The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 114: Offensive and defensive transitions during the Dragon Boat Festival

In the early morning of the Bath Orchid Festival, the sky is as blue as a wash, and the sun shines on the newly cleaned courtyards of Chang'an City. The air seems to have become much clearer. The breeze blows, and the handfuls hanging on the lintel of each door The small sword-like wormwood and calamus were swaying endlessly, but the slightly pungent smell of realgar wine remaining between the wall and window lattice became more and more obvious.

Liuli's hair was almost dry, and faintly exuded the light fragrance of Peilan. Xiaotan gave her a high bun, took a gold hairpin and pierced a small colored silk tiger with mugwort stuck on it, put it on the bun, and placed it on her hair. Her arm was tied with the gold thread that the palace sent someone to reward her with yesterday.

Ayan stood on tiptoes and hung the five-hour picture drawn with glass on the bed tent. After looking at it for a long time, she sighed, "Madam, this "Five-hour Picture" is too similar."

Xiao Tan turned around and smiled, "No, if you take a quick look at it, you'd be really shocked. The Five Flowers Picture is the most beautiful one. Hanging it looks like a clump of pomegranate flowers blooming on the wall!"

Liuli listened quietly to Xiaotan's joking and occasionally answered a few words. Xiaotan and Ayan looked at each other and sighed in their hearts: Any lady in the family wouldn't feel happy if she encountered such a thing, right? No wonder the lady locked herself in the study room and painted all day yesterday! Of the two maids sent by the princess, one was so attractive, and the other, according to the butler, was somewhat similar to the previous lady! However, Ah Lang sent someone back yesterday to bring back two sentences. The first sentence was: Keep the two maids under separate care, and he will deal with them when he comes back. How can a man in this world deal with such a beautiful lady?

Xiaotan was cheering up and wanted to say something fun. The curtain opened and Ani walked in quickly. Liuli immediately raised her head and looked at her, "How is it?"

A Ni replied, "The maid has brought the corn millet and rice dumplings. Xue Nu didn't say anything else. The little maid who was waiting on her also reported back. Xue Nu has always been fine. She just finds it too uncomfortable to live alone in that courtyard." When Yu Nu accepted the reward, she told her maid that she wanted to come over to express her gratitude to the lady, but she didn't dare to agree. According to the two maids who lived with Yu Nu, Yu Nu asked for needlework during the day to make a purse. But they seemed to have trouble sleeping both nights, and the noise made them unable to sleep, so the maid asked them to pay more attention. "

Liuli nodded. It seemed that Xue Nu's only use was to play the song "Plum Blossoms Fall" that Lu Qiniang loved to play back then. Naturally, the pavilion was repaired before the Hedong government gave away the house. In a familiar place, listening to familiar music, and seeing a familiar face, it's no wonder that someone as calm as him would change his expression like that. The eldest princess's methods and scheming are really deeper and more ruthless than she thought! It was herself, even though she knew that this was a carefully arranged game, as long as she thought of his trembling fingers, stiff and pale face, and empty and desolate eyes, she could not help feeling regretful, guilty, unbearable pain, and even more. Countless emotions that shouldn’t have surged up...

Glancing at the sky outside the window, Liuli slowly clenched her hands into fists and said, "Okay, you go to the outer courtyard and say something, and bring the shopkeepers and village heads directly to the upper courtyard."

A Ni was startled, "Didn't Alang say that he sent someone back yesterday and said that these things would have to wait until he comes back to deal with it? Madam, won't you wait for Alang to come back?"

Liuli said indifferently, "Since they are all in a hurry to leave before noon, saying that they can't afford to delay the farming season, Alang naturally won't be able to come back before noon. Besides, didn't they keep saying that they just came to see the new wife?" This is Huanhuan. When the interlocking situation is completed, she will either retreat, or she will have no choice but to go head-on. Naturally, Pei Xingjian wouldn't let her do this, but she didn't want to endure it any longer! It's time to teach the eldest princess a lesson. It's time for her to make the first move in this game of chess.

Ani was a little confused, nodded and walked out. Ayan asked, "Madam, where is the screen?"

