I'm just a dude

Ever since You Ji told about the various rules and shocking legends in the Imperial College, Qi Yuan's nightmare has been frightened away.

For a moment, he didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse for him to be alive this time, but when he thought that he had no choice, he had to bow his head and accept his fate, and continue to pretend to be a genius.

Fortunately, You Ji was not a lover of learning, and soon the two of them got together, and the one who ate, drank, juggled, talked about everything, and the one who studied practically didn't mention it at all.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and on the morning of the third day, their boat finally arrived at Luheyi.

Luhe Station is Tongzhou Station. There are many rivers and shoals in the north of Tongzhou, which are often silted up. The imperial court only allows water boats to pass through to ensure grain transportation.So everyone else had to disembark in Tongzhou and enter Beijing by land instead.

You Ji's family was picked up as soon as they got off the boat.But no one came to pick him up from the uncle's mansion, so Aunt Zhou ran to find two mule carts.

Qi Yuan and his maidservant Hufu took a car with their luggage, and Peng Shi took a car with his daughter and Madam Zhou. After loading the car, the group rushed to the capital without stopping.

Poor Qi Yuan was used to sitting in a sedan chair since he was a child, and being bumped by this big mule cart made him dizzy and unspeakably sick.

Seeing his wrinkled face, Hufu hurriedly put a cushion behind him, and took out a tea bottle with a round belly and a slender neck to feed him water.

Qi Yuan took a sip, was jolted by the car, and vomited while grabbing the side of the car.

Hu Fu became anxious, lowered his head and rummaged through the luggage, took out another copy of "Qi Wu Lun" for a long time, handed it to Qi Yuan, and said, "Master, why don't you read the book for a while?"

Qi Yuan was better, opened his eyes and looked at the densely packed small characters in front of him, almost spit it out again, couldn't help but shouted: "I'm still reading when I'm like this?"

Hu Fu was puzzled: "Didn't the young master say before that when you feel unwell, you just need to read poems and scriptures aloud, and you'll be all right after you sweat all over?"

Qi Yuan's eyes widened in shock, thinking what kind of abnormality is this?

Hu Fu tilted his head and asked, "Master, do you want to try the old method?"

"No need." Qi Yuan closed his eyes.

Hu Fu worried: "Master, isn't he motion sick!"

"More than that," Qi Yuan said, wanting to cry but without tears, "Young Master, I'm also dizzy."

He doesn't look at it.Hufu had no choice but to put the little book back, and fumbled in the bundle again.

Qi Yuan leaned to the side and watched half-deadly, wondering if this genius has any special hobbies?After waiting for a while, the little maid fumbled out a half-worn silk purse with Michelia flowers embroidered on it, the stitches were neat, and the mouth was tightly tied with a ribbon.

Qi Yuan wrinkled his nose lightly, as if he smelled a familiar fragrance.The smell is clear and vaguely grassy, ​​very similar to the incense pills enshrined in temples.

Sure enough, Hufu took out a small incense pill from his purse and put it under his nose.

Qi Yuan took a deep breath, felt a little better, and asked curiously, "Where did you get this thing?"

Hu Fu said: "When I went to Songlin Temple with my wife to offer incense a few days ago, I happened to see a monk throwing this away, so I asked him for some." After speaking, Qi Yuan seemed to be looking better, and said in surprise , "This is quite useful!"

Qi Yuan nodded, put the incense pill under his nose and sniffed it carefully, and carefully distinguished it.

Hu Fu also leaned on his purse happily and sniffed a few times: "It smells really good, but I don't think there are many pilgrims in the Songlin Temple. Why are the monks so extravagant? I don't want good incense pills."

Qi Yuan laughed and said: "You don't feel sorry for being a monk, all the good things are used in it. It's just that it is taboo to mix carapace, musk, and purple incense in the incense pills offered to the Buddha. There is a little musk smell in it. , I guess someone made a mistake."

He played in the incense shop since he was a child, and he has been familiar with it. He has long been proficient in making incense and smelling it, and he speaks clearly.

Hu Fu has always admired the young master's reading of the books, and he was not surprised, but worried: "There is musk... can I still carry this with me?"

Qi Yuan said speechlessly: "It's just mixed with the smell of musk by mistake, the amount used is very small, not to mention you don't eat it in your mouth, what are you afraid of?"

There are folk rumors that girls and young women are not allowed to touch musk, but in fact, genuine musk is rare, and ordinary people are rarely able to touch it.If you take a little of it and make a sachet, it can also make your body fragrant.Many concubines in the palace like to hang this kind of sachet in their tents.

The amount of musk that Hu Fu collected was very small, that is to say, Qi Yuan could distinguish it.

Hu Fu nodded his head half-understood, but he was still a little apprehensive when he thought of what his mother and father told him before.

Qi Yuan liked this quite a bit, and seeing that she didn't dare to take it back, he simply said: "How about this, I'll take this incense pill. When you get back to the mansion, the mistress will give you some money, and you can go buy something else yourself, that potpourri fragrance." Pills are fine."

Now that he is alone in a different place, it is rare to find a little familiar smell from this incense pill, and he feels much happier.

Unexpectedly, Hu Fu burst out laughing: "Where did the young master hear the Hundred Flowers Fragrance Pill? That thing is only used by the nobles. It costs three hundred dollars for a small box, which is not good. Let's talk less It also costs one hundred and eighty dollars. Besides, the young master only has a total of one tael of silver per month, and I am nervous about buying lamp oil and school paper every month, so how can I buy that for my slaves!"

