When the old lady got up in the morning, she only felt her temples twitching. Even though Aunt Zhu was pressing them for a long time, she didn't feel any relief.
"Old madam, why don't I ask Dr. Li to come and take a look at it for you?" Aunt Zhu looked at the old madam tentatively and said.
"Forget it, I just didn't sleep well last night." The old lady frowned, with obvious displeasure on her face.
Last night, Xie Shi and Xie Xu suddenly returned home, and the commotion was quite loud. The old lady had always been in a light sleep, so she was naturally shocked.
When the old lady mentioned last night, Grandma Zhu didn't know what to say. She retracted her hand, took the mouthwash from the maid's hand and handed it to the old lady. She rinsed her mouth and then wiped her face with her.
"Laba is tomorrow, how are you preparing the sacrificial things?" After washing, the old lady's complexion improved significantly. She stood up and asked the maid to change her clothes, and asked Aunt Zhu.
"Don't worry, old lady. The second lady has prepared the things for tomorrow's sacrifice early in the morning. My servant went to check again yesterday. There are no omissions. As for Chao'an Temple, they also handed over a letter, saying that they would send Master Chen down the mountain to help.
Let's do it." Grandma Zhu replied in detail.
The old lady nodded, and finally a little smile appeared on her face.
Every year during the Laba Festival, the Hou Mansion opens a temple to worship the ancestors, and invites masters to perform rituals, dispel darkness and drive away epidemics, and pray for blessings for the coming year. Therefore, she takes the Laba Festival very seriously, and it is for this reason that Yang dares to retreat.
Jin wanted to use this to conquer her, but it was a pity that she made a mistake this time! However, even so, she did not trust to leave the matter to Chen, so she could only spend more money herself.
Fortunately, there is Nanny Zhu beside her.
"By the way, are there any maids from Cuizhuyuan and Tinglanyuan?" the old lady asked again.
This is to ask about what happened last night.
Fortunately, Aunt Zhu has been serving the old lady for many years, so she can understand her temper very well. At that moment, she bowed her head and replied respectfully, "Tomorrow is the Laba Festival, and the prince and the second master happen to be in the house.
Therefore, this servant took it upon himself to send someone to invite them early in the morning."
After hearing these words from Aunt Zhu, the old lady nodded with satisfaction.
After the old lady had finished packing, Feicui bowed in and reported that the prince and the second master had arrived.
The old lady stroked her meticulously combed hair on her temples, then put her hand on Nanny Zhu's arm, and let her help her slowly walk towards the front hall.
The sandalwood chairs in the front hall were full of people.
It was rare for the masters of the Hou Mansion to gather together like this. Except for the old Lord Hou and Xie Yuan, everyone else came. Even the three-year-old fourth girl was carried over by the wet nurse.
"Mother."
"grandmother."
As soon as the old lady came out, everyone stood up and saluted.
The old lady held Nanny Zhu's hand and slowly walked to the sandalwood chair at the top and sat down. Then, she raised her eyes and slowly scanned everyone. Finally, she waved her hands to everyone and said, "Okay.
Come on, everyone, sit down."
Everyone still sat down one after another.
The old lady leaned her arm on the armrest, changed to a relaxed posture, and then spoke again, "Tell me, what did you make such a fuss about last night?"
There was obviously a room full of people sitting there, but no one spoke up to answer these words.
Xie Zheng and Xie Feng's expressions were cold, and the sisters-in-law Yang and Chen both had their eyebrows slightly knitted together. However, one was a little frightened, the other a little uneasy, and Xie Shi had his head hanging down from beginning to end.
, Xie Xu was a little better, but he still pursed his lips as if he didn't dare to hum...
In the room full of people, apart from Xie Wu who was drinking tea calmly, there was only a three-year-old Xie Ru who was happily nibbling cakes. The others either looked a little uneasy or a little dignified.
The old lady only glanced at him, and her eyebrows twisted into a ball.
"Why, everyone is mute!" The old lady's face suddenly darkened, and her voice became sharper.
Xie Shi shivered and hurriedly lowered his head.
However, there is a saying that what you are afraid of will come to you. As soon as he moved, the old lady's eyes immediately locked on him, "Brother Shi, tell me! Ordinarily, your academy has a holiday today, but why did you do it last night?
You’re back, and it’s still so late?”
Xie Shi was agitated by the old lady's words. He stood up stiffly and slowly, his eyes constantly looking at Yang.
At this time, Yang was also feeling very guilty.
She had repeatedly warned Gui'an not to make any noise, but to trick people out of the academy before taking action. However, she didn't expect that idiot Gui'an would be exposed...
But she felt guilty, but she had to pass this test anyway, so she could only take a deep breath and face the old lady with what she thought was the most perfect smile.
"Mother……"
"I didn't ask you a question." The old lady interrupted her without mercy.
Yang's face instantly became confused.
Although the old lady had been very dissatisfied with her recently, this was the first time that she had been embarrassed in front of so many people. Thinking of this, Yang instantly felt extremely aggrieved. In addition, she was already flustered, and her eyes suddenly filled with tears.
fog.
