Minister

141【Eight Years of Jiankang】

Liao Qiushui knew that he was in a dream, because he didn't feel cold or hurt at the moment.In the chaos, I suddenly saw the pair of red candles in the happy night.What a beautiful color, Feng Shixun specially made it with Jiangnan's master, and the decals on it are all made of gold leaf.

worth it...

Liao Qiushui suddenly felt warm in his heart.Although it was in a dream, he seemed to be touching the pair of wedding candles for real, and Feng Shixun was sitting on the other side of the wedding ceremony, looking at her with a smile.That smile is love, sweetness, and dependence that I can't give up.

Liao Qiushui looked at his smile: "For you, I am willing to be a concubine..."

I am willing to be a concubine, I don’t think it is wronged, I am willing to be inferior to a prostitute and call her sister, I don’t think it is wronged, I am willing to be mad at my father for you, I don’t think it is wronged, I am willing to do it for you You don't feel wronged by anything you do.

but!

It seemed that just for a moment, the bright red candle burned out.

Liao Qiushui felt her feet go soft, and a biting cold split the fog and woke her up.

Liao Qiushui opened his eyes with difficulty, got up from the cold floor, and wrapped two quilts over his body.What time is it?Liao Qiushui didn't bother to care about the nursing home at the door, and roughly tore off a corner of the window paper.

Snowing?The cold moon is big and round, hanging in the western sky, illuminating the white corner of the courtyard.The moonlight shone into the room through the missing corner of the window paper, making Liao Qiushui's shadow thin and long.

The nursing home was startled by the movement in the back room, and was about to say something cold, when suddenly it was startled by Liao Qiushui's pale face: "...Third...Third wife, don't get me wrong!"

The nurse could only see Liao Qiushui's face through the window, and that face seemed to be cut and pasted on the window.

"Third wife?" The nurse could hardly believe that it was the face of a living woman: "Third wife, please don't..." The nurse opened his mouth, but felt that his throat seemed to be stuck by something, and the cold wind Huhu poured it in, but couldn't say a word.

"Second wife! Second wife!" Qiuyue ran in in a panic: "That Quan Gui who was guarding the third wife suddenly went crazy! He yelled, "Damn it, right now...he's at the housekeeper right now... Master, master Not here, what should I do?" Qiuyue almost cried.

Xu Xiaonian didn't fall asleep at all, got up and said coldly: "Don't talk nonsense! Get someone else to guard!"

"Madam! Madam!" Qiuyue was trembling uncontrollably: "It is said that she is a...female...female"

"Useless stuff!" Xu Xiaonian got out of bed and put on his clothes: "I want to see what kind of tricks I'm going to make!"

Quangui was so frightened that he couldn't walk, he drank several bowls of hot tea before he could talk, and when he saw Xu Xiaonian came in, he was willing to let go of the housekeeper's hand, regardless of being a big man, he burst into tears: "Madam! Wife! Terrible! The third wife has hit the devil!"

"Slap!" Xu Xiaonian yelled angrily. Everyone at the scene was terrified by Quan Gui's appearance. They stood still and did not dare to move. Only the butler came up and slapped him: "Madam asked you a question, answer it properly!"

Quangui was shocked by this slap, and wiped his nose and tears with reluctance: "Little one, I saw that the third wife was fine when the sweet-scented osmanthus girl went out, and then... suddenly stopped crying , I guess she fell asleep, but it was just midnight...the little girl got up when she heard the noise, and...the result..." Quan Gui couldn't go on anymore, his knees softened, and he knelt on the ground.

In fact, the room was full of people, not to mention Qiuyue, even the butler himself was very scared.Everyone knows that Quan Gui has always been known for his courage in the house, if he didn't really see something unclean today, he wouldn't be afraid of this.

Xu Xiaonian sneered: "I'd like to see what happened to her! Get up! Take me there!"

Hearing this, Quan Gui felt as if his hairs were standing on his head, but he was limp and motionless on the ground, even after being pulled several times by the official.

