When Hongying heard that she was asked to give gifts to the Qiu family, she had a silly smile on her face just now, but her face changed in an instant.
"The slaves and maids of that wealthy family are not allowed to go. If the girl wants to go, someone else should be appointed."
Meng Ying knew that she held grudges the most. The fact that the Queen Mother granted her a marriage made Hongying hate all these people.
He took Hongying's arm and begged: "Good sister, Sister Qiu is kind to me. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't be able to come to the capital. Besides, these thoughts of mine will also take a long time. Isn't it hard for me to go away?"
/p>
Hongying angrily picked up the package and said, "Girl, you treat everyone with your heart and soul, but when you were in trouble, they all pretended to be cowardly."
"Don't you know Sister Qiu's temperament? Now that she is married and obeys her husband, she is restricted in every way. Even if she has the intention, she is powerless."
After all, Hongying finally reluctantly went out.
But after two sticks of incense, Hongying came back angrily. She said she hadn't seen Qiu Yan at all, so she was stopped by the concierge.
Meng Ying smiled bitterly, "That's the case, I feel at ease."
Haosheng comforted Hongying and counted the days. Today is the first day of the lunar month, half a month away from the fifteenth day.
Tao Huansheng wanted to eat Youzhou cuisine, so he asked the cook to cut the soft tofu into thin slices, dry it under the sun, and make some dried tofu. He also ordered to buy some red mushrooms, dried beans and other items.
Lin Xiao took Zhuzhu and Xiaoshi out every day, sometimes to teahouses, sometimes to wine shops. At first, every time she heard rumors about Meng Ying, she cursed them in her heart, calling them blind and blind, just for a few taels of silver.
It ruined the girl’s reputation.
Sometimes they secretly add laxatives to the tea, and then reward them to storytellers and singers.
Even so, every time I come back, I have a dark face.
But Meng Ying didn't take it seriously. She didn't have any business to do, so she was free. She stayed in the general's mansion for a few days, and when she got tired of it, she went back to Meng's house to feed the fish and enjoy the flowers. She looked calm and happy, and the years were quiet.
Lin Xiao took small stones and pillars to explore in various directions, and only found out that the person who spread the rumors was a Taoist nun. As for what she looked like, there were different opinions, which varied greatly.
Some people say that they are short in stature and fair and chubby; others say that they are of medium stature and have delicate features, which makes it impossible for people like Lin Xiao, who have been around for many years, to piece together an outline.
As for Butcher Sun's son, Wu Zuo said he died of drowning, but Butcher Sun insisted that his son was killed.
Meng Ying was soft-hearted and always felt guilty about her conscience. Seeing that Butcher Sun was very sick and pitiful, she gave him one hundred taels of silver in someone else's name and bought a maid to serve the soup. Finally, her worries were settled.
Six or seven days later, Lin Xiao came back and started to smile.
On this day, Meng Ying was reading the letter from Xiao Mingzhu in the study. Lin Xiao opened the door and said with a smile: "Girl, there is good news."
Meng Ying raised her head and glanced at her, then continued to read the letter and said casually: "What's the good news?"
"One thing is that the rumors in the market have changed now. The original criticism of the girl has now become a praise. It is said that after the girl came to Beijing, she gave alms to temples, donated to charity villages, and even went to Qingzhou to raise children in need. Nowadays, big and small teas
Everywhere, the buskers and storytellers on the roadside are all talking about the beauty of the girl!"
Meng Ying put down the book and said, "Do you know who did it?"
"Xiao Zhuzhu got close to a restaurant waiter. According to him, he was a man, but he came at night and couldn't see his appearance clearly."
"The direction of the wind has changed, but you don't know whether it is an enemy or a friend." Now that I am in the light and others are in the dark, I have no idea what the motives of this person are.
"Girl, let me tell you, this must be a good person. Otherwise, why would he go out of his way to say good things about you? Could it be General Tao?"
