Mengying didn’t know the bad things about the Xie family, but her embroidery shop’s business was booming and she was extremely busy.
Lin Xiaoze weighed the three hundred taels of silver sent by the Xie Mansion, and it took two hours to finish weighing it.
He couldn't figure it out. It was obviously just a matter of a few banknotes, but the Xie family came with cash in a big way, making them feel like they had made a fortune. The merchants in the neighborhood all stuck their heads out to find out. Xiao Mingzhu also came. Seeing that Mengying was so busy, she turned around and wanted to leave.
Thanks to Hongying's sharp eyesight, she let her master and servant in.
Mengying hurriedly left everyone behind and said to Mingzhu, "Thank you very much for your outspoken words that day. Otherwise, I might not have been able to escape."
Xiao Mingzhu lifted Mengying up with both hands and said with a smile: "It's just a trivial matter, it doesn't matter. I came to make clothes today, but you don't seem to be free."
Mengying smiled and said: "Everyone else's things have been given to the new embroiderer. I will make your clothes."
Xiao Mingzhu smiled sweetly and said, "Then I will be disrespectful."
The two of them talked very speculatively, and they always had endless things to talk about. It was too late to find out the truth.
Since then, Xiao Mingzhu has become a frequent visitor to Dengzhi Xiufang. From time to time, she will go to Mengying's house to sit and taste the apricot wine brewed by Mengying in spring. In her free time, she comes here to play on the swing or play chess with Mengying.
, this place has become her special courtyard.
It is said that after receiving Mengying's safety letter, Mr. Yao wrote back and scolded his daughter, asking her to return to Qingzhou as soon as possible.
Mengying did not reply, and half a month later, the letter from Master Yao Cui Mengying returning to Qingzhou arrived again.
The content is similar to last time, but the tone is more severe.
Mengying ignored it. A month later, she received another letter from Master Yao, which contained two hundred-tael silver notes, asking Mengying to use this as payment to return to Qingzhou immediately, otherwise, she would be kicked out of the house. p>
Mengying didn't write a word in her reply, she just sent back two banknotes.
Two months later, a letter from Master Yao arrived again, but this time it was the document that Master Yao had evicted Mengying from the house.
"The eldest daughter of the Yao family, Yao Mengying, was born in Qixian County, Qingzhou. Because she refused to obey the rules, she traveled far away privately and refused to listen to dissuasion, so she refused to return home. I, a daughter of the Yao family, abide by women's ethics. This daughter disobeyed her elders and behaved perversely.
There is no such unworthy daughter in my Yao family. I am writing this document today. From now on, she will be removed from the family tree and expelled from the Yao family. From now on, she will be left to her own devices. No one from the Yao family will interrogate her, and her name will be recorded."
The document has the signatures of Yao Qingshan and the clan leader, as well as the red seal of the government.
Mengying sneered, it was indeed the cold and selfish thing that the Yao family could do. Anyway, she couldn't bear to be cruel, but the Yao family made the decision for her, which made both parties happy.
Since the Yao family no longer wants her, she simply changed her surname back to Meng, and her household registration will naturally have to be changed as well.
Naturalization in the capital requires a house in the capital. Mengying took out the money she had planned to open a new house and bought the yard where she originally rented for a high price of five thousand taels.
With this document of extermination, Mengying went to the local warden. The warden took Mengying's money and helped Mengying get the naturalization document.
Mengying then re-registered with the government, established a female household, and changed her surname to Meng and her given name to Ying.
There is also a plaque hanging on the door with the word "Meng Zhai" written on it.
When Qiu Yan and Xiao Mingzhu heard about what the Yao family had done, they both sighed, but Mengying comforted them.
By the way, Mr. Yao still doesn't know that Meng Ying is not his biological daughter. He just urged her through letters many times, but his daughter was disobedient and offended him.
And because Pomegranate had a miscarriage and the child could not be saved, he was upset, so he asked a yellow-robed Taoist priest for a divination, saying that their family had a rebellious daughter, and the ancestors did not protect her, so their descendants were not prosperous.
Mr. Yao was so fascinated by the balsam oil that he actually believed it to be true. Mrs. Yao added fuel to the fire, saying that Mengying was not in the back house now. Maybe she met that flashy prodigal and eloped with him. Even if that was not the case, she was a woman with no clothes.
