Pihanjin

Xie Changgeng stayed overnight and returned to Xie County after half a month.

When he arrived at the door late at night, he slammed on the door at first, but the doorman was slumbered and unconscious. Fearing that his voice was too loud to startle his mother, he simply jumped over the wall and went straight to the east wing where he lived.

The door was closed. He pushed the door and entered, lit an oil lamp on the table, raised his eyes, and his eyes fell on the opposite bed.

The double-width bed canopy was hooked by a pair of golden hooks from left and right, and hung down quietly on both sides. The mandarin duck pillows and the red quilt in the bed were still the same as before. It was freezing cold in the house.

After quelling the chaos of the King of Jiangdong, he had to report to work as usual, because the trip to Changsha had been delayed for some time, and now he urgently needed to go to Beijing.

Over the years, he has rarely returned home, thinking about his widowed mother, and feeling quite guilty. After leaving Changsha this time, I wanted to go back earlier, try to make room, spend a few more days with my mother, and then leave home again.

I don't know when it will be when I return next time, so this trip is all in a hurry.

The moment has finally arrived. He was also a little tired after traveling for days. He was about to put down his luggage and change his clothes when he heard a soft knock on the door behind him.

He opened the door.

Outside the door stood a young woman with a candlestick in her hands. She had a beautiful face, her hair was loose, and a strand of black oil was hanging on her chest. She wore a green jacket to keep out the cold, and her neckline was loose, revealing a small pink jacket inside lapel.

Looking at her like this, it was as if she had just gotten off the bed.

Seeing him appear in the door, her face showed surprise, her eyes lit up, and she called "brother-in-law".

This woman is Lingfeng of the Qi family.

Xie Changgeng was stunned for a moment, then raised his eyes and looked at an ear room next to him.

The door was half open.

Obviously, she should have just come out of this penthouse.

"Just now, I heard that there seemed to be movement in this house, so I got up and took a look. I didn't expect that it was brother-in-law, you came back..."

She paused, raised her eyes, and glanced inward.

"Madam should also come back with her brother-in-law?"

Xie Changgeng was silent.

She probably noticed that the Mu family's daughter didn't come back with him, hesitated for a while, and then said, "Is it cold in the room? My family doesn't know the news of your return tonight, brother-in-law, so I'm not prepared. Brother-in-law, go in quickly. Well, I'll set up a stove for you to warm up first..."

After she finished speaking, she was busy entering the house.

"When did you move here?"

Xie Changgeng didn't give way and asked her.

A faint blush appeared on Qi Lingfeng's face, and she said in a low voice, "I just came a few days ago... The old lady accidentally caught the wind and cold, and Qiu Ju's service was not good, so I came to take care of it. After the old lady is well , will not let me go, arrange me to live here, and ask me to wait for my brother-in-law and my wife to come back, then…”

Her voice fell silent, her eyes lowered.

A gust of night wind came and blew out the candle in her hand.

The surroundings suddenly fell into darkness.

"...Brother-in-law..."

She raised her head and called out softly.

Blurred night. Her shadow moved slightly.

"Madam won't be back for the time being. It's inconvenient for you to live here. Go back tomorrow."

Xie Changgeng said in a gentle tone, then stepped out of the house and walked towards the main house where his mother lived.

When he came to the door, he happened to meet the cat who came out in the middle of the night to relieve him.

Ah Mao shrunk his neck and squinted his eyes, clasped his arms tightly, yawned as he went into the room, suddenly bumped into Xie Changgeng, was startled, screamed, recognized it was him, sighed again, and turned around , and ran into it.

"Old lady! Grandpa is back—"

She raised her voice and shouted.

Xie Changgeng wanted to stop him, but after hesitating, he stopped and let her shout and ran in.

Soon, the house lights up.

"Geng'er, are you back? Come in!"

With the sound of getting up, Mother Xie's voice came from the room.

Xie Changgeng walked in, with a smile on his face, he helped her sit back on the edge of the bed.