"Hmph! Leave him alone! Let's go!"

Xu Xiaonian took Qiuyue, and the official took a few servants and cronies' wives to the courtyard of the third bedroom.

At the gate of the courtyard, everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, and dared not go in. Qiuyue was so frightened that she cried, and even those well-informed old ladies advised her to come back tomorrow morning.The butler was more cautious, and secretly came over to ask Xu Xiaonian: "...Should I tell the eldest lady about such a big matter?"

Before the housekeeper finished speaking, he heard Xu Xiaonian hum coldly.

"Open the door!"

After opening the courtyard door, the butler took a lantern and followed Xu Xiaonian, while everyone else dared to stand at the door.Going around the front yard and entering the back room, the housekeeper suddenly saw the face Quan Gui said... without warning!The housekeeper felt his eyes go dark, and then he yelled uncontrollably! ! !

But with this shout, the eyes on that stiff face turned, and the empty eyes became hot at this moment, as if they were going to burn a hole out of themselves standing here! ! !

"Snapped!"

Xu Xiaonian turned around, slapped the housekeeper hard, and snatched the lantern from his hand.The butler fell under the eaves, looked in horror at the woman in front of him with a sneer, tore off the key from his belt, and walked towards that terrible room.

"Xu Xiaonian!"

The face spoke, and then suddenly disappeared through the gap, as if it had never been there before.

Xu Xiaonian ignored these helpers, walked out of the corridor, walked across the courtyard, climbed up the steps, unlocked the iron locks on the doors one by one, and pushed the door open.

In the empty room, this light can barely reflect two people.

Liao Qiushui stood in the room with the quilt draped diagonally, looking at Xu Xiaonian with a half-smile.

"You bitch!□!"

"..." Xu Xiaonian looked at her coldly: "Apart from these two sentences, do you have anything else to say?"

"You! Shameless! Poor!"

"Me?" Xu Xiaonian looked at the other party's distorted face because of anger, and suddenly felt so funny, so he couldn't help laughing: "No matter how shameless I am, can I compare with your deeds made out of jealousy? No matter how pitiful I am Is it better than you who will be divorced because of cheating? Don't forget, it is you who will be driven away now, not me!"

"Hahaha..." Liao Qiushui also laughed: "I'm pitiful? I'm pitiful? Xu Xiaonian, do you know why you have been with the master for ten years, but you can't give birth to a man and a woman? Pregnant for the second time?" Liao Qiushui paused and raised his voice: "Because the master thinks you are a whore! The master is afraid that his son's mother is a whore!!"

The lantern in Xu Xiaonian's hand fell to the ground with a thud, and the candle inside flickered for a moment and went out.

"What did I do? Me? You have the face to say me? Do you think you can figure out what you are doing today as a good woman, can you do it? Let me tell you, only you, a whore, can think of it! Master, master was killed You are coaxing around, but it is still clear on this matter, if you can also give birth to a young master? Hahaha, isn’t that a prostitute young master? Wouldn’t you be laughing to death?”

"Shut up!" Xu Xiaonian smashed the lantern on the ground with one foot: "Master, master is impossible! What do you know? It's me..."

"Hahaha!" Liao Qiushui laughed presumptuously: "Master said it to me personally! He said it himself! He said you are a prostitute..."

Xu Xiaonian grabbed Liao Qiushui's throat, and when Liao Qiushui struggled helplessly, Xu Xiaonian let her go and let her fall to the ground and cough violently.

"You're dead!" Xu Xiaonian trembled: "Do you know why you have fallen to this point? No matter how capable my people are, they can't put those things in your room! Do you want to know who that is? Hehe, It’s not me who wants to harm you, it’s the sweet-scented osmanthus who grew up with you! It’s her! It’s her who put those things in your cabinet one by one, why do you have any resentment? Even the person you trust the most will betray you!! "

Xu Xiaonian visibly trembled when he saw Liao Qiushui.

"impossible!"

