First Concubine

Chapter 55: Competing for calculations (1)

A farce ended with Qin Fangyi being grounded. Qin Fangyi was so angry that her nose was smoking. She finally used Aunt Zhou to gain some status, but she fell into trouble with Aunt Feng! Raise an unfamiliar white-eyed wolf! He is actually the same as Shui Linglong!

Shui Lingxi supported Qin Fangyi and comforted her softly: "Mom, don't be angry. Just be gentle with grandma. Grandma won't embarrass you too much for the sake of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law."

"Submissive to her? What's wrong with me? There is definitely something fishy between Aunt Feng and Shui Minhui! She prefers Shui Linglong, and Shui Linglong quietly resolved her doubts in a few words! But I know that the truth of the incident is far from that! A man who did it No! Shui Minhui belongs to Aunt Feng..."

"Mother!" Shui Lingxi decisively interrupted Qin Fangyi's words, looked around, turned away from the maid, and then said solemnly, "Mother! How long will you continue to make trouble unreasonably? Our Shangshu Mansion can't stand any rumors. ! My aunt has been thrown into the cold palace, my fourth sister has become a royal concubine, and my aunt and nephew have become sisters. This is enough to make people laugh for a long time. If there are other scandals in the palace, where will you put my face? Where to put it?”

Qin Fangyi looked at her daughter in disbelief: "Being unreasonable? Who am I doing everything for? Do you think I am being unreasonable? Why, now that I want to be a princess, my virtues have begun to fade away? My good daughter, face is important, but Face is more important! Without face, it’s useless no matter how good it is!”

Shui Lingxi frowned displeased: "Mom, you should stay quietly in Changlexuan! Don't cause trouble for Aunt Feng and Shui Minhui, and don't cause trouble for Shui Linglong!" Everyone will be prosperous, and everyone will suffer. She can't afford the reputation of having a corrupt family style!

 Qin Fangyi touched her forehead, her daughter is too vain! This kind of vanity will harm her sooner or later!

After leaving Fushouyuan, Shui Minhui called Shui Linglong: "Sister!"

Shui Linglong turned around and looked at him, who was handsome and handsome in the sun. He lost his mother when he was young, making him more mature and steady than his peers. A hint of sadness would flash through his deep eyes inadvertently. Shui Linglong He smiled and said, "Second brother, do you have anything to do with me?"

Shui Minhui approached her, and when he was just a few feet away from Shui Linglong, he stopped. His expression was indescribable. It was complex, dark, entangled, and forbearing... It seemed like there were thousands of words to say, and it seemed that he had mustered up enough courage, but in the end he only had Said: "Thank you!"

Shui Linglong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Aunt Feng had been helped away by Shui Lingyu and Shui Lingqing. She was really afraid that Shui Minhui would ask him about his relationship with Aunt Feng. Even if she had the answer in her heart, it was really difficult to tell her. . Shui Linglong reached out and touched his hair on the temples, smiling gently: "It's all for your own good!" She didn't specify the subject, hoping he would understand.

"Yeah." Shui Minhui wanted to say something more, but in the end he said nothing and turned back to his yard.

Shui Linglong sighed slightly. This incident had a big impact on him, but he was not the only one who was affected. Before leaving, Shui Lingqing cried like she was fished out of the water. She promised her repeatedly that she would not let her get married. To Governor Jiang, she barely stopped crying.

When they returned to Lingxiang Courtyard, Zhifan who went to investigate the news also came back: "Miss, Miss Ah Rong said that on the rainy day, when she was returning to Aunt Feng's yard with the cloth, she met Mrs. Liu. At that time, the bundles were scattered She picked up a piece, and she didn't pay much attention in a panic. Now that she thought about it, maybe it was Mrs. Liu who saw the material inside. "

Shui Linglong ate a piece of pretzel and said, "Mrs. Liu? Are you the maidservant of Miss Fifth's yard?"

Zhifan nodded: "It's her. I just searched her room with Qiao'er and found fifty taels of silver under her bed! Qiao'er and Luo's mother were so angry that they beat her twenty times, and then... No more energy."

"It's a pity. If I were left alive, I could have conquered Qin Fangyi's army again!" Now that the matter has come to this, Shui Linglong can't blame her any more. There is only a long way to go to deal with Qin Fangyi, and retribution will come soon.

