Chapter 47 A small street in the south of the city
Luo Yu lingered outside the embroidery workshop all day long, and Hongying was bored.
Contrary to Hongying, Qiu Yan was extremely happy when she learned about this. She hurriedly wrote a letter back to Qingzhou and asked people to check Luo Yu's details.
The third master of the Wu family, Wu Botang, a fake Taoist priest, formed a poetry club. Every half month, a dozen dandy boys would gather at Wangchun Tower to drink, paint, couplets and poems. From time to time, they would also recruit two singers to add to the fun.
Xiao Mingzhu was itching with hatred, saying that they had ruined the elegance of Wangchun Tower.
Meng Ying turned a blind eye because everyone spent so generously.
On this day, it happened to be the 15th, Wu Botang brought people to Wangchun Tower again, and Meng Ying happened to come out of the building. Mengying looked in a hurry, Wu Botang only caught a glimpse of her back, frowned, and made a "tsk" sound.
A little stuffy.
He didn't understand why Meng Ying acted like she was hiding from a ghost every time she came when he clearly didn't offend her?
I was having a hard time calming down, so I turned around and saw Luo Yu, who had just joined the company, staring at Meng Ying's carriage in a daze.
The unknown fire in Wu Botang's heart suddenly rose up. Luo Yu was recommended by Mr. Li Ge's son. Li Er once said that this man had great talent, but today it seems that he is nothing more than that.
Wu Botang snorted and walked into Wangchun Tower angrily. He sat down on a chair and asked his entourage to pour the wine and drink it all in one gulp.
When Chang Sui saw his calm expression, he poured the wine carefully.
But within a quarter of an hour, Wu Botang burst into laughter again.
He felt that there was no reason for him to be angry. Meng Ying was not related to him and was coveted by others, so what did it have to do with him? He couldn't figure it out. In the end, he thought that the reason why Mengying was so close to his cousin was that he had confused her.
The boundary between the two.
Luo Yu has been thinking about Meng Ying since the last time they played chess. He heard that Meng Ying often visited Wangchun Tower, so when Mr. Xun invited him to join the club, he immediately agreed.
After returning from the poetry club, it was already three o'clock in the morning, and Luo Yu was poured a lot of wine by Wu Botang.
Luo Yu's servant, Liu Shan, supported his master and complained: "It's clearly called a poetry club, but after I didn't write a few poems, I hired singers to drink and have fun. What kind of poetry club is this?"
Luo Yu waved his hand and muttered to himself unsteadily: "When the golden wind and jade dew meet, they will win against countless people in the world. The ancients will not deceive me."
Xiao Shan thought that Luo Yu had fallen in love with a singing girl, and was surprised, saying: "When we were coming to Beijing, my wife also said that my uncle was interested in marrying my cousin, and you also praised my cousin for her good looks and intelligence."
Luo Yu said with a smile: "I used to live in Qingzhou, and it would be no exaggeration to say that I was a frog in the well. Now that I see the bright moon in the mountains, I realize that there is such a strange woman in time. How wonderful, how wonderful!"
Luo Yu was happy for himself, but Xiaoshan broke into a cold sweat.
If the wife finds out that the young master is obsessed with singing girls, she can't tell the difference. If the master humiliates the servant and dies, he might be angered, what should he do?
The master and the servant each had their own thoughts and did not mention it when they returned to their residence.
*
Half a month later, Qiu Yan received a reply from Qingzhou, which wrote: "Luo Yu, eighteen years old, the only son in the family, is very knowledgeable, and the family has high hopes for him. He has not yet married or engaged. The Luo family
He is a merchant in Qingzhou, and his ancestors also served as officials. His father is an upright man and is engaged in the pen and ink business. He has seven or eight shops in Qingzhou and two branches in the capital.
His mother's surname is Sun, and her natal family is from a wealthy family in Qingzhou. She is a generous person and is very kind to her servants."
After closing the letter, Qiu Yan was filled with joy. Not only was Luo Yu a talented person, but his parents were also kind people and their family was well off. If Mengying married him, it would be a good home.
However, looking at things like this, Luo Yu is deeply in love with Meng Ying. But he just doesn’t know what Meng Ying’s plans are.
Qiu Yan then thought about it. Before she got married, she disliked her husband in every possible way, but now they are still loving each other. Even if Meng Ying doesn't like Na Luo Yu now, they will inevitably develop friendship after being in contact with him too much.
Thinking of this, Qiu Yan wanted to help Luo Yu, but she was pregnant with Liujia and could not go out for a walk. She was quite unable to do what she wanted, so she asked the maid to keep an eye on Meng Ying's place and report to her if there was any trouble. p>
Maybe we should have this bad fate, and we are really destined to meet each other thousands of miles away.
Meng Ying and Mingzhu made an appointment to go for an outing on Xiaomo in the south of the city, and Luo Yu also made an appointment with a friend to paint peach blossoms in the south of the city.
Just after the Qingming Festival, the willows and warblers in the south of the city are singing. It is "the rain of apricot blossoms makes your clothes wet, and the willow wind is not cold on your face."
