The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 116 Worry and good intentions

Before noon, the sun shone through the treetops in the yard in front of the Pei Mansion Hall, but it seemed to be hotter than ever. Seeing that the remaining dozen shopkeepers came up one by one to sign and pledge like eggplants beaten by frost, Liuli nodded and smiled at Pei Qian, "Now I have to trouble the housekeeper to get the famous thorns that keep the promise, and take all the village heads and The shopkeeper went to Wannian County to hand over these contracts to avoid further disputes."

Pei Qian stood there, his mood changed from shocked and surprised to relieved. The smile on his face could not be suppressed. He said yes loudly, turned around and said with a smile, "It's really troublesome for you. Please!”

The face of the village head and the shopkeeper became more and more depressed: once the contract is over, if they cannot fulfill it, Hedong Duke's Mansion, as their master, will have to compensate. Looking at the way this Kudi is, I'm afraid he really dares to do so. If you do this, things will get bigger and bigger by then, but now that it has come to this, you can't go back on it.

 Not long after, everyone in the yard had left cleanly, but when they left, their heads seemed to be much droopier than when they came. A'ni and Xiaotan looked at each other with excited smiles on their faces, but A'yan looked at Liuli doubtfully, "Why are you so merciful, madam? What you asked them to pay may not be worth the income of these shops and farms." Thirty percent.”

Liuli stood on the steps in a trance, the smile on her face had long disappeared. After hearing Ayan's question, she said calmly, "This is the first time, I don't want to push too hard." A dog will bite when it is anxious, let alone a big one. The eldest princess? Now, it's not the time to really break up with her. She just wanted the eldest princess to feel pain, but cutting flesh with a dull knife would always hurt longer and be more unforgettable.

A Ni sighed in surprise, "Isn't this less than 30%? How much did you pay in the past? Last year, you only paid 800 shi, or about 100,000 yuan. This year, it has doubled dozens of times. If A Lang knew This news will definitely make you happy!”

 Will he be happy? Liuli couldn't help but smile bitterly, and after thinking for a while, she ordered, "Ani, go to the kitchen and pick out five skewers of nine-zi rice dumplings. Ayan will go to the warehouse to get four pieces of the best single-silk rice dumplings. Xiaotan will go and tell the coachman to prepare them immediately. Carriage, let’s go to General Su’s mansion now.”

A Ni and the others were immediately startled. Xiao Tan was the quickest to speak and quickly asked, "Why is this? It's almost noon. Madam, can't you wait for A Lang to celebrate the festival?"

Liuli nodded. Several maids looked at each other and went down to prepare. Because the warehouse was a little far away, she had to unpack and select. After Ayan took four pieces of monofilament and returned to the upper room, she saw that Liuli looked like her neck had grown longer. As soon as she saw her, she said: , "Let's go out quickly!" He said and walked out. Ayan was stunned and hurriedly followed her.

Liuli's steps were much faster than usual, but as soon as he reached the courtyard, he suddenly stopped. Ayan looked up and saw Pei Xingjian striding in from outside the courtyard with a stern face. He was actually wearing a natural linen robe with a slight mud stain on the corners. When he saw the four masters and servants, his expression became more and more serious, "You guys Where are you going?”

Liuli couldn't help but lament in her heart, raised her eyes and smiled sweetly at him, "I suddenly missed my adoptive mother, so I wanted to take them and send them some gifts."

Pei Xingjian's eyes did not stay on her face at all. He only turned to Ayan and Ani's hands and nodded. "The carriage is ready. You two will take the carriage to deliver the gifts." He said to Xiao again. Tan, "Go to the kitchen and ask the cook to make a bowl of soup cakes. When it's ready, bring it to the upper room."

Xiao Tan was stunned. It took more than half an hour to stew chicken soup cakes into soup cakes. Why did Alang suddenly think of eating this? But at this moment, there seemed to be an inexplicable pressure on Pei Xingjian's expression. None of the maids dared to ask more questions. They bowed their knees and quickly walked out of the yard. Pei Xingjian walked straight into the upper room without looking at Liuli. Liuli stood with her head bowed for a moment and had no choice but to follow him in.

Pei Xingjian stood in the main room without turning around to look at Liuli. He was silent for a moment before asking, "The contract you asked them to write today determines how much rice and how much silk will be paid per year?"

Liuli said dullly, "You know everything and why are you still asking?"

Pei Xingjian's tone became more and more calm, "I just heard that you showed off your skills as soon as I entered the door. You forced those people to sign the contract and asked Pei Qian to take them to Wannian County. How do you know the specific number?"

Liuli's voice couldn't help but become even lower, "Fifty thousand stones of corn, four million dollars."