Two days later, it was the birthday of the third princess. Shui Minhui and Shui Minyu were busy rushing to get together with their classmates, and as expected they were unable to attend the banquet. The old lady took her grandchildren to the Yao Mansion. There were many guests coming to the banquet today. From a distance, I saw carriages lining up at the entrance. The carriage of Shangshu Mansion stopped at the second entrance. Immediately, a maid came up and asked if they wanted a soft sedan. The old lady After politely refusing, the maid took the old lady to the inner courtyard, the Qingzhu Courtyard where Mrs. Yao lived. There were many guests, and many gifts were given. There were special maids at the door to register the gifts from various mansions, including those from the Shangshu mansion.

Different from the Jiangnan style of Shangshu Mansion with stacked stones and water, the landscape of Yao Mansion is beautiful with novelty and uniqueness, and there are many sculptures. Bypassing the garden, there is a green avenue with sycamore trees on both sides. Between the sycamore trees, there are various sculptures, or mothers A baby is holding a baby and smiling, or a child is playing and running, or a boy is practicing martial arts with a sword, or a girl is quietly embroidering... At the end of the path, there are old people and children sitting on the ground, smiling broadly.

Walking all the way there, it felt like witnessing a person's journey from birth to old age. It was so warm that it made your nose tingle.

After a brief exchange with the maid, Shui Linglong learned the real reason why the third princess held a birthday banquet at the Yao family. It turned out that since Xiao Dezi smuggled things out of the palace, Queen Yao ordered a banquet to be carried out in the palace. There are a series of searches, and people die every day. How can such an environment be suitable for holding a banquet?

When they arrived at the entrance of Qingzhu Courtyard, the maid made an introduction and stepped back. The woman at the door saluted solemnly, "Good luck to Mrs. Shui! Good luck to Miss Shui!" Immediately afterwards, there were the maids from the inner courtyard. When they came to greet them, a series of handover work was carried out smoothly, and the quality and temperament of the servants were more than a little higher than those of Shangshu Mansion.

 The old lady straightened her clothes and walked into the courtyard calmly. This was the first time she had appeared in public in several years since she had been ill, so she was naturally a little cautious. She held Shui Lingxi's hand and was so affectionate that there seemed to be no gap between them. Now that her daughter has collapsed, what else can she use to support the scene? Of course she is the future princess! As long as she is the grandmother of the Crown Princess, no one can look down upon her! At this moment, she realized the importance of Shuiling Creek.

Shui Lingxi smiled softly and said, "Grandma, be careful of the steps."

 The old lady patted her hand kindly: "I know you are filial."

How many times have you been so kind to Shui Linglong? Who was the person who praised Shui Linglong to heaven some time ago? Shui Lingxi was slandering her like this in her heart, but she smiled gracefully and sweetly on her face: "Sister, take good care of your third and fifth sisters."

Shui Linglong smiled with crooked eyebrows: "I am the eldest sister, and it is my duty to take care of the younger sisters. Even the second younger sister, I will do my best to take care of you!"

For some reason, Shui Lingxi felt a sudden change in her heart when she heard the words "trying to take care of her"...

 Inside the house, Mrs. Yao was sitting on the kang, beside her were the third princess and Yao Xin.

Mrs. Yao, whose name is Nangong Xue, and Mrs. Yao are cousins. They have two sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Yao Qingfeng, became an official in the court and was the father of Yao Cheng. The second son, Yao Qinglin, was stationed in the border areas and rarely returned to Beijing. Yao Xin is the daughter of Yao Qingfeng; Yao Huayin is the current queen and the biological mother of Yunli, the third princess and the seventh prince.

Yao Qingfeng’s wife is Li Cheng’s sister, so the Yao family and the Li family are also related by marriage. It seems understandable why Xun Feng wants to win over the Li family. The Yao family is the parent clan of the prince, and it may not be easy to conquer them directly. If he can approach them through the Li family and show affection and reason, there is a chance of winning the support of the Yao family. It's much bigger.

Mrs. Yao personally peeled a piece of orange and stuffed it into the mouth of the third princess, and said with a smile: "My little sweetheart, how do you want to celebrate your birthday today?"

The third princess ate the orange, tilted her head and said, "Grandma is ready, why are you still asking me?"

The innocent expression instantly made everyone in the room laugh.

Mrs. Yao (Li Min) covered her face with a veil and said with a smile, "How about singing in the hall for a day?"

The third princess opened her bright eyes wide and said, "How can one day be enough? At least three days, right?"

Mrs. Yao nodded her forehead: "You little monkey! Play for three days, and your mother will not beat you when you return to the palace!"

The third princess said disapprovingly: "So I just won't go back and will live here until I get married!"