Meng Ying nodded, thought for a while, and said, "I have to find an opportunity to ask him."
The master and servant were chatting when Uncle Zhong came to report that it was Wu Botang who was here again.
When Wu Botang left last time, he said harshly that if he interfered with her affairs again, his surname would be his.
In the memory of his previous life, Wu Botang was conceited and aloof. Why is he this time?
"Please come in."
Meng Ying walked through the Moon Gate and came to the courtyard.
Today, Wu Botang has changed from his usual carefree appearance. He is wearing a dark brocade robe with pine and crane patches, a large belt around his waist, and thin-soled official boots. His face is a bit more solemn.
"I've met Mr. Wu." Meng Ying saluted.
Wu Botang coughed and said, "I have something important to do here. Why don't you invite me to have a cup of tea?"
Meng Ying had no choice but to let Wu Botang into the study.
Qing He brought the tea, and Wu Botang took a sip and said, "I'm here to tell you that I am working in Dali Temple now. If you have any trouble, you can come to Dali Temple to find me."
"Dali Temple?" Meng Ying was a little suspicious of her ears.
"That's right, the emperor said that I am 'endowed with extraordinary talent and thoughtful mind', and this Dali Temple is the perfect fit for me." After saying that, his face was full of pride.
Meng Ying thought in her heart: That's right, these young masters from noble families don't need to take scientific examinations. As long as the emperor likes them, they can even go to the cabinet, not to mention the mere Dali Temple.
"Then congratulations to Mr. Wu." Meng Ying was short and had a distant tone in her voice.
"You also have a message for Tao Huansheng. I'm going to see how thin you are this time. I won't pursue the crime of lax discipline in the Wei Mansion for the time being. If you do it again, I won't spare her."
These few words made Meng Ying confused, "Wu Sanye, I didn't understand even half of what you said."
Wu Botang was stunned at first, and then sarcastically said: "I thought he had discussed it with you, but it turns out you don't know that your good husband saved the initiator of the rumor! Who do you think she is?"
"Who is that person?" Meng Ying stood up excitedly. She originally thought it was Xie Chunlian, but now it seems that it is someone else.
"The fifth girl in Wei Dudu's Mansion, named Wei Yun'er, is the one who instigated a Taoist nun to bribe storytellers and sell singers in various teahouses and restaurants, ruining your reputation."
"Have you ever caught that Taoist nun?" Meng Ying stood up excitedly.
"I was kidnapped by your good husband, but you are still kept in the dark? Are you blinded, or is the rouge blinding your heart?" Wu Botang looked at him sideways, unable to conceal his ridicule
Being asked repeatedly by Wu Botang, Meng Ying was angry and annoyed, and the handkerchief was twisted into a rope in her hand.
She was angry with herself for being so naive that she really thought that Tao Huansheng would help her find out who was behind the scenes; she was also angry with Tao Huansheng for not keeping his word and actually playing with her like a three-year-old child.
But even so, Wu Botang, a foreigner, could not let Wu Botang laugh.
"Thank you Mr. Wu for telling me frankly. Meng Ying is very grateful."
Wu Botang stood up with a cry, "Haven't you seen it clearly? Wei Yun'er secretly ruined your reputation by forcing your bandit general to divorce his wife, and your good husband kept her behind your back.
, it means that the two of them have already been in love with each other for a long time. If you are smart, you should retreat at this time." There was a bit of hatred in the tone.
Meng Ying turned around, and after a moment, she said: "Where to go, Meng Ying will think about it on her own, so I don't need to bother Third Master Wu."
Wu Botang was so proud a moment ago, thinking that Meng Ying would tell him in tears that he didn't know people well, and now he asked him to take her away.
But who would have thought that after a moment of anger, that girl's face changed again.
The mud couldn't hold up the wall. Wu Botang was so angry that he gritted his back teeth and said: "Okay, okay, I have to say more."
After that, he left Meng's house without looking back.