Pei Xingjian closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, "Fortunately, you are not so reckless that you didn't write down 100,000 shi meters, otherwise..." He turned around and looked at Liuli, his expression already a little painful, "I would have said that earlier. I will take care of all these things, and you don’t have to do anything. Do you know that the eldest princess will definitely not let you go?"

Liuli's mind gradually calmed down at this time, and she raised her head and looked directly at him, "Of course I know! But if I don't do anything, will she let me go? Until yesterday, have I ever done anything? But in this backyard The pavilion, the bracelet you gave me, and the two maids the day before yesterday, what are these village heads today? "

Pei Xingjian sighed, "These things are coming to me. They are not really to deal with you, but to plot against you. In the final analysis, they are just for those properties. I also said that I don't want to touch those properties at all." , why do you put yourself in danger for these unimportant things?”

Liuli's chest couldn't help but feel a little tight, "It doesn't matter? Do you think I do this for those things outside of me?"

Pei Xingjian's voice became even more gloomy, "Of course you didn't do it for money, but it's not helpful for you to think of me too much. It was just a surprise once or twice when I was caught off guard, and I naturally forgot about it afterwards. But now, you How can I trust you in the future? Liuli, I also know the principle of comparing one's feelings with one's own. It's just that I offended your concubine and concubine by interfering with your family's affairs. I'm sure they can't do anything about me. But what you did today is a direct act. Against the eldest princess! Are you sure that she can't do anything to you? Why are you so willful and reckless?"

The way he looked the day before yesterday could also be called just surprised? It's just that the eldest princess... Liuli couldn't help but be speechless. She naturally knew that he would be angry and worried, and she did feel guilty - she couldn't tell him that the reason why she dared to do this was because she was sure that Wu Zetian would soon board the She was in the back position and held great power, and she had a way to make the eldest princess stand opposite Wu Zetian. What she did today was just a necessary step!

Looking at Pei Xingjian's worried and distressed face, she simply frowned and said, "I don't care! I feel depressed. Even if she wants to kill her, even if you are angry with me again, I will do the same!"

Pei Xingjian looked at Liuli with a stubborn look in front of him. He suddenly felt that his head hurt and swollen, but his heart felt soft and warm. He took two steps forward and took her into his arms. He sighed deeply, "Liuli, how could I get pregnant?" Are you angry? I just feel that I am too useless... Anyway, since that is the case, you don't have to worry too much, I have everything! You just have to promise me that you won't be so reckless when doing things in the future, and always talk to me first. Just one word.”

Liuli immediately breathed a sigh of relief and nodded obediently, "Okay." After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Since we have renewed the appointment, do you want to invite the elders from your clan to come over to discuss it in the next few days? How to deal with it? "Since she has to walk a tightrope between the Hedong government and the Zhongjuan Pei tribe, she doesn't mind letting them take advantage for the last time in order to temporarily ensure safety.

Pei Xingjian was silent for a while, then shook his head, "It's not urgent." He suddenly changed the subject, "Liu Li, what kind of bracelet do you like?"

　　…………

The scent of Longdanxiang came out vaguely from the gauze curtains that had just been replaced. Because it was so light, it became even more serene and serene. But Mrs. Cui felt tired after smelling the smell - after the Bath Orchid Festival, the afternoon sun became a little poisonous, and anyone who had been roasting in the yard for a quarter of an hour would probably have no intention of savoring the fragrance anymore.

With great difficulty, the voice of the eldest princess finally came from the room, "Is Atui here?"

　　A maid replied, "I have been here for a while, but I didn't dare to disturb the princess because she was taking a nap."

　　"How can this be unreasonable? Why don't you call the madam in quickly! What's the use of keeping you, a lowly servant with no eyesight at all?"

Hearing the sudden rising voice, Ms. Cui suddenly felt depressed: Haven't you seen that Hu girl before? I don’t have eyesight, but you have it? Seeing a maid opening the curtain, she quickly gathered her thoughts, lowered her head and walked in quickly.

The eldest princess sat on the crescent moon stool in front of the dressing table, with her hair loose. Two maids were behind her. One carefully held up her long hair, and the other took a sapphire comb to comb it. Seeing that the makeup on Cui's face was half soaked with sweat, a faint smile appeared on her face, "These servants are too confused. You came so early, but you waited so long in vain." "Are you hot?" Mrs. Cui could not tell that she came exactly on time, so she could only say in fear, "Never mind, I heard that my family has not had a good rest these days, but my wife is impatient and came too early. , disturbing the family’s rest.”

The eldest princess sighed faintly, "How many years can I live? I'm just worrying about you!"

