32. Dandy (7)

In spring, the trees are sprouting new leaves, and the eldest princess's mansion is full of green plants. No matter which path you walk on, there is a lot of green.

Duan Qingen and Xi Yuzhen were walking together in front of a path that had just sprouted new shoots. Two girls and two young men were hanging far behind them to prevent anyone from seeing them walking together.

"Cousin Zecheng is the youngest daughter of Mrs. Zhu's stepmother. She grew up with her father in her hometown in Huxiang. Zecheng also lived there for a few years when he was a child because his grandfather kept filial piety. The cousins ​​gradually developed a relationship. ”

While speaking in a relaxed tone, he raised his hand to wave away a small branch growing out of the road ahead for Xi Yuzhen. When he saw her passing by in silence with her head slightly lowered, he let go of his hand.

"The relationship between my aunt and my step-wife is not very good. In addition, I thought that the Zhu family and her natal family already had her in the middle, and there was no need for more kisses. That's why Zecheng refused to respond when he proposed to marry his cousin. , Zecheng knew that I always had a lot of clever ideas, so he begged me for help.”

Xi Yuzhen's hands under her sleeves clenched the handkerchief nervously, opened her mouth, and said in a dry voice, "So you already knew what happened today?"

This matter, of course, is that Mrs. Hou drugged the concubine and lured her to the hut, hoping to catch her in the act.

"It's not like I knew a long time ago that your aunt-in-law has this idea and she can't do things alone. She also needs to pass the news to my mother so that she can cooperate and deceive me. Otherwise, you are here alone and this situation will be bad. It makes no sense."

Duan Qingen smiled: "My mother seems to have many tricks, but in fact she has been obsessed with fame for a long time. She wants to suppress me, so she can just come directly, but she wants to flatter me and kill me by pretending to be a pamperer. None of the servants in her yard are on guard against me. It’s not easy to instigate one or two to rebel.”

"After I got the news, I thought of Zecheng. Your aunt is a girl from the Zhu family. She knew that Zecheng had a secret meeting with others to catch him. I'll hide you first, and then let Zecheng take you with him. The cousin was painting. They were just painting and did not do anything out of line. Even if they were caught, Zecheng would pretend to be stupid and pretend that her cousin was engaged to her. In order to prevent her son's reputation from being damaged, Mrs. Zhu would only I can accept this marriage."

Xi Yuzhen had already reacted. This was due to the fact that after she was pulled over by Duan Qingen, the young man of the same age as her quickly made it clear that he had no ill intentions.

But when the two of them were hiding together behind the curtain, she was full of questions, wondering how this young man seemed to know everything.

He was obviously as old as her.

After Duan Qingen finished speaking, he asked her again: "That's about it. Do you have anything to ask?"

Xi Yuzhen hasn't spoken since she was pulled out. Firstly, she has almost no contact with her foreign husband, and secondly, she really doesn't know what to say.

After hesitating for a long time, she asked: "But what if mother directly said at the table that she saw you and me?"

"She won't."

Duan Qingen answered with certainty: "She and Miao got together only because they had common interests. She can be sure that you entered the house, but she is not sure whether the man in the house is me. If you directly tell me, and then later Finding out that the man in the room is another person directly indicates that it was her plan. "

"As for not telling you, think about it carefully. If you were a woman here and heard someone say that her unmarried daughter entered the house with her husband, would you stay and watch the fun or leave to avoid suspicion?"

Xi Yuzhen lowered his eyes, "Of course I want to avoid suspicion. If we see such a scandal, it will inevitably be embarrassing."

Even if most of the ladies present actually want to watch the fun, as noble ladies, the first thing they have to consider is whether doing this will affect their reputation. Therefore, only when Mrs. Hou speaks vaguely can these people go and watch with confidence. lively.

She figured it out and looked at Duan Qingen with some surprise.

Although Xi Yuzhen doesn't go out to socialize much, he knows something about Shengjing, such as Duan Qingen's previous bad reputation and his current reputation for filial piety, as well as the fact that he is very favored at home. This favor is not only from the Miao family, but also from the Miao family. Father Duan.

Logically speaking, he shouldn't know so much.

"Do you want to know why I know so many things?"

After receiving Xi Yuzhen's gaze, Duan Qingen looked at her with a smile.

Xi Yuzhen pursed her lips nervously and nodded cautiously. She was already speculating a lot in her heart. For example, Duan Qingen's life at home was not as easy as it seemed on the surface, or maybe he had suffered a secret loss, and then he developed a seven-orificed exquisite body. Heart.