If you grow things, they will surely fall into the dust.
Life and death are small matters, but breach of integrity is a big matter. She must not disgrace the Yao family's family name because of her alone.
Master Yao thought over and over again and decided to expel Mengying from his house. Although Yao Chengyao tried to dissuade her in every possible way, Master Yao became determined after eating the weight.
Then he opened the ancestral hall, invited the family elders, and wrote a document to remove Mengying's name from the family tree. From then on, the Yao family had no eldest daughter, only the only son Yao Chengyao.
*
By the way, on this day Xiao Mingzhu wanted to go to Meng Ying again, but an uninvited guest came to the house.
This person is none other than Mrs. Wu’s direct grandson, the third son of Andinghou, and the third son of the Wu family, Wu Botang, who is known as the most handsome man in the capital.
I saw him wearing a yellow Taoist robe, white cloud boots on his feet, and a bamboo hairpin on his head.
Seeing his appearance, Xiao Mingzhu smiled and said, "Where did this little Taoist priest come from?"
Wu Botang didn't give in to the pearl, but filled himself a cup of tea and said, "I heard that you went to the house to see me a few days ago. What's the matter?"
"Thank you for having the nerve to say that when I came to see you for something serious, you were nowhere to be seen. Now that it's over, you came quickly." Mingzhu shook her fan and said in a nonchalant tone.
"I went to visit famous mountains with a few Taoist priests. I just returned yesterday and came to you anxiously. Since there is nothing wrong, I will leave." After saying that, he stood up and wanted to leave.
"That's just right, I'm going out too, let's go together."
The two of them left the house together. Wu Botang knew that Mingzhu had an arrogant temper and few people in the capital were close to her.
Then I asked one more question, "Where are you going in such a great mood?"
"I'm going to meet a friend. Speaking of which, she is your benefactor. If it weren't for her, Xie Chunlian might have become your unmarried sister-in-law!"
Wu Botang was confused by what he said, and Mingzhu briefly told what happened on that day of the Spring Banquet.
At first, Wu Botang was a little uninterested, but when he heard Meng Ying making a big fuss about the spring banquet, Wu Botang became interested.
The person who had always been unruly suddenly said seriously: "You mean, after that, my grandmother treated her differently?"
"This is called good deeds." Mingzhu said proudly.
"Huh, that's right, with the old lady here, not to mention the Xie family, even ghosts and snake gods would not dare to make trouble in the Marquis Mansion." Wu Botang opened the folding fan with a "crash" and replied proudly.
"Your old lady is very capable, but what about a hundred years from now?" Mingzhu asked, looking sideways at Wu Botang.
Wu Botang lowered his head and said nothing, glanced at the carriage parked at the door, and said: "Anyway, I have nothing to do today. How about I go with you and go to Miss Meng's place to ask for a cup of tea?"<
/p>
"This..." Mingzhu was a little embarrassed. Although she and Wu Laosan were separated by male and female guards, they were cousins after all. But if she took him to see Mengying, there would always be something wrong. This guy has always been a playboy.
He has done a lot of things to cuddle up against the red and the green. I heard that he still has a confidante in Linglong Pavilion.
"You are not young anymore, you are really out of date." Mingzhu refused.
"What's inappropriate? Don't forget, I'm a royal guard." At this point, Wu Botang dusted off the dust that was not on the Taoist robe.
"But I heard that the emperor thinks that you always bring him trouble, so he wants you to cultivate yourself at home."
"Even so, the emperor did not dismiss me from office, so I still have an official status."
Xiao Mingzhu knew her cousin best, and he was the most naughty and difficult to deal with. She couldn't refuse after several attempts, so she had no choice but to take him to Meng's house with her.
It had been more than three months since the last spring banquet, and the affairs of the embroidery room had been sorted out. Meng Ying simply let Hongying and Lin Xiao watch the embroidery room while she hid in the courtyard to relax.
Now the family has bought three more servants, a rough messenger called Mrs. Hao, a little girl named Qinghe who serves tea, and a cook named Mrs. Wang.
On a June day, the sun is blazing and the cicadas are chirping on the trees.