Mrs. Cui's mouth was a little bitter: Pei Xiangyuan's own family was the richest. Although the former emperor reduced the fiefdom and divided the family once after Xiang Pei's death, the remaining money was actually enough for the expenses of the house. The income from Luoyang has always been in the hands of the eldest princess, what does it have to do with herself? But all he could say was, "It's Atui who is so incompetent that makes you worry so much."

The eldest princess snorted, "I have already said that that Cudi can't be so simple, how about that? When you came back that day, you actually said that she was vulgar, uncultured, and without any calculation. She is really a person with no calculation. How could it be possible? Force those people in Li Gui to do this!"

Ms. Cui stood there with a low eyebrow and a look of shame on her face, not daring to distinguish a single word.

The eldest princess was quiet for a moment, her anger subsided, and then she asked, "How are you doing over there these days?"

Mrs. Cui said hurriedly, "Pei Xingjian has been nothing special these past few days. He has been busy with official duties at the county government every day. He came home very late and never went to see the tribesmen there. He just found excuses to leave us at the Chang'an County government office. One of the two officials went out on business, and the other went out in despair. After that, he invited his colleagues and some old friends from the left guard for drinks for two days in a row, and they seemed to be in a good mood. "

The eldest princess couldn't help but raise her brows, and after thinking for a while, she asked, "Have you found anything special in his mansion or the Kudis family?"

Mrs. Cui hurriedly replied, "We have two maids in Kudi's family. There has been little movement recently. There is no news about Kudi's marriage to his stepmother. My daughter-in-law also sent people to Kudi's three maids. After asking around at my uncle's house, I found that except for the time when I saw the maid off, they had no contact with the Kudi family. As for Pei Shouyue's house, the Kudi family had not been out in the past few days, only in Dongshi. The owner of the largest jewelry store came to visit twice, but it was Pei Shouyue who ordered a mutton-fat jade bracelet worth 160,000 yuan. "Even I might not be willing to buy a bracelet worth 160,000 yuan. Pei Shouyue." You were really generous to that Hu girl! Thinking that she had been kept in the dark all this time, she couldn't help but feel a bit more resentful in her voice, "It seems that this Cudi doesn't know how to live or die, so we don't have to be polite to her!"

The eldest princess shook her head and said, "Pei Shouyue never does useless things. It is better to find out which family's daughter Kudi Dalang will marry earlier..." Her face suddenly changed, and she was stunned for a long time. He raised his head and said, "Wrong! We were all fooled by Pei Shouyue in this matter!"

Ms. Cui's eyes widened in surprise. What does this have to do with Pei Shouyue?

The eldest princess sneered and said, "I still wonder how the Kudis, even though they are so clever, can be so sophisticated. In such a short period of time, they can quietly figure out the situation in Luoyang so clearly. That's it!"

Ms. Cui became more and more confused. She had naturally thought about these things. It was just that the Hu girl had planned for a long time and had been pretending for so many days, just to suddenly attack for the Dragon Boat Festival. Could there be any other reasons? The eldest princess gritted her teeth and said bitterly, "I still underestimated Pei Shouyue in the end! Think about Kudi, even if she was born well, how could Pei Shouyue be a person obsessed with beauty? Behind her Wu Zhaoyi's backing is certainly one of them, and the other is Cudi's identity and temperament. In fact, there are so many such women around us! They are timid in front of others, harsh in dealing with others, and sharp-tongued. Seeing gain and forgetting one's righteousness. After all the calculations, I only saw that she was timid and humble, but I didn't expect that such a business person could be so bold at times. Think about it, that day Pei kept his promise and left regardless. She is still thinking about the bond between her two servants, how could such a woman let go of money just because of her reputation? "

Ms. Cui suddenly nodded, "I was so surprised that day that I forgot about this! However, what Ajia means is that these are all part of Pei Shouyue's plan?"

The eldest princess said coldly, "Of course it is! Just how much money should be charged and how to deal with our shopkeeper are all taught by Pei Shouyue a long time ago. Otherwise, since she does not have the help of her uncle's family, how can she do it?" To know the situation in Luoyang? Such sophisticated tactics are definitely not something that a city woman can have, but only a woman of her status can say those words!

Ms. Cui frowned and said, "Since she is such a person, how should we deal with her?"

The eldest princess shook her head, "What's the use of just dealing with her? If Pei Xingjian was not surprised by this matter, if he had the slightest concern about the Kudi family, he would have already hosted a banquet for the Pei tribe members to discuss how to deal with the money and silk. , to record the merits of the Kudi family in the clan, and finally to break up the matter, and to give the Kudi family a backer, but now they just bought a jade bracelet to send her away, so naturally we expected that we would not. If he declares it, he just swallows this income, and we have dealt with the Cudi family. Can Pei Shouyue stop? If the contract is flawed, Pei might be hit. The top priority is to keep Pei’s promise to keep his promise!”