But the old lady seemed not to notice, and only glanced at her indifferently, and then her cold gaze returned to Xie Shi, "Brother Shi, you say it yourself."
The panic on Xie Shi's face was obvious when his name was called again, but he also knew that he couldn't escape no matter what, so he had to bite the bullet and replied, "Grandma, something happened last night, so I asked Master
I took a leave of absence..."
Having said this is the same as not having said it.
The old lady snorted coldly and said impatiently, "Then what's the matter with the injury on your face?"
This time Xie Shi was completely silent.
"Mother." Seeing her son being brought up by the old lady for this reason, Yang finally spoke for Xie Shi at the risk of being scolded again by the old lady, "Last night Ah Shi and Ah Xu had a dispute in the academy.
, accidentally alerted the Master in the academy, and then the Master asked them both to go home and reflect for a few days."
Yang opened his mouth and immediately dragged Xie Xu into the water.
Chen didn't hear anything wrong, but Xie Zheng couldn't help but glance at Yang seriously.
The old lady's brows knitted together when she heard that, and she scolded her sternly, "What's the matter that you can't solve privately and why you have to make trouble in the academy? Where is Songyang Academy? What kind of person is Mr. Li Shan?
How dare you!"
"Grandma, I was wronged!" After being scolded by the old lady, Xie Xu quickly stood up and cried out for himself, "Last night I was asking for advice in the wife's room, and it was the eldest brother who led someone to kill the little one next to me without asking any questions.
The young man caught me, but he was afraid to ask me for help, so I alerted the master!"
After listening to Xie Xu's words, the old lady also noticed something was wrong. She pressed her eyes, looked at Xie Xu and said, "Did you just say that your elder brother wanted to arrest a boy next to you?"
Xie Xu nodded vigorously.
Seeing that something was wrong, Yang quickly explained to the old lady, "Mom, it was the boy next to Brother Xu who stole Brother Shi's money, so Brother Shi sent people to the academy to ask him, but he didn't expect this
The young man is very cunning, deliberately causing trouble and provoking brother Xu, otherwise the two of them would not have had a dispute and even been reprimanded by the madam!"
The old lady frowned and glanced at Mr. Yang displeasedly.
Although she knew that what Yang said might not be the truth, no matter what, the boy next to Brother Xu was the key.
"Where is that boy now?" The old lady pondered for a moment, and then asked again.
"That boy was hidden by Brother Xu, and Brother Xu refused to hand him over." Yang answered first.
Unexpectedly, Xie Xu did not become angry after hearing her words. On the contrary, his frowning eyebrows quickly relaxed. He smiled and said to Yang, "Second aunt, it turns out that you want to arrest Mei Sheng because of Mei Sheng."
I defrauded my eldest brother of my money! I thought it was because the fighting cock that my eldest brother gave to Master Shi Qi caused him to lose a piece of Hetian jade pendant... It's all because Gui'an didn't explain it clearly last night, otherwise he wouldn't have made a fuss in front of his wife.
Such a big movement."
Compared to Xie Xu's briskness, the old lady's face was almost frozen.
"Brother Xu, did your eldest brother just give Mr. Shi Qi a fighting cock?"
"Mom, Brother Xu has misunderstood. What kind of cockfighting? Brother Shi never plays this kind of thing." Yang quickly smiled and looked at the old lady before Xie Xu could speak and said with a smile.
But the old lady didn't even give her a glance, "Brother Xu, keep talking."
"Mother..." Yang called the old lady again, raising her voice.
But the old lady was not moved at all, and still stared at Xie Xu with burning eyes.
Seeing Yang's anxious and weak look, Xie Wu lowered her eyes and took a sip of tea, and couldn't help but curve the corners of her lips into a slight arc.
Xie Xu glanced at Mr. Yang with some confusion, and then said, "Grandma, I also heard from Prince Zhennan... He was showing off to others in the academy, saying that Mr. Shi Qi played cockfighting a few days ago.
, he won a jade pendant and a thousand taels of silver from Mr. Shi Qi, and said that Mr. Shi Qi could not afford to lose at that time, so he turned around and vented his anger on his eldest brother, saying that his eldest brother and the Prince of Zhennan were in a group and deliberately colluded to deceive him.
He also said that either the eldest brother would pay him five thousand taels of silver, or he would come to the Hou Mansion in person to ask for it!"
The room was extremely quiet.
No one spoke for a while. Even three-year-old Xie Ru sensed something was wrong. She nestled her head in the nanny's arms and did not dare to make a sound.
Until the old lady slammed the table and scolded Xie Shi with a sullen face, "Absurd! Ridiculous!"
This sudden noise made Xie Shi's face turn pale, and layers of cold sweat oozed from his palms.
"Grandma, I didn't lie. It was really Prince Zhennan who said it..." Xie Xu was also startled by the old lady's slightly ferocious expression.
The old lady seemed not to hear what he said. Her sinister eyes were fixed on Xie Shi. She turned pale and trembled all over. She looked extremely guilty. She immediately believed Xie Xu's words.
At that moment, she could no longer suppress the anger in her heart, grabbed the cup on the table and threw it towards Xie Shi.