"If you think I begged her to do this? Then you are wrong. She came to me by herself, because she is anxious to be a concubine. Since you, the master, can't help her, then she has to find someone else Isn’t there a way out? Don’t blame him. If you want to blame it, blame yourself for being useless. Didn’t you just say that this is a trick only a whore came up with? Thanks to a good master like you, you can teach such a good whore !"

Liao Qiushui felt his eyes go dark, the strength of his limbs seemed to be pulled away, and he could no longer get up, so he could only watch Xu Xiaonian walk out in front of him.

knife!Why is there no knife, let me kill you, kill you!

Why, why do other people become a loving couple after going through hardships, but I suffer constantly... I finally married a person I like, but I struggle so much for what should belong to me?Even the people closest to me betrayed me in order to take you away!

When Liao Qiushui raised his head again, Xu Xiaonian had disappeared, and there was a faint light in the east.

It's dawn, I'm going to be divorced...

Xu Xiaonian struggled to get up, and suddenly there was a sharp pain in his lower abdomen, which pierced his heart... Only then did Liao Qiushui remember that there was an unborn child in her stomach, the child she planned to give birth to for the love of her life , this child is innocent, but only he knows his innocence, and he will live with this non-existent crime all his life...

Liao Qiushui wiped away his tears, supported his stomach to stand firm, and began to tear the two sheets in his hands, as if he wanted to tear Xu Xiaonian, Osmanthus fragrans, and himself.The monotonous sound was particularly bleak against the tranquility of the morning.When a blush appeared in the sky, Liao Qiushui finally completed his project.

Standing on the railing of the cloister, you can see the early birds on the branches, one female, one male, a pair... I, the two of us, become ghosts, and I will not let you go!

Mama Liu was getting old and didn't sleep very deeply. She got up early in the morning to ask the boys in the yard to sweep the snow.Mei Yue looked at the busy people outside the window, thinking about trying to catch birds outside the alley for a while.

When it was dawn, Mei Yue hurried over to help Qi Yuan get up, begging to build a snowman to play with after breakfast.

As soon as the breakfast was served, Feng Shixun's personal servant hurried over.

"The third wife... committed suicide!"

There are many big and small things in the yard, and some maids couldn't think about it before, but there are still no such big things!The servants who were accustomed to all kinds of disputes were really frightened this time.By the time Qi Yuan arrived at the third-bedroom courtyard, Liao Qiushui's body had already been cleaned up and covered under a brocade quilt.Feng Shixun probably just rushed back from the outside, and was crying bitterly at the side.

Mama Liu stopped Qi Yuan: "Madam, don't come forward, it's not clean."

Qi Yuan turned her head and saw Xu Xiaonian, she was also wiping away her tears, she seemed to feel something strange, she glanced to this side while crying, saw Qi Yuan looking at her coldly, and turned her face away unnaturally.

Before it was afternoon, people from the Liao family arrived, clamoring to see the official.But to their surprise, someone from the official family arrived soon, with Shi Shi's confession in hand. As soon as such a confession came out, the Liao family had no choice but to swallow it secretly even if they had a thousand grievances.This matter is a scandal to both families, and the elder brother of the Liao family is still working in the court, so face is still important.Feng Shixun burned Shi Shi's confession face to face, and promised to arrange the funeral well.The people of Liao's family also dispersed with interest.

As the end of the year approached, this incident gradually faded away, leaving only the empty courtyard of the three rooms, and the pointing and pointing of the servants.

Xu Xiaonian moved back to the study, and Qiuyue still took care of her. When there was no one around, Qiuyue couldn't help asking: "Ma'am... aren't you afraid?"

"Afraid?" Xu Xiaonian sneered.

Am I even afraid of this?I have seen many women in this world who are miserable than her, and they all clamored to turn into ghosts and come back for revenge.I can't do it when I'm a human being, and I'm still a wimp when I'm a ghost.There are no ghosts in this world, no next life, and no retribution!If you can't survive, go to die!