"Of course it's because I'm talented."

Xi Yuzhen: "..."

Duan Qingen smiled at her, with an air of arrogance and contentment belonging to a young husband between his brows: "Since our two families are getting engaged, I don't need to hide it from you. To be honest, your aunt is with me, and my stepmother is with me. There is also my person, of course, you also have my person by your side, the girl who pours you wine, others think she is your girl, you think she is your aunt's girl, in fact, she was arranged by me, big But don’t worry, what she poured for you was just ordinary water. Even if you didn’t pour the water into your sleeve through your sleeve, nothing would happen.”

Xi Yuzhen: "..."

"And your second sister, third sister and fourth sister, who are more favored by your father and your father's family, Aunt Ma, Aunt Hu, Aunt Liu, are all surrounded by my people."

Xi Yuzhen: "..."

"You're so scared that you can't even speak." Duan Qingen reminded her: "Be careful of the rocks in front of you."

Seeing Xi Yuzhen lift her foot and step over the stone with a shocked face, he continued: "We are going to be husband and wife in the future, and I will tell you the property during the wedding night, instead of wasting time in the wedding room. , I might as well give you an overview now, this capital is going to be in chaos, you and I are just unmarried brothers, if I don’t use more methods, how can I protect us in the future? "

Xi Yuzhen calmed down for a while. She couldn't blame her for being speechless. It was because the things Duan Qingen said were too shocking for her.

Her aunt had placed people around her, and she knew very well that the head mistress of a certain family didn't have many confidants around her.

But Duan Qingen, a brother from another family, actually had such long hands, which really shocked her.

In addition to being shocked, there is also some confusion.

"She, they..." She stuttered a little, "How could they be willing to listen to you?"

After all, in the eyes of outsiders, Duan Qingen is just an unmarried man who has not entered an official career and has no fame.

"It's easy to make people obey, especially to make servants obey." Duan Qingen's smile was a little naughty, and the look in his eyes seemed to be the unique clarity of a young man.

"It's nothing more than money and body. The servants in the house have the most hardships. Those who gain face in front of the master are fine. They are second masters, but ordinary servants who have no face have a lot to worry about."

He counted them one by one: "My family members are sick and have no money for medical treatment. The master who serves them is too domineering and makes people miserable. Or maybe they don't want to stay in the house forever and want to redeem themselves. They want to but can't. But I can help them do it. Do you think there will be any servants who will work hard for me?"

Xi Yu really understood, but he still didn't understand, "Why did you do this?"

"Just to know some news in advance."

Duan Qingen explained to her patiently: "You think these servants can tell me only a limited amount, but in fact, it just depends on how you listen."

"For example, Chen Shangshu asked for leave, but the servants waiting for him discovered that although he had boiled medicine in the yard and let the strong smell of medicine spread along the wind throughout the house, Chen Shangshu himself did not know any medicine at all. He is pretending to be ill if he doesn't drink. Why would he pretend to be ill? He knew that the Queen Mother had passed away, but the emperor was afraid that her death would affect his uncles, so he suppressed the news. "

"If anyone in the court finds out about this, they will definitely impeach the Queen Mother's family. The Emperor was able to protect his uncle before, only because the Queen Mother was behind his back. When the Queen Mother falls, can the Emperor, who has always relied only on the Queen Mother, withstand the pressure? But he We don’t want to bow our heads, and the two sides will inevitably have a fierce battle. Chen Shangshu is very knowledgeable and has always been wise in the court to protect himself and not take sides. This time he is pretending to be ill and taking refuge.”

Looking at Xi Yuzhen, who had already listened and frowned, Duan Qingen said again: "The major events in the court are enough to shake people's hearts, but no one will notice whether there is anything unusual about the servants in the mansion. This is just like you and I are talking about state affairs now. If there are ants crawling over, are you worried that the ants will spread this matter?"

Xi Yuzhen lowered her head and looked at the ants crawling by her feet. They were in groups and orderly lining up around the corpse of a caterpillar. If Duan Qingen hadn't mentioned it, she wouldn't have noticed the ants under her feet.

Raised in a boudoir, even though she was naturally intelligent, Xi Yuzhen was just a girl who had not seen much of the world. What Duan Qingen said was too far away and too scary for her.

She even felt that her nose was sore and her eyes were a little astringent. She didn't know whether it was because she heard the secret or because too many things happened today.