The two of them first drank tea under the peach tree, and then played the harp and flute together, with Meng Ying playing the harp and Mingzhu playing the flute.
If Hongying came, she would have people around her carefully guarded. But Mengying asked Hongying to look at the embroidery workshop and only brought her maid Qinghe with her.
Qinghe was young and playful, so she patronized the little maid playing with Mingzhu, and forgot Hongying's instructions. So much so that she didn't notice someone peeping behind the tree.
However, Luo Yu's peach blossom paintings today are quite impressive, and the back view of a woman playing the piano is extremely well done. The woman in the painting is wearing an underskirt, with long hair draped over her shoulders, and her hands are playing the piano. p>
From then on, there was a picture of the back of a beautiful woman playing the piano in Luo Yu's room. Whenever Luo Yu had some free time, he would look at it and look at the back of the picture with dreamy eyes.
*
The days are passing by like a white horse, and it’s midsummer in a blink of an eye.
While Meng Ying was enjoying the cool air in the pavilion, she said to the little maid Qinghe beside her: "It's been half a month since Mingzhu came, right?"
Qinghe replied: "No, I haven't seen Miss Xiao for some time."
As soon as I finished speaking, I heard footsteps.
She was the only one who came uninvited and had no one to inform her.
Mengying asked without looking back: "You really can't speak ill of people behind their backs. I was talking about you just now and you will be in the future for a long time. If you don't want to, I'll do it right away."
After saying that, he looked back with a smile.
But Meng Ying's smile froze on her face.
I saw that Xiao Mingzhu's appearance in front of me had become much thinner, and her round cheeks had become sharper.
Meng Ying was startled and asked: "What's wrong with you to be so haggard?"
Mingzhu waved her hand to signal her not to be nervous.
Then she said to her maid Qinglian: "You can take Qinghe to play. You don't need to wait here." The maid understood and took Qinghe to the yard to dance a hundred ropes.
Meng Ying knew that she had something to say to herself.
As soon as the maid went out, Meng Ying asked in a low voice: "Did something happen at home?"
Xiao Mingzhu shook her head, took Meng Ying's hand and said: "My grandfather handed the emperor a memorial to serve, and the emperor has already agreed."
"Really?" Meng Ying asked, unable to restrain the excitement on her face.
Taifu Xiao has become an official, so that the Xiao family will not be implicated by the prince, and Mingzhu will not have to die.
Meng Ying's joy surprised Mingzhu and asked: "Why are you so happy?"
"I..." Meng Ying was speechless for a moment. Yes, why are she so happy? Mingzhu's grandfather is the prince's young master.
Happiness is.
Looking at Mingzhu's searching eyes, Meng Ying suddenly smiled and said: "Of course it's because of you. You want to escape from this troubled place in the capital. Going to Jiangnan has been your long-cherished wish for many years. Now that you have got it, how can I not do it for you?"
Are you happy? You are so beautiful and talented. Maybe you can meet a talented man from the south of the Yangtze River and create a good story."
Speaking of marriage, Mingzhu blushed, pinched Meng Ying, and pretended to be angry: "You are the only one who talks..."
Mingzhu invited Meng Ying to go to Meizhou with her. Meng Ying shook her head and said: "Unlike you, I can't let go of the shop in the capital."
Mingzhu asked pointedly: "Do you have someone you like?"
Meng Ying didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She patted her gently with a handkerchief and said with a smile: "How can this happen?"
Mingzhu waved her hand, "Not to mention this, the Duke's mansion is hosting a flower banquet on the eighth day of this month. Will you come with me?"
Mengying asked in surprise: "You always don't like to join in the fun, what's wrong this time..."
Mingzhu turned around, walked to the window, picked a flower leaf, and turned around and said: "I really don't like this capital, its hustle and bustle, and even less its prosperity. But now I have to leave, and I can't explain why, but I feel in my heart
It’s actually a little sad.”
Meng Ying knew that Mingzhu, who had been born in the capital since she was a child, and now moved to the south of the Yangtze River, must have felt a little bit reluctant to leave. So she teased: "After you leave, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to enter the back houses of these high-ranking families, but now I have access to you."
The light will naturally make you happy."
Mingzhu said with joy, "Well, it's settled over there, let's go together."
*
Five days later, Meng Ying followed Mingzhu to the Duke He's mansion.
After becoming a noble, the old Duke He once served in the cabinet. Although he is now far away from the court, he is very trusted by the emperor. His only son He Minglian inherited the title and served in the Ministry of Personnel. His eldest granddaughter He Yunniang is also known for her talents.<
/p>
The Xiao family and the He family have always been on good terms, but Mingzhu is very unhappy with He Yunniang and does not have a close relationship with her.
At the flower party, each family brought high-quality flowers from their own flower houses, and even the rare camellias like the Eighteenth Bachelor had two pots.
Meng Ying followed Mingzhu at the flower party and listened to Mingzhu commenting on various rare flowers and plants. The two of them talked and laughed, and the beautiful scenery passed by was quite eye-catching.