Mother Xie was very happy when she saw her son. She grabbed her hand and asked him about the situation on the road. After the mother and son recited a few words, she glanced at the door.

"Where's the Mu family?"

Xie Changgeng paused, turned his head, and ordered Qiuju and Ah Mao to go out.

"Mushi Mu didn't return."

Xie mother was startled. "You went to pick her up, why didn't she come back with you?"

"She has been spoiled since she was a child. When she came to our side, she was probably not accustomed to the weather. I didn't tell you at that time that she was actually a little inconvenient when she left. So my son didn't ask her to come back and let her stay there and take care of herself first. Bar."

Xie mother frowned. "It's like this! She's not in good health, why didn't she tell me that day? Since she calls me my mother-in-law, am I the kind of person who doesn't care about her life?"

Xie Changgeng did not answer.

She sighed and complained in a low voice: "I knew it! The first time I saw her when she entered the door, she was so delicate and her body was about to collapse when the wind blew it. It was not a blessing to have a good life. How could Feng'er... "

She seemed to suddenly remembered, her face smiled again, and she said with a smile: "Geng'er, mother, let me tell you something, Feng'er is here, I don't know if you have seen her just now. I think, she will be fast anyway. She is from our family, so let her live with you. When you come back from this trip, stay at home for a few more days. My mother chooses a good day and takes care of Fenger's affairs. It is also my responsibility. years of mind."

Xie Changgeng said: "Mother, I was just about to tell you this. Since Mrs. Mu has not returned, it is still inconvenient to wait for this matter. It is inconvenient for the second mother of the Qi family to live in that house in the future. If you are in good health Now, let her go back."

Mother Xie was displeased: "I told her before that she herself promised to let me decide! If she doesn't come back, will Feng'er be kept waiting? Feng'er is not too young, she's almost twenty! Wait! How long do you want her to wait for so many years?"

"Mother, Mrs. Mu is the main room. She's not here for this kind of thing. If we bring people in, it's a matter of rules..."

"I'm still your mother!"

Mother Xie interrupted her son.

"I don't care about the rules and regulations outside, this is Xie County! I have lived for most of my life, and I have never heard the truth that a mother-in-law depends on her daughter-in-law!"

"Mother, listen to me, it's really inconvenient to let people in now..."

Mother Xie looked at her son steadily.

"Geng'er, mother worked for three days and three nights in order to give birth to you, and one foot stepped into the gate of hell. Finally, it was a fortune-telling, and she survived that test. Your father has read so many books in vain, and he was not in the right place. In the end, I only became a postmaster, how much income can my family make? I don't want you to kill people again! In those few years, I was frightened and helpless, and it was the Qi family who took care of me."

"You probably forgot it long ago, but my mother didn't forget it, and I dare not forget it! That year, the village was hit by a flood, and the Fenger family took me to escape. I fell into the water. Fenger's mother and I were both in the car at the time. If Fenger hadn't hugged the bridge pillar and held onto her mother's hand, she would have already fed the fish! Mother would have survived. But Feng'er, her own mother, just disappeared!"

"We thank the family, not only owe the Qi family's kindness, but also owe her life! In my eyes, Feng'er is more kissable than my own daughter! Later, I found out that you have arranged a marriage by yourself outside, you can't change it, you can only give it up. When she was young, she was wronged enough. If you don't want her now, I tell you, mother will not live! "

Xie mother said while wiping tears.

Xie Changgeng frowned, hesitated for a moment, got up, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed solemnly.

"Mum, it's my son's unfilial piety. I've been tired and scared since I was a child, and now I'm so disappointed in my mother. It's not that the son doesn't want to, but it's really inconvenient now..."

"What's the inconvenience?"

"My grandmother is at home, and there are things outside that I don't know about. Picking someone up is a trivial matter, but I'm not afraid of ten thousand, just in case. If Changsha Guomu thinks it's disrespectful to them, then it's a little bit. Trouble. And now that my son is a big official, there are many enemies in the court, and I don’t know how many eyes are watching from behind. If you want to add a crime, why don’t you worry about it? Although this matter is small, if someone with intentions catches it and makes a big fuss , is also possible.”