The lotus flowers in Meng Ying's lotus pond are now blooming, and the breeze brings bursts of lotus fragrance from time to time. Unlike others who are shaking their fans, she does not feel the heat at all.
Xiao Mingzhu was a regular customer, so Mrs. Hao opened the door directly and invited Xiao Mingzhu and others in. Qinghe saw it and hurriedly went to make tea.
As soon as she turned into the backyard, Mingzhu saw Meng Ying, leaning on the railing, with her back to herself, reading a poem.
"Sit alone in the pavilion facing the flowers, brewing tea slowly with time. Don't care about the fireworks in the world, let the years be stained by frost."
When Xiao Mingzhu heard this, she smiled slightly and said, "It's quite pleasant for you. I was passing by the embroidery workshop, and Hongying was busy."
Hearing Xiao Mingzhu's voice, Meng Ying turned around and said, "You're here."
But when she saw Wu Botang behind Mingzhu, she was immediately stunned.
Although she was in the Hou Mansion in her previous life, she didn't have much interaction with Wu Botang. First of all, he was known as a playboy and spent most of his time hanging out with people outside the Hou Mansion.
Secondly, Wu Botang looked down on Mrs. Xie and was rude to him. However, Mrs. Xie brought his rather pretty concubine into the house and later said that Wu Botang was scornful of her.
My sister wants Mr. Wu to marry the concubine of the Xie family.
Wu Botang broke into his eldest brother's yard with a sword. If his entourage hadn't sent a message to Mrs. Wu, his blood would have almost spilled three feet.
From then on, he seldom returned to the Hou Mansion. Xie Chunlian was also most afraid of him. He said that when he died, Wu Botang, who Mrs. Wu had high hopes for, had never gotten married.
Seeing Meng Ying in a daze, Xiao Mingzhu explained: "This is my aunt's cousin. He came here today a little abruptly, so please don't blame me."
Meng Ying quickly calmed down and said: "It doesn't matter. Since you are a relative of Miss Xiao, you are naturally my honored guest. Please sit down."
Wu Botang looked at the girl in front of him. Her brows were light and her black eyes were as bright as stars. Her hair was tied back, with a red ribbon wrapped around the top of her head.
The moon-white cross-collar summer shirt and the grass-green horse-faced skirt are trimmed with ruffles embroidered with water plants.
She looked like she was no more than thirteen or fourteen years old. She smiled before saying anything, looking like a gentle woman.
Seeing Wu Botang staring at Meng Ying, Xiao Mingzhu was a little unhappy and glanced at him.
Wu Botang finally withdrew his gaze and sat down at the tea table.
At this time, Qinghe had already brewed the tea and placed the two bowls of tea near the two of them.
Wu Botang picked up the tea bowl and took a sip.
Taiping Houkui, this is Xiao Mingzhu’s favorite drink on weekdays.
Since she is young, if I scare her, maybe she will do it.
Thinking of this, Wu Botang asked directly: "I heard that Miss Meng got justice for herself at the Spring Banquet. Wu is not talented, so I have a few questions for the girl."
Xiao Mingzhu heard that the words were wrong, and used her eyes to signal Wu Baitang to stop messing around.
Wu Botang held the tea bowl and pretended not to see it.
Mengying said: "You must tell everything you know."
"Every embroidery workshop in the capital has offended the Xie family. Why do you, a foreigner, dare to offend the Xie family like this? Furthermore, the clothes worn by women value secrecy, so why do you make it known to everyone?"<
/p>
In the previous life, Wu Botang spent most of his time in Taoist temples, and only paid greetings to Mrs. Wu during the New Year. Meng Ying did not have much interaction with him.
It seems today that Mr. Wu may have another side hidden behind his reputation as a playboy.
"I'm just like everyone else. I was scared at first, so I even took out ten taels of silver, hoping that Grandma Zhou would take back the deposit, but she still went too far after taking the money.
The Third Master's cleverness has been made known to everyone, but he did it deliberately. His original intention was to use this dress to attract some girls and ladies, but unexpectedly, it became the evidence of that day."
Wu Botang continued to ask, "The girls' spring banquet is so intertwined that it seems to me that someone took great pains to arrange it."