Just when everyone was looking at the flowers with great interest, someone suddenly suggested that the ladies sitting next to each other should each draw a picture, so as to compete in painting skills and to preserve the style of today's flowers and plants.
Mingzhu was not a competitive person, but she didn't like He Yunniang's pretentious demeanor, so she encouraged Meng Ying to do it.
Meng Ying declined, as she did not want to steal the spotlight from her master.
Mingzhu advised: "I like that pot of camellia very much. Please draw it for me and I will take it back to Meizhou."
Hearing what Mingzhu said, Meng Ying walked to the table without any further refusal, and splashed ink. After a while, a painting of camellias was vividly placed in front of the table.
At first, everyone admired He Yunniang's orchid painting. After seeing Meng Ying's camellia painting, everyone praised Meng Ying for her wonderful painting.
He Yunniang's younger sister, He Yunjiao, was very unhappy when she saw that everyone was promoting an embroiderer but neglecting her eldest sister. She then said insinuatingly: "If a virtuous person painted this painting, he would have both ability and political integrity. A person who has been exterminated
No matter how talented a person who is immoral is, there is nothing worthy of praise!"
As soon as this remark came out, the whole group of noble ladies exploded. The remark was very inappropriate, and it obviously offended the people who praised Meng Ying, but no one dared to refute her identity. p>
On the contrary, everyone was whispering, and strange eyes fell on Meng Ying.
These words were obviously aimed at Meng Ying. Mingzhufeng raised her eyebrows and wanted to stand up for Meng Ying. Meng Ying pulled her hand, shook her head, and signaled her not to do this.
Meng Ying knew that Mingzhu wanted to protect each other, but Mingzhu came from a scholarly background and did not like the fight between women in the home. She also did not want her best friend to get involved in trouble when she left Beijing.
Meng Ying took a step forward and asked, neither humble nor arrogant, "Miss He, are you going to talk about me again?"
"So what if I say you!" This is not shy at all.
"Yes, I was expelled from the clan, but does it mean that all people who are expelled from the clan are immoral? The Wu family's real name is Xue, and she was also expelled from the clan, but now even the Queen Mother praises her for her "outstanding virtues and a role model for women"
.'When Miss He said this, was she questioning the Queen Mother or the Wu family?"
After all, He Yunjiao was young. When she heard Meng Ying using the Queen Mother to suppress her, she stamped her foot angrily, pointed at Meng Ying and said: "You are talking nonsense. Compared with the Wu family, you are worthy!"
Mingzhu took a step forward and said coldly: "Ying'er is open-minded and has outstanding talents. This is obvious to all. Miss He, on the other hand, is so sarcastic and mean, I learned a lesson. I brought the person here. Since the He Mansion does not welcome him,
We are not shameless, let’s go.” After saying that, he pulled Meng Ying to leave.
Seeing that her sister was in trouble, He Yunniang hurriedly stepped forward and took Mingzhu's arm: "Sister Xiao, my sister is young, and she speaks a lot of words without restraint. Please don't take it to heart."
Before Mingzhu could answer, He Yunjiao took her sister's hand and said disdainfully: "Let her go, and you still think you are the granddaughter of the prince's young master!"
As soon as these words came out, Mingzhu shook off He Yunniang's hand. After taking three steps, she looked back at the sisters with half-lidded eyes and smiled disdainfully.
This mocking smile made He Yunniang smart. She quickly covered her sister's mouth and said, "Stop talking nonsense, you're going to get into trouble now."
"We are girls from the Duke's palace. Her grandfather has already retired, so there is nothing to worry about! It would be better if they left, so as not to be an eyesore here."
"Teacher Xiao has been an official for many years, and he is also a close minister of the emperor..." He Yunniang also felt that the Xiao family today has nothing to fear, but when she thought about it, she was once the prince's teacher, and she became a little scared.
Not long after, the news reached Mrs. He's ears. She was so angry that she almost lost her breath. She banged her cane hard and cursed: "The centipede is dead but not stiff. Mr. Xiao has peaches and plums all over the world. You are like this."
You bastard, how can you trust your words and go and kneel in my ancestral hall!"
Let’s not mention the He Mansion here for the moment, but Mingzhu took Meng Ying out of the He Mansion, and the two got on the carriage. Mingzhu cursed angrily: "What a He family, they are really a villain who flatters others and puts them down. My grandfather has just become an official.
I won’t take the Xiao family seriously!”
Meng Ying advised: "This world is like this. Even the He family with a prominent family is inevitably vulgar. You have to adapt slowly."
Mingzhu held Meng Ying's hand and said, "I don't mind what she thinks of the Xiao family, but you and I have been wronged."
Mengying shook her head and said: "What kind of grievance is this? The fact that I left the clan and established a female household has not been publicized or hidden. I have nothing to be afraid of."
"Although this capital is nice, people here are very evil. You'd better go to Jiangnan with me."
Meng Ying knew that Mingzhu was worried about her, so she patted the back of her hand and said, "You go first. When you settle down, I will join you."
Mingzhu knew that Meng Ying was trying to comfort her, so she smiled bitterly and shook her head.