"Are you so sure that we will get married? Although my brother is the only son of the Zhongyi Hou family, his father is still healthy, my aunt is not very old, and there are many aunts who will give birth to sons sooner or later. My father has never had any feelings for me, and my aunt treats me as such. I'm like a thorn in your side. You have a treacherous heart and good means. You must have big plans. If you marry me, I won't be able to help you. Moreover, if you become successful in the future, the Marquis Mansion will still keep you under control. "Marrying me will do you no good at all."

Xi Yuzhen was a little choked when she said this. She knew that Duan Qingen was a powerful person at first glance and was honest enough with her. If she really married him, her life would definitely be better than now.

But there are some things that should always be said clearly, so as to avoid unnecessary regrets when there is no need to turn back.

"I have placed a lot of people in your house, so I naturally know your situation. I want to marry you not because of your family background, but because of you as a person."

Duan Qing'en abided by the rules. Although he spoke very affectionately, he did not pull Xi Yuzhen's hand. He only stopped to look into her eyes and said softly: "You said that I have a rift in my heart, so why don't you? I have a plan. It is precisely because of this that I need a wife to stand with me, to manage the back house for me, and to deal with internal affairs while I am working on external affairs. You said that the Hou Mansion will not help me because of you, but you How did you know that I wanted help from the Hou Mansion?"

Looking at Xi Yuzhen who was looking at him blankly, he continued:

"I know what kind of person you are, and you should also know what kind of person I am. I can't guarantee anything else, but I can say that if you marry me, I will definitely protect you in the future and never let you suffer. Feeling wronged.”

In today's era when most couples treat each other as if they were guests, Duan Qingen's words are simply a killer.

No woman who wants to live a good life can resist, not even Xi Yuzhen.

****

"I know that my sister has always treated Zecheng as her own son, but this time, you have interfered too much."

Mrs. Zhu couldn't help it after all, and pulled the Marquis's wife to the wing room. When they were alone, she took off the smile that she had been trying to maintain on her face and slapped the table.

"I think I have always been good to you, sister. When you complained about the hard life in the Marquis's Mansion, I told my husband that I gave you money from the mansion. People outside said that you were narrow-minded and couldn't bear to see the concubine's daughter have a good life and never wanted to take the concubine's daughter out to socialize. When did I not help you say good things? I was sincere to my sister, but you wanted to poke my heart!!"

Mrs. Hou hurriedly pulled her sister-in-law's hand. She could be so powerful in the Marquis's Mansion, didn't she rely on her family's support?

Although she was her parents' biological daughter, her brother was the master of the mansion now, and Mrs. Zhu was the mistress. She would be crazy to offend Mrs. Zhu.

"Sister-in-law, listen to my explanation. There is really a misunderstanding about this matter."

"A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding could there be?!" Madam Zhu shook her hand away, "Didn't your maid tell you that my Zechen and his cousin entered the wing room? Didn't you drag those ladies to catch the adulterer?"

"Fortunately, my Zecheng is a gentleman. Although he likes his cousin, he has always abided by the rules and just painted. What if he really did something else? How can you let me live in Shengjing?"

Madam Hou was simply unable to defend herself. She couldn't have planned to plot against the concubine's daughter, but who knew that the person in the room would be replaced by Zhu Zecheng.

"Sister-in-law, I really didn't mean it. Zecheng is my nephew!!"

"You also know that Zecheng is your nephew. He is the only legitimate son of your brother and me! He was carefully raised since he was a child. I was on guard against those damn concubines who were restless. I didn't expect that he would almost die at the hands of his aunt."

"No, it really wasn't me. I..."

"You don't need to say more. I naturally have my own decision. I can't control this matter. Let your brother handle it!"

After saying that, Mrs. Zhu left with her sleeves, leaving Mrs. Hou standing in the room in a daze.

What happened! !

Why did the person in the room become Zhu Zecheng! !

She was full of anger in her heart. She pushed open the door but pretended to be calm and went back to the banquet.

She could even imagine how those people outside speculated about her. Maybe they would think that she deliberately made such a scene to ruin her nephew's reputation.

My brother only has such a legitimate son. He must be furious after knowing this.

Will he still help her? How will she live in her parents' home in the future...

With a lot of thoughts in her mind, the Marquis finally sat in her original position.

As a result, she saw Xi Yuzhen and a man walking towards this side, talking and laughing.

They were intimate with each other without any reservations. Although there was no physical contact, a couple who were not married could make such a gesture in front of everyone, almost announcing that they had already made an engagement.