Mother Xie was a little surprised, looking at her son's solemn expression, she gradually stopped crying.

Xie Changgeng got up from the ground.

"Mum, how can the son dare to forget Qi's kindness to his mother? The son feels that the arrangement of the mother has wronged her. It is not the only way to repay. Why should the mother consider her a righteous daughter? In the future, if the son If you can achieve what you want, you will treat her kindly and repay her for saving her mother that day..."

Before he finished speaking, someone came in at the door, and "Putong" knelt on the ground.

Qi Lingfeng kowtowed towards Mother Xie, choked and said, "Old lady, you are so kind to Feng'er, Feng'er is grateful. If Feng'er provokes your mother and son, it is my sin and deserves to die! I beg the old lady. Don't force him any more. Feng'er will go back to my brother tomorrow."

Mother Xie hurried over to help her up, comforted her, turned to look at her son, and frowned: "Look, Feng'er is so sensible, compared to the Mu family's daughter you married, who is better and who is worse, in your own mind It should be counted! Since Feng'er herself spoke like this, she left it aside beforehand, but everyone has come, and it is not good to go back to her brother. She will live at home in the name of my goddaughter and wait for that Mu family's daughter. Come back and talk about it!"

Xie Changgeng stopped expressing his stance, he mumbled vaguely, and said that it was late at night, and asked his mother to go to rest again and withdrew.

He returned to the east wing, latched the door upside down, picked up his luggage, walked to the front of the cabinet, grabbed the handle above the cabinet door, and suddenly remembered.

After hesitating, he slowly opened the cabinet door.

As far as I can see, it's still the same as before.

The wardrobe is full of women's clothing. I don't know what spices are in the sachet, but after so long, the fragrance is still undiminished.

In front of Xie Changgeng's eyes, there seemed to be another scene of the beautiful woman's couch hurting his eyes that day.

Pomegranate red dress, light and thin.

It is unbelievable that someone who is noble in front of people is so dissolute in private.

He glanced at the clothes she left in the cabinet, and he seemed to see her face, a look of disgust appeared in his eyes, and he closed the cabinet door with a "bang".

The next day, Xie Changgeng went to the main house early and served his mother with his own hands. After breakfast, he told his mother that the court was still waiting for him to go to Beijing to report his duties. I came back this time to say goodbye to my mother.

Mother Xie was extremely reluctant, but her son's future was at stake, so why delay? Nodding and agreeing, he packed his luggage for him, was supported by Qi Lingfeng, and sent out all the way.

Xie Changgeng told his servants to serve his mother well, so he left home. After a long journey, finally at the end of the month, I arrived in Beijing.

He had already had a mansion in the middle of the capital, and the servants in the mansion were complete. After entering the mansion, he took a bath and rested, preparing to report to the court tomorrow.

Late at night, a secret letter from the palace was quietly delivered to him.

The secret letter came from a **** named Cao Jin in Liu's harem.

This **** was the apprentice of Eunuch Yang next to Empress Liu, and he became Xie Changgeng's person two years ago.

Every time Xie Changgeng returned to Beijing, it was a common practice to receive news that night.

This time is no exception.

What Cao Jin brought out were all things that happened in the court or palace when Xie Changgeng was away.

Most he already knew.

But there was one thing that caught Xie Changgeng's attention.

Cao Jin said that Zhang Ban, the internal historian, had entered the palace a few days ago to ask to see Empress Liu. At that time, the words were private, and he was not able to know the details, but what Zhang Ban said seemed to be related to Changsha.

Because of the good marriage between Xie Jiedushi and Changsha State-owned, if there is any news, he will inform him together for his reference.

After Xie Changgeng read it, he put the letter on the candle.

He stared at the paper that was slowly turning to ashes in the swallowing scroll of the flames, and was fascinated for a long time.