted on becoming a high-class concubine, but now you are the one who is backing out. Aren't you the one who was ignored by your husband for several months? Whose concubine doesn't make a living like this? But I don’t know what she thought of, Xing’er said earnestly: “I hope my aunt is really…simple…tired!”

Dong Jialin's eyelashes trembled fiercely, and she turned around and entered the house without answering Xing'er's words.

 The sound of the flute is still lingering, floating among the buildings and wandering among the mountains and rivers. Zhen turned over and covered her head with the quilt: "Who is this? He stayed up in the middle of the night, playing a broken flute! Are you asking for your soul or your life?"

Mrs. Zhen was not the only one who was emotional. In Tian'an Residence, the old lady hugged her pillow and cried until the sky was dark. Ping'er tried to coax her with more than ten kinds of candies such as corn candy, osmanthus candy, sesame candy, etc., but it didn't work for a quarter of an hour. In fact, she felt that this was not effective. The sound of the flute is very nice. Why is the old lady crying?

“Old lady, if you don’t like it, I will go and see who is blowing and ask him to stop.”

 The old lady sniffed and said with tears in her eyes: "No, I miss Ermao..."

In the Wisteria Courtyard, Shui Linglong heard the melodious sound of the flute, and suddenly felt a strong longing forcefully tearing from the bottom of her heart. In an instant, it occupied her entire body. She closed her eyes gently, as if Zhuge Yu was sitting opposite him as soon as he opened his eyes, holding a memorial. Smile at her.

“Do you think anyone can kill the souls killed by my prince’s sword? My prince only kills beautiful women. Obviously, you are still far from that standard.”

　　"I know you feel bitter in your heart. If you want to cry, just cry. You don't have to pretend anything in front of me."

"What do you think a husband and wife are? People who can instigate strangers with just a few words? I married you to trust you, protect you, and love you. Why would I dislike you? Don't say he doesn't have it. Even if he does... I will only know how to do it. I love you more."

Unconsciously, emotions were like maggots in the tarsal bones. Shui Linglong laughed and burst into tears. She took out her guqin and played a song gently.

Like a gentle breeze blowing across the mountains and rivers, like a ray of morning light penetrating through the mist and thick clouds, the loneliness in Mu Hua's heart quietly dissipated a lot amid the heavenly music of the piano. He put down the flute and listened quietly. The more he listened, the more... friendly he felt!

After finishing the song, Shui Linglong remembered that she had researched a new dessert during the day. She called Zhifan: "Send the recipe to the second uncle. Well, by the way, give him some Cordyceps Chicken Soup to replenish his body. He is tired enough." ”

Zhifan turned around and went to the small kitchen. After a while, he packed the food box and left the Wisteria Courtyard.

The bright moon hangs high, and the night wind is cold. The gatekeeper, Mrs. Yang, was sitting on the bench picking her teeth. Mrs. Zhang took the red thread and was weaving handmade tassels. As she knitted, she asked Mrs. Yang in a low voice: "Tell me, it's been half a year since the second uncle moved here! He doesn't seem to have taken any concubines or touched her." What maid did you pass? This..." The words came to an abrupt end.

Mrs. Yang looked in and said with a faint smile: "The maids in the yard are all as beautiful as flowers. The first batch of uncles didn't like them. The princess then sent new ones, but the uncles still didn't. Touch, in my opinion, this is not normal!”

 “Huh? Why is it abnormal?” Mrs. Zhang pretended to be confused.

Mrs. Yang despised Mrs. Zhang in her heart. She knew everything clearly, but she had to use her mouth to tell it. However, she was mean-mouthed, so she kept talking after teasing her: "What man doesn't have such needs? I won't touch it, maybe. ..." He made a clicking gesture on his lower abdomen.

 Mr. Zhang choked and lowered her head. If there really is something wrong in that area, the problem will be huge. Forget it, it's better not to bring your daughter into the house.

While the two were talking, a thin, rough servant came over with a jug of wine: "Hello, two old sisters!"

Pozi Yang and Mrs. Zhang both looked at the visitor and looked at each other! The woman seemed to know their doubts and hurriedly volunteered: "My surname is Gao, my single name is Mei. I am a new servant in the house. I am assigned to clean the neighborhood. I am afraid that we will have to see each other often in the future. Two old sisters." Please be patient!" After saying this, he took out two money bags filled with silver coins and handed one to each of them.

They are both old people in the house, so they are not surprised by this unwritten rule and accept it with peace of mind. The woman opened the food box again and took out the smoked chicken legs, cured bacon, beef brisket roasted with potatoes and a jug of wine: "It's just a small thing, not a sign of respect. I hope the old sisters will accept it."

 Mr. Zhang smiled happily: "Don't worry, I won't forget you in the future."

 The two of them ate all the midnight snacks and drank all the wine. There was a sneer in the woman's eyes, and as soon as they fell down, she strode into the courtyard.

When Zhifan arrived at Mu Hua's yard with the food box, he saw the two women who were guarding the door, drunk and staggering. She frowned. After all, she was on duty. Are these two people too courageous? If someone breaks into the yard, can they bear this responsibility? Shaking his head, Zhi Fan stepped into the yard. Unexpectedly, as soon as she stepped onto the corridor, she heard someone shouting: "Ouch, why isn't there a desk by the window? There are them in other rooms... Ouch..."

 A woman’s voice! Not too young yet! Climb through the window? Zhi Fan's eyes narrowed and he quickly walked back to Wisteria Courtyard.

There was a full moon in the sky, but the moonlight could not shine into the place where he stood. The dark corridor stretched all the way without any light. Mu Hua came to this place again.

 "Don't...don't...don't do this...please..."

Hearing this voice again, Mu Hua stood in the dark corridor, looking around, and then looked up at the full moon in the sky. He wondered for the umpteenth time why the bright moonlight could not illuminate this corner! He turned around and planned to go back to his room, still thinking it was his illusion.

 (End of this chapter)