The Marquis's face was gloomy, and she said to the maid who was ordered to pour wine before: "Go and find out what happened."

"Yes."

The girl probably knew that she had messed up her job, so she bowed and walked away in a hurry.

After a long while, she came back and whispered to the Marquis: "The eldest sister said that she did meet the Duan family brother in the house, but later the Zhu family brother came with his cousin. The Duan family brother was a good friend of him, so he gave up the house and took the eldest sister to walk in the garden."

The Marquis clenched her fists tightly, "Didn't she drink the water you brought over?"

The girl knelt down and apologized, "I did put the medicine in with my own hands, and I saw the eldest sister drink it with my own eyes."

"Then why is she fine!!"

The Marquis shouted angrily, and the volume was inevitably a little higher. Some ladies around heard the noise and looked over. She quickly smiled on her face and pretended nothing happened.

Seeing that the ladies were no longer looking at her, she lowered her voice and asked through gritted teeth: "And Duan's brother, didn't I ask someone to send medicine to Madam Duan? Didn't she get it into Duan's brother's wine glass?"

How could the maid know this? She quickly suggested: "Why don't I invite Madam Duan to come and ask her?"

"Go and invite her!"

The maid went to invite people. Duan Qing'en was still playing with Xi Yuzhen on the grass. He Lisheng was playing pitching pots with others. Seeing him walking with a young girl, he smiled to the people around him: "It seems that Qing'en is engaged. I can't see clearly from a distance. I wonder whose family it is."

"It looks like the eldest sister of the Loyalty Marquis's Mansion. They are laughing so happily. They must be very congenial."

Duan Qingen on the other side was smiling mischievously, "The one who sent the letter to my stepmother was my man. I asked them to change the letter and withhold the medicine. I also asked someone to copy the handwriting and write a new reply."

As he said, he said to Xi Yuzhen who was smiling with her lips covered, "Let's just watch them fight each other."

As soon as he finished speaking, Miao, led by the maid, sat next to the Marquis' wife. When she heard her ask about the medicine, she was immediately confused:

"What medicine?"

Marquis' wife: "There are only two of us here, why are you pretending? Of course, you drank the medicine that can make people confused and infatuated. I asked you to give it to your eldest brother."

Miao: "???"

Marquis' wife: "If there was no mistake on your side this time, they would have escaped?"

Hearing this, Miao immediately reacted, "Sister, don't talk nonsense. How dare I agree to this? My eldest brother has always been a scoundrel. How could he not know that he was poisoned? If this matter is really discovered, he will be able to toss the world upside down. If my master finds out about me, I will have no way to live."

"You clearly wrote to me and said you agreed, and now you are still..." The Marquis's wife was talking, and suddenly she realized.

"You are timid and dare not do it, but you agreed to it. When the matter is exposed, you have done nothing and you can certainly clear yourself and step on me."

Consciously thinking clearly, she looked at Miao with a look that was as if poisoned.

I really didn't expect that after years of hunting geese, she would be pecked by geese.

She calculated and calculated, but she was defeated by Miao, a timid and stupid woman.

Having found the culprit, Madam Hou directly poured all the insults she had received from her sister-in-law on Miao, and stood up and walked away.

"You hurt me today, I will pay you back tomorrow!"

Miao, who didn't even know what happened, said: "... No, wait, sister!!"

Looking at Madam Hou's back as she left angrily, she was confused and puzzled.

At the moment, it was like being in a fog, unable to see clearly what was in front or behind, but one thing was clear.

The friendship she and Madam Hou had established for the sake of interests had capsized.

And she didn't even know why the friendship capsized so suddenly. What about the sisters who had agreed to join forces to kill the stepsons and concubines they disliked?

She had only been away for a while, what had happened? ?

The more Miao thought about it, the more confused she became, and she wanted to reach out her hand in the direction where Madam Hou had left.

Sister, come back! ! !

I really don't know anything! ! !

The author has something to say: One more update, and there will be more before 12 o'clock, muah

I used to dislike the cheat codes that were too big (although I like to write about cheat codes that were too big), I think this is a sign of my maturity, I prefer to be down-to-earth.

I don't know what happened these past two days, I suddenly really want to read the kind of stories where the protagonist changes the world (country) by himself, the more cheat codes the better, the more awesome the protagonist the better!

As expected, people can grow backwards, have any little angels read such good stories, please recommend, a little comment is also OK (づ￣3￣)づ╭