"In my opinion, the third princess wants to see General Guo every day! I wonder if General Guo is here today?" Mrs. Yao asked jokingly.

As soon as these words came out, another round of laughter was inevitable.

Zhuge Xi was sitting in the lower corner of Mrs. Yao. It was very quiet, a little unusually quiet. But when everyone laughed, she laughed too.

“The old lady, the third princess, and the people from the Minister of Rites are here.” The maid outside the door reported.

Mrs. Yao’s gray eyebrows raised slightly, then she smiled and said, “Please!”

The old lady led Shui Linglong and her group into the inner room, and greeted the third princess. Several juniors also saluted the old lady and Mrs. Yao. Mrs. Yao and Mrs. Zhuge Xi stood up and offered their seats to the old lady.

The third princess looked at Shui Lingxi with a look that was half regretful and half strange, which made Shui Lingxi's heart tremble. The third princess blinked at Shui Linglong again. Shui Linglong smiled and nodded. She looked past the third princess and Mrs. Guo and looked at Yao Xin beside her. She and Yao Xin only met once in this life, and that was during the Plum Appreciation Banquet. That time, the third princess passed the ball to her, and she passed it to Yao Xin. Yao Xin hit the ball with one hit, their team won, and Yao Xin became the martial arts champion. Yao Xin felt Shui Linglong's friendly gaze, raised her head and smiled.

Mrs. Yao asked about the old lady's health: "You have been ill for several years, and finally the clouds have cleared and you can see the moonlight. I see you look great!"

In fact, the old lady was too worried about Shui Chenxiang, and her diet and sleep were not as good as before. The old lady smiled and said: "I can finally go out and do some activities. At this age, what else do I want to do? That's enough!"

Mrs. Yao held up the hairpin on her bun and said, "That's what I say, but I still can't let go when I see my children and grandchildren getting married and starting a business. They say people don't have to worry about it when they get older. Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. But how many of them are open-minded?”

The old lady sighed slightly and continued to say pleasantly: "Yes! I see that the third princess's birthday party is yours to worry about!"

Mrs. Yao seemed to be very happy: "I was the shopkeeper and kept talking, but my eldest daughter-in-law and grandson-in-law did the rest!" After a pause, she said slightly surprised, "Your daughter-in-law didn't come?"

“I caught the wind and cold, and I was lying in the house. What I thought about was that I was afraid that the third princess would be exposed to the disease.” With this explanation, what else didn’t everyone understand? The old lady looked around and asked, "Why don't you see the second young lady?" She was talking about Yao Cheng's sister-in-law.

Mrs. Yao smiled and replied: "Oh, Brother Tong is vomiting some milk. I asked her to stay away and take care of the child in the room."

Zhuge Xi's expression darkened as he thought of something.

The old lady glanced at Zhuge Xi with her peripheral vision, and couldn't help but sigh to herself, no matter how noble your status is, so what? A woman who cannot give birth to children is considered to be half disabled. The second young lady is obviously just the daughter of a businessman, but she has given birth to two grandchildren in three years. Who in the Yao family dares to look down on her? Mrs. Yao is still too weak. If it were her, she would have given her grandson more than ten rooms and concubines!

Mrs. Yao frowned worriedly: "Are you still vomiting? Have you asked the doctor to take a look?"

Mrs. Yao responded with a reassuring smile: "The doctor has seen it and said that he caught a cold at night. I asked the doctor to stay in the house temporarily so that he can diagnose Brother Tong at any time."

Mrs. Yao's brows relaxed slightly: "It's right to stay! You can tell Yan Ying later that you don't come to say hello these days, and just take care of Brother Tong wholeheartedly!"

Mrs. Yao blessed her body and said gently: "Yes, mother!"

Mrs. Yao’s deep gaze fell on Zhuge Xi involuntarily. She wanted to say something, but due to the situation, no words came out.

 “Old madam, people from Duke Xuan’s Mansion are here.”

It was Mrs. Li and Li Cai'er who came to the Duke of Xuan's Mansion. Last time, Shui Linglong let Ye Mao step on Mrs. Li's wheel. Mrs. Li broke her leg bone and lay in bed for three full months. She only started to go to the ground a few days ago. She was walking around, but from a closer look at her slightly staggering steps, it could be inferred that she was not moving well and should stay in bed to rest, but here she is...!

"Third Princess! Mrs. Yao!" Mrs. Li greeted warmly and hurriedly pulled Li Cai'er behind her, "Why don't you give Mrs. Yao a gift soon?"