The butler who accompanied Xu Xiaonian into the yard that night fell seriously ill, and all the arrangements for the year-end were entrusted to the big house.Qi Yuan remembered that Feng Shixun himself said that Liao Qiushui's funeral should be properly arranged, so she was not sure how to spend this year.After thinking for a long time, I still called everyone to discuss.

Both the fourth room and the fifth room were used to not talking, and they were flattered to be called here for the first time. Although they held grudges against Liao Qiushui, they dared not speak when they thought of her tragic death and the gossip in the house.Xu Xiaonian is smart, and he doesn't focus on what he says.

"Cough," finally Qi Yuan said, "Since the master said that we should do it properly, we should hang the white lanterns at 29 and change them at [-]."

"Ma'am, my sister has something to say and I don't know if I should say it or not."

"Just say what you want."

"Nowadays the house is big, and the master is also an official. 29 Although no one comes to visit, it doesn't look good for the people passing by. It is not an exaggeration to say that the third sister is pregnant, but everyone knows the reason behind it." You know, it’s not good to make it so big.”

"Don't talk about this matter anymore," Qi Yuan said coldly: "I was there when the imperial doctor came that day. I also talked with the housekeeper about the time and life. The master went there during that time. The third sister was always there before she died. Crying for injustice, even though she couldn't think about it herself, and let us lose the evidence, since the master wants to give her innocence, don't hold on to it."

"Sister, what you said is wrong. Our master is magnanimous, but he also gave money before, and was buried in the Feng family's cemetery. It is enough to save face. If we have to wear hemp for her in our huge yard today Dai Xiao, then we really forced her to death, isn't it true?"

"Okay..." Feng Shixun stood up to smooth things over: "It's better not to hang up the white lanterns, and their Liao family didn't ask for it, and we don't necessarily appreciate it if we do it. On the first day of junior high school, you accompanied me to visit his house in person. Well, she and I are also husband and wife, which can be regarded as fulfilling filial piety."

"Thank you, master!" Osmanthus fragrans standing beside Xu Xiaonian cried and kowtowed a few times.

"Good boy, get up quickly. Serving your master is hard work for you. A few days ago, the Liao family also told our master that they would adopt you as a foster daughter and stay in our house." Xu Xiaonian helped Osmanthus fragrans : "You stay in the study and follow me."

Feng Shixun nodded his head in agreement, but now he is more concerned about what Qi Yuan means.

"...Since the master has made a decision, let's do it according to the master's wishes." There was no change on Qi Yuan's face, and the smile was still calm and breezy.

On the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, the children of all families do not have to go to school, and the shops on the street are closed one after another, only those selling firecrackers and fireworks are still operating.This year's grand ceremony in the palace had nothing to do with Wei Chi, and Wei Chi was completely quiet after teaching the prince the last day.

Different from the past, this year can be regarded as the first serious year. Chen Hu got the leave half a month ago and has already rushed back to his hometown.In the yard are Mama Liu and Uncle Liu, Zhu Er, and a few odd jobs.There is no serious butler in the Wei residence, and Yiqing usually takes on this errand, because his family is in the capital, so considering the lack of staff in the family, he arranged it since the beginning of the twelfth lunar month.After buying all the utensils in the house, he helped Mama Liu buy all kinds of New Year's goods, and then he was ready to go home.

29 On this day, Wei Chi happily called several members of the family to prepare ritual vessels.

This time the lantern was chosen by Wei Chi himself. Although it is not as elegant as other people's custom-made ones, it is expensive because of its exquisiteness.After finishing the cleaning, I greeted everyone to hang up.After finishing all the work, it was already dark, Wei Chi wanted to take Zhu'er out for a stroll, but Mama Liu said that the streets were boring and she was not allowed to go out and mess around. Although Wei Chi was a master, he had no choice but to give up.

Zhu'er was going to be Mama Liu's helper at thirty, so she went to bed early, and Wei Chi went to the study alone to tease mynah.

Mynah saw Wei Chi coming in, and quickly posted it on the cage: "Stingy! Stingy!"