Liuli shook her head, "No need to bring the screen! Take out more than twenty life-sustaining sticks that are newly beaten according to the palace style."

Ayan looked at Liuli blankly, thought for a while and said, "Madam, it seems that it's not quite in line with the rules, right?"

Liuli smiled faintly, "Today, I have to go against the rules!"

 After a cup of tea, the housekeeper Pei Qian led the way. More than twenty well-dressed people were already standing in the yard. They were of different sizes and ages, but everyone had the same look of surprise on their faces. On the steps in front of them, Liuli stood there with a calm expression, and there was no obstruction in front of her. How could a lady of an official family not use a screen or curtain to cover her servants when she saw them outside?

They looked at each other for a few times, but in the end they could only bow politely and say hello, "I've met my lady."

Liuli smiled and said, "I don't dare to call you ladies. You are all servants of the eldest princess. You only manage the property of Pei Ming Mansion. According to the rules of the market, I am just your boss. Please be polite. !" After saying that, he actually bowed slightly and returned the salute, and then told A Ni and others, "Go and help you tie the knot to extend your life, which is a token of our gratitude for meeting each other."

There was a buzzing sound in the yard, and everyone could hardly believe their eyes and ears. The majestic mistress of the Pei family actually wanted to discuss their relationship with them according to the rules of the market? And he really used the rules and etiquette of the boss to entertain the shopkeepers. What is going on?

Pei Qian was also startled and looked up at the mistress with disbelief on his face.

Seeing A Ni and the other two putting more than 20 colorful life-extending cords on the arms of the village heads and shopkeepers one by one, Liuli smiled and said, "These life-extending cords are not expensive, but they are a little novel in style. It’s made according to the new appearance given by the palace yesterday. I hope you don’t think it’s too rough.” 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 likedatch can you get the ceremonial gift rewarded by the palace now? Everyone looked at the life extension on their arms, and when they looked up again, their expressions were somewhat different. A few people who knew Liuli's origin felt a little unsure. The head of the village, whose surname was Li, was in charge of the largest manor and had followed the eldest princess the longest. Everyone had always taken him as the leader. He took a step forward and said with a smile, "Madam, you are too polite. The younger ones are all servants of the Pei Mansion. The eldest princess has repeatedly told us that the Pei Ming Mansion and Madam are our masters. According to the rules, we should obey the Madam’s orders. How can we dare to treat her like such a generous gift? "

Liuli glanced at him with a smile, "The eldest princess is polite, but I cannot ignore the rules. You have all followed the eldest princess for many years. How could I be so virtuous and capable? How dare I treat you as servants in this mansion? "

Li Zhuangtou felt relieved and said with a smile, "Mrs. Lu is too modest. When Ms. Lu was here, she took care of us and the others in every possible way. We had thought that Ms. Lu was the kindest and kindest person in Chang'an City. The mistress cannot be saved. Even now, everyone is still very grateful. I didn’t expect that the lady is more polite than she is. How can I bear it? "

Liuli breathed a sigh of relief, as expected! The eldest princess took great pains to set up this trap, not only to make Pei Xingjian upset, not only to make her suspicious of Pei Xingjian, but also to put Lu Qiniang in her heart little by little, making her feel inferior and jealous. , everything is in chaos. As a result, she will not do anything worse than Lu Qiniang. When dealing with these village heads and shopkeepers, she will naturally be more generous and kind than Lu Qiniang no matter what... Only in this way will she Becoming the second Lu Qiniang to be manipulated by the eldest princess!

Pei Xingjian's sudden return that day and his delay in returning today were naturally manipulated by the eldest princess to prevent them from having time to communicate. When Pei Xingjian comes back and blames her again after her teeth have been knocked out and her blood has been swallowed up by the trap of these shop owners and shopkeepers, she will naturally become more suspicious and dissatisfied... Everything is well calculated, and it's a coincidence that the only loophole is, The eldest princess obviously didn't understand her very well.