"Yes! Cai'er greets the old lady, may the old lady be safe and sound!" Li Cai'er blessed her body dignifiedly and gracefully, her voice melodious and melodious, and it was really pleasant to the ears.

Mrs. Yao smiled at the old lady and said, "Today's young girls are more handsome than each other. They dazzle me! I feel so old!"

The old lady yelled cooperatively: "Isn't it true? Looking at them, I can't help but think of when we were young! Time is not forgiving!"

Mrs. Li twitched the corners of her lips in a rude manner, and pulled Li Cai'er to greet the old lady: "Mrs. Shui is here too! Sorry, disrespectful!"

The old lady suppressed the displeasure in her heart, held Shui Lingxi's hand, her eyes wandered around Li Caier's body, and smiled: "We haven't seen each other for several years, and Miss Li has become even more beautiful!"

Everyone couldn't help but cast their eyes on Shui Lingxi, but they saw that her skin was like cream, her lips were bright, and she was combing the clouds and skimming the moon. In contrast, the whole room suddenly lost its color!

Madam Li's lips twitched, and she took Li Cai'er to sit opposite the old lady and her group.

Shui Linglong looked at the elegantly dressed Li Cai'er, and then at the quiet and elegant Yao Xin. The corners of her lips raised a faint arc, and she approached Shui Lingxi and whispered: "Second sister, have you noticed that everyone is wearing such attire?" Very solemn?”

Of course Shui Lingxi discovered it! But he didn't take it seriously: "At the third princess's banquet, everyone dressed up to show respect for the third princess. Sister, you grew up in Zhuangzi and haven't seen much of the world. It's not your fault, but just tell me this. , if it reaches other people’s ears, they will laugh at our Shangshu Mansion’s rules.”

Shui Linglong didn't care about her rejection, she just shrugged and said, "Oh, that's it. I thought they were here for a blind date! On the birthday of the third princess, His Royal Highness will definitely come too!"

 Those two words made Shuilingxi so angry that she fell backwards!

"What are the two sisters talking about, so close?" Mrs. Yao opened her mouth with a smile, and Shui Lingxi replied with a smile, "I told my eldest sister that the landscape of Yao Mansion is very unique."

"The Queen visited the West Lake Dragon Well a few days ago. I'll go in and make a pot of tea!" Mrs. Yao stood up, and Zhuge Xi beside her also stood up and held her arm, "Mother, let me help you."

Mrs. Yao brushed her hand away without leaving a trace. Zhuge Xi's expression froze, and Mrs. Yao smiled and said, "You greet the guests! There are many young people coming, and I can't talk to them about going together! What's more, Miss Shui is also here, tell her more about the Zhenbei Palace so that she can prepare in advance!"

Zhuge Xi’s eyes dimmed and he said, “I understand, mother.”

Mrs. Li stood up: "Old lady, Mrs. Shui is with you. The little girls have their own topics to talk about. I'll make tea with you!"

Mrs. Yao declined and said: "Why trouble my sister-in-law? You have just recovered from your injury! Don't let me be angry at you for not taking good care of you!"

 “You’re almost fine now!” As he spoke, he walked to Mrs. Yao’s side and held her arm. Mrs. Yao did not refuse anymore and took Mrs. Li into the side room.

Shui Linglong sat upright and glanced at Zhuge Xi from the corner of her eye. She always felt that Zhuge Xi looked much haggard after not seeing him for a few days. As far as she knew, Zhuge Xi and Mrs. Yao had always been harmonious, but now they seemed to be different. The thing is, I don’t know if their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have been trying to whitewash the situation, or if something has happened in the past few days.

Zhuge Xi followed the instructions and sat down at the head of the exquisite water.

 The old lady and Mrs. Yao chatted wordlessly.

Li Cai'er asked someone to move a stool and sit next to the third princess, and she approached her earnestly.

Shui Lingxi lowered her face and started talking to Shui Lingyu and Shui Lingqing, who were usually too lazy to take a second look.

After a moment, Shui Lingyu covered her stomach, walked to the old lady, and whispered: "Grandma, I have to go to the toilet."

The old lady frowned slightly, and then said with a pleasant face: "Go and come back quickly."

As soon as Shui Lingyu left, Shui Lingxi could only chat with Shui Lingqing. Shui Lingxi felt extremely wronged. In a room full of people, the only person she was chatting with was a little confused person who didn't understand anything. This was really... too... It’s hard to accept!

 (End of this chapter)