Wei Chi was so angry that he swung his old fist at it viciously.

Old boxing is old boxing, Wei Chi still took out the small porcelain jar that Mei Yue gave her, and prepared to patiently fulfill his promise.

"Eat mine, live in mine, let me wait on you, and say I'm stingy, so you're going to piss me off!" Wei Chi scraped up the last bit of bird food on the bottom of the porcelain pot, rubbed a few balls, and threw it into the wren. Brother's rice bowl.I thought that Meiyue hadn't come for three days, so don't forget it, and then don't blame yourself for starving it to death!Tomorrow will be thirty, if she wants to go home...won't she have to wait until fifteen! ?

this……………………

Wei Chi closed the door of the study, touched the courtyard wall with the porcelain jar in his pocket, and opened the side door.

"Q... madam?" Wei Chi was a little embarrassed as he carried the bird food jar, feeling more and more like a beggar.

"Master Wei?" Qi Yuan was also surprised this time.

The side doors of the two houses are diagonally opposite, and there are red lanterns under the eaves.

"Ma'am, what do you want?" Wei Chi looked curiously at the bamboo pole in Qi Yuan's hand.

Qi Yuan was speechless for a while, and smiled awkwardly.

"...Why is there a white lantern here?"

Even at night, the capital city still smells like the New Year. Although the white lantern has not been lit yet, it is so abruptly and unluckily white.

"Let me help you," Wei Chi put down the jar of bird food, took the bamboo pole, lowered the red lantern at the opposite door, helped light the white lantern, and put it on.

"I'm really sorry, I asked you to help with such a thing during the Chinese New Year." Qi Yuan hastily cleaned up the candles in the lantern.

"...Is it... about your third wife?" Wei Chi tentatively said, "Mei Yue told me about it."

Qi Yuan froze for a moment, then nodded.

"I heard from Mei Yue that she herself is the third bedroom, but she is always arrogant and doesn't even respect you... and she is only a side room, and it is not against the etiquette not to hang white lanterns. As a wife, you can still do this Magnificence, I really admire."

"It's not generosity."

It was the first time Wei Chi heard this woman speak in such a cold voice.

"She is just a poor person. All she wants is a man who loves her wholeheartedly and respects her like a son respects his mother. Although many people think that such thoughts are selfish, greedy, and delusional. But I think that this It's not my fault, maybe she's annoying, and I hate her, even now. But now I just think she's pathetic, pathetic to the extreme, to the point of death..."

"Is she pathetic?" Wei Chi looked at the white lantern: "Mei Yue told me that she not only disrespected you when she saw you, but also deliberately colluded with the servants to cause trouble. Usually, she also wants to beat people of low status. Just hit, scold as much as you want, don't care about other people's feelings... I think a little girl like Mei Yue can't lie, that's why she begged me to take that mynah in, didn't she?"

"Master Wei..." Qi Yuan raised her head and looked at him: "She was not like this before, I think, she was also a gentle and elegant girl with a good upbringing. Someone turned her bad...she is pathetic The sad thing is that she became like this because of that person, and she hated the wrong person until she died..."

Wei Chi was speechless for a moment.

"Sorry, I said something strange." Qi Yuan wiped the corner of her eyes: "I made you laugh."

Some naughty people are already trying out new firecrackers. The crisp sound and laughter can be heard even deep in the alley. Wei Chi sighed and prepared to leave.

"Since you already thought it was because of her, why did you hang the lantern for me?"

Wei Chi stopped and turned around: "I..."

"Master Wei, she was hanged, barefoot, and very desolate. You are talented and have an outstanding appearance. There will be many people infatuated with you in the future, but please focus on loving someone. You know, every woman can It's so bleak..."

Every woman can be so miserable...

"You're not a woman, so you won't understand, thank you for your help, goodbye."

"and many more!"

Qi Yuan turned around.

"I see."

The author has something to say: Often it is not we who choose our fate, but fate chooses us.

Anyone can be Liao Qiushui.