Last night, he swore in front of him that "it's all up to him", and today he rode on the same horse with him, and it turned out that it was just an act! Okay, don't even show your sincerity.
"Go and call Lin Xiao!" Meng Ying held the table with a cold face and ordered towards the door.
"Yes." Qinghe heard what he said just now, and he didn't dare to be negligent. He went to find Lin Xiao with his feet like flying.
Lin Xiao happened to have just come back from outside, still humming a tune.
"Brother Lin, the girl is looking for you, go quickly!"
Seeing Qinghe's expression, Lin Xiao didn't dare to be careless and strode straight to Meng Ying's study.
The door was ajar, and Meng Ying was seen standing in front of the window wearing a pink embroidered jacket and a light yellow Hunan skirt, holding on to the window lattice. She looked out the window in a daze, her back lonely and deserted.
Hearing the footsteps, Meng Ying turned her head, pointed out the window, and said with a smile: "Look, those plum trees are growing very fast. They should be able to bloom this winter."
"Yes, when I loaded it, I was still a little seedling."
"It's a pity that we can't see it anymore." When Meng Ying said this, her tone was extremely lonely.
Lin Xiao was still trying to figure out the meaning of this sentence when she heard Meng Ying say: "You leave immediately and go to Jiangnan to buy a house that is quiet and elegant. It is appropriate to enter three rooms, regardless of the price."
"Girl, we...are we leaving?" Lin Xiao said with a surprised look on his face.
"Yes, the rumors about the capital have died down. Now is the best time." Wu Botang was right, he had to get out as soon as possible.
"But..." Lin Xiao hesitated.
"Although this place is good, it is not a place for us to settle down. You go first. In half a month, Hongying and I will set off and meet you in Jiangnan."
Meng Ying's resolute look made Lin Xiao swallow the second half of her sentence.
"Yes, I'll leave right away."
Meng Ying nodded.
Lin Xiao walked out of Meng Ying's house, packed her bags, and went straight to Hongying's wing.
Hongying was in the room embroidering a pillowcase with mandarin ducks playing in the water, with green water plants, and two mandarin ducks looking for a place to live in the water. Seeing Lin Xiao open the door and come in, she quickly hid under the pillow.
Thinking that Lin Xiao was pestering her again, she pretended to be angry and said, "What are you doing here again?"
Lin Xiao put away her cynical expression, frowned, and said: "The girl ordered me to go to Jiangnan to buy a house, and said that we will meet in Meizhou in half a month."
"Ah? To be so anxious, I thought she and General Tao..." This sudden change caught Hongying off guard.
"There's one more thing I didn't tell the girl." Lin Xiao interrupted Hongying.
"What's the matter?" Hongying knew that Lin Xiao's expression was a big deal.
"The hairpin that the girl's mother gave me before she died has been found. I inquired about the residence of the Yong family. Unfortunately, the nurse is dead, but she still has children and grandchildren. If you have a chance, you can go and visit. If the hairpin is
If there are clues, maybe the girl can really find her relatives."
"I understand, just go ahead and leave the affairs of the capital to me." Lin Xiao was leaving less than ten days after her return. Although Hongying felt extremely reluctant to leave, she couldn't show it on her face. p>
Lin Xiao raised her hand to help Hongying tidy up her hair, and said, "What a silly girl, you are not reluctant to leave her at all, but now I am starting to miss you."
After hearing this, Hongying blushed and lowered her head to take off a jade pendant from her neck and put it in Lin Xiao's hand, "My mother gave this to me before she was alive. She said it was for safety. You..." p>
Lin Xiao looked at the jade pendant that still had body temperature in her hand, and took Hongying into her arms. Hongying exclaimed and did not push away.
"When we get to Jiangnan, we will get married and never be separated again."
"Okay." Hongying replied shyly.
Lin Xiao sighed, turned around and pushed the door open, leaving the yard without looking back.
Hongying held the door, tears rolled down her cheeks, and she said to Lin Xiao's back: "Take care along the way."