Ms. Cui couldn't help but be stunned, "Ajia means that we should deal with Pei Shou first, and don't worry about the Kudi family?"

The eldest princess pondered for a moment and sneered, "That's not necessarily true. Pei Shouyue is naturally the first one to deal with, but he is no longer what he used to be. We at Chang'an County Government have tried it several times before. There is nothing he can do about it. Now that all the available people in the government have been dismissed by him, I am afraid that it will be more difficult to find a place to start. We need to make a long-term plan to find out how easy it is to deal with the Cudi family who is greedy and timid. No matter how much Pei Shouyue doesn't value her, she is also Pei Shouyue's wife! It's best if she can kill two birds with one stone. If not, she must at least teach him a lesson! "

Thinking of the income that will be less this year, her usually soft voice became a bit sharp without realizing it, "The property in Luoyang was originally awarded to our house by my father in the name of Pei Renji. He Pei kept the promise. Isn't it his family's property? If the imperial brother hadn't suppressed him in every possible way after he ascended the throne, why did we have to spend so much money back then? If we give it back to us, who would have thought that she would be forced by Zhongjuan Pei's clan to use her dowry to support the occasion? In the end, Pei Shouyue blamed us for her difficult childbirth! Thirty percent goes, but we can’t even ask! If we don’t let him know how powerful he is, won’t they be more aggressive in the future?”

After thinking for a long time, the smile on her face became colder and sterner, "For this year's Furong Banquet, we need to invite more talents! The first place you want to go to tomorrow is Zhao Guogong's Mansion. Go and invite the eldest son Xiang and Liu "

Cui's thoughts changed slightly, and she came to some understanding. She couldn't help but hesitate and said, "Of course Changsun Xiang's identity is the most suitable, but isn't he a little younger? Besides, after all, Changsun Taiwei has such a big holiday with us. On weekdays, It’s just a guest. I really asked Chang Sun Xiang to be the guest of honor at this year’s Furong Banquet. Nothing else, but I’m afraid it will be..."

The eldest princess gave her a cold look and said, "Changsun Xiang is already thirteen, which is the most suitable age. As for the festival, Changsun Wuji executed more than one Jing because of Fang Yiai's case more than two years ago. Wang, whether Yun Niang can think about it or not, she is just the daughter of the Pei family and is no longer Princess Jing! Can we really have an enmity with the eldest grandson's family because of her? "

"In total, since last year, Changsun Xiang has been here several times more than in previous years. I think you can understand the meaning behind this. Now it's time for us to express ourselves. Don't say that Changsun Xiang was originally me. My grandniece has no such relationship, and the current situation is no problem. If we can get help from Changsun Wuji in the future, how can we be helpless even with a fifth-grade Chang'an Order?"

Ms. Cui nodded silently. She naturally knew that although the current Hedong Duke's family had deep and wide connections in the royal family, high-level families and even the yamen in the three provinces, after all, it did not have the real power of the top officials in the court. How could it be for a dead person? The son-in-law is far away from the powerful eldest grandson Taiwei? It's rare that the other party intends to make good friends, and it's really not the time to be impulsive. No matter how beautiful Pei Yunniang was in the past, she has long since been thrown into the dust. Even if she can return to her family and live there, it is because of the great efforts of the father-in-law that she does not dare to ignore the overall situation.

The eldest princess said again, "After you come out of Zhao Guogong's mansion, go directly to Pei Shouyue and give the post to the Kudi family."

Ms. Cui couldn't help but be startled, "At this moment, Pei Shouyue and his wife will probably find an excuse to push the matter aside, right?"

The eldest princess sneered, "It's not up to them!"

p.s. Pei Ji is Li Yuan’s favorite minister, with the best treatment and the most rewards. His son, Lawyer Pei, married Princess Linhai, and his daughter married Li Yuan’s sixth son, King Zhao (later changed to King Jing) Li Yuanjing. Li Yuanjing was still alive. He was killed during the rebellion. Considering that he was later granted a title by the court and re-buried with a lavish burial, the possibility of being unjustly accused was quite high at that time.

I finally entered the city, and now in Hangzhou, I can finally access the Internet more conveniently. Thank you dear Le Youyang, Gu Xiaoyan, DM of the scenery, Angel is Crying, Ye Yu Wei Liang, Xi*yan, tonan, book friend 110504100512151 , Marshmallow Shu, 71815 and star-1999. I will return to Beijing on the 17th and will update for three consecutive days, hehe.

 (End of this chapter)