Quietly looking at the simple smile on the slightly dark face in front of her, Liuli also smiled sincerely, "Thank you very much. Madam Lu is a lady from a famous family, but I just come from an ordinary family. My mother's family is still a Hu Shang. The lady is in heaven and earth, and I have never thought of competing with her. It doesn't matter if you go out and say that I am the most demanding and calculating mistress in Chang'an City. The only thing is that I was born in the market, and I have been exposed to farm business since I was a child. I also have some understanding, and I can probably talk to you about these matters."

Li Zhuangtou raised his head in shock, only to see Liuli looking at him with clear eyes and a leisurely expression. His heart couldn't help but sink severely. According to the instructions from the eldest princess, they were supposed to mention the original plan repeatedly today. Mrs. Lu is so kind and gentle, and so considerate of others. She never cared about the poor performance in those years and lost a lot of money. Instead, she used the money to subsidize everyone. Taking advantage of the situation, there is a severe drought this year, so I am afraid there will be no harvest. We also need to allocate some food to feed the old, weak, women and children in the village... Didn't they say that as long as the word "Ms. Lu" is mentioned more today, this Cudi will definitely fall into the trap? Why is this not the case at all?

But I heard Liuli say with a smile, "This village leader, I heard that there was less rain this year, and the production was probably reduced by 30% compared to last year, but it is not a disaster year. Last year was a rare bumper harvest in the past, and Luoyang's fertile land yielded more than two stones per acre." "How much millet did your nine estates pay last year, and how much can you pay this year?"

As soon as these words came out, Li Zhuangtou felt a little short of breath: This Hu girl really knew about the land! Their nine manors have more than 1,200 hectares of fertile farmland. In previous years, they usually had a harvest of 180,000 to 90,000 dan. Last year, they harvested more than 200,000 dan of grain. The amount paid to Pei Xingjian was only 800 dan. This year, I was thinking of taking advantage of the drought to take back a few hundred dan, so I would really give this Hu woman a hard time, but what should I say now? The eldest princess had to listen to her instructions. After thinking for a long time, she gritted her teeth and said, "Ms. Qi, the field we are waiting for is a little poorer than other places. Last year, we paid 800 shi, but this year there is too little rain. I'm afraid. Not only will they not be able to deliver food, but the farmers in the village may suffer from famine.”

Liuli raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Is this so? I wonder how many farmers there are in the nine manors?"

Li Zhuangtou felt happy and said hurriedly, "There are more than 400 households and nearly 2,000 people."

Liuli nodded silently and suddenly asked, "How many fields are there in those nine manors?"

Just as Li Zhuangtou was about to answer, he suddenly realized something was wrong. This was not Mrs. Lu back then. She knew how much the yield per mu was, and she was not taboo about talking about income. If he told her that he had more than a thousand hectares of land, how could he explain that he only paid 1,000 hectares of land last year? Eight hundred shi of food? If there are only a dozen hectares of land, it would match the grain delivered, but how can there be any reason why two thousand people are required to cultivate a dozen hectares of land? How could he say such a thing when he was just thinking about it? He stood there, feeling hot on his face, but cold on his back, and his throat felt like a ball of cotton was stuck, and he couldn't say a word no matter what.

Liuli didn't force him. After waiting for a long time, he didn't say anything. He just laughed and said, "It turns out that Zhuangtou doesn't even know how many fields there are in his manor. It's really a strange news! Don't you all know yours?" How many fields are there in the manor?"

The village heads looked at each other awkwardly, and could only shake their heads. Even though they had tempered their faces, they felt a little uneasy at this time. Liuli seemed unaware and just sighed, "In this case, I can only ask you to go back and check it out. You must have a rough number. It's okay to allocate food in disaster years. It's just that before allocating food, the fields No matter who you are, you have to create a record, otherwise it will be a mess in the future. "

The village leaders immediately breathed a sigh of relief: they can always find a way to delay it when they go back, but this year, asking for food from the Pei family is probably going to go to waste, so there is no other way to think of it!

Liuli said calmly, "I wonder if I can check it clearly before handing over the grain this year if I give you a month? If you still can't check it clearly..." Her eyes slowly passed over the faces of several village heads, and she suddenly smiled, " I have no choice but to report back to Princess Dachang and ask her to help me find some village heads that can at least find out how much land there is in Zhuangzi!"

 (End of this chapter)