Qi Yuan was used to squandering hundreds of taels of silver, so he was taken aback by what she said, and now he didn't care to hide it, and hurriedly asked: "How much is my regular money?"

"One tael of silver." Hu Fu didn't think much about it. It's common for scholars not to ask for rice and salt.It's rare for the young master to ask now, so she added, "All the masters of our second room have the same monthly payment, except Brother Ping, who is the same as us at [-] yuan per month."

Qi Ping was born by Aunt Fang, and he is only five or six years old now.It is said that the one who has been raised is yellow and thin, like a kitten.

Qi Yuan heard something strange, and asked her: "We are these, what about others, do you know?"

"Master, do you mean the family of the Eldest Master?" Hu Fu looked gloomy, and shook his head: "The family's accounts are all in the care of the eldest wife, how can we know their spending? But I listen to the second door. My mother-in-law said that Jin Zhi, the eldest wife’s maid, gave her all the monthly money she received last month, at least two taels of silver.”

Qi Yuan was stunned.A servant girl in the big house earns more money than herself every month?

He had also thought before that in addition to the salary of the imperial court, Uncle Zhongyuan's mansion must also have income from Zhuangtian shops every year.Since the number of people in the uncle's house is small, at least they can share food and drink without worrying about it. Why don't they even have decent silk clothes?

He wondered in his heart, chatted with Hupu one by one on the left, and didn't dare to ask too many details, but fortunately Hufu has a lively temper, and he likes to complain about everything.Qi Yuan listened carefully and got a general understanding.

It turned out that Uncle Zhongyuan Qi Zhuo was also poor.

The old uncle doted on his concubine and killed his wife back then, first he had the eldest son Qi Yong, and then the eldest son Qi Zhuo.Later, the first wife passed away early, and the old uncle helped the concubine to become his second wife, who is now the old lady Cai.

This Cai family is tricky and mean, and he treats his son-in-law harshly every time he takes charge of the family.Although Qi Zhuo inherited it when he was young, he had no choice but to earn a living under his stepmother since he was a child. Therefore, after he got married and had children, he was bullied by one person and bullied by the whole family.

He also thought about dividing the family, but the emperor of this dynasty is the eldest son of the concubine who is fighting for the throne, so he is very sensitive to the dispute between the concubine and the concubines.The old lady took advantage of this matter at every turn, and Qi Zhuo was afraid of causing disaster, so he had to give up.

Later, Mrs. Cai appointed her niece, Mrs. Cai, as the eldest daughter-in-law. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law jointly managed the accounting affairs of the uncle's house.

"Since the master went to Yachuan, that one has become more and more serious. After the young master fell into the water a few days ago, the madam sent someone back to the house to report, so that someone could send some silver to the young master for treatment. Who would have thought that the letter was delivered, the house But no one came, and I don't know what was on her mind. Later, Madam had no choice but to pawn a few jewelry." After Hu Fu finished speaking, he glanced at the cart behind him, then turned his face and said in a low voice. Said, "Nurse Zhou didn't want me to tell you this, saying that it would make you worry and embarrass yourself, and delay the correct course of the imperial examination."

Qi Yuan didn't want to listen more, and hurriedly said: "I don't want to say anything."

Tongzhou City was not far from the capital, and when Qi Yuan was about to be knocked apart, the mule cart finally wandered into the East Bianmen.

He poked his head and looked out.There were a lot of people walking outside, merchants and travelers wearing various clothes and speaking with different accents, they all lined up lively and walked along the flow of people.

Three miles away from Dongbianmen is Chongwenmen, which is the number one tax customs in the world, and entering Chongwenmen is the real Beijing.

Qi Yuan had never been out of Yangzhou since he was a child, and he had only heard about the majesty of the capital before. Now he stretched his neck to look into the distance, and he saw that the sky in the north is high, the city walls are towering, and there are grand and solemn scenes different from those in the south of the Yangtze River.

They moved forward slowly with the flow of people and entered Chongwenmen, the flow of people was finally much smaller.Uncle Zhongyuan's Mansion is not far from Chongwenmen, it is on the southeast corner of the capital, next to the Gongyuan, and next to it is Consort Hutong.

Nanny Zhou went to call the door, and several people entered through the side door.

Mrs. Peng also looked disheveled after being tossed all the way, but now she didn't dare to stop at all, and went straight to the old lady's birthday hall in the backyard with a pair of children.

Qi Yuan was completely unfamiliar with this huge uncle's mansion, so he walked along the way with lowered eyebrows.When they arrived at the Shouhe Hall, after a woman announced how many people to bring in, he also followed at the end, only looking around secretly.

This Shouhe Hall has the style of the uncle's mansion. The floor is covered with rich peony wool carpets, and there are a row of rosewood armchairs with ruyi cloud patterns on both sides, and a row of wooden kangs along the wall in front. , all of which are inlaid with hard mother-of-pearl butterfly patterns in black lacquer, it is a complete set of furniture, showing a magnificent style.

Qi Yuan shrank back at the end, and smelled a lovely fragrance of apricot blossoms at the end of his nose, looked up again, and sure enough, on the incense table next to the top cabinet, there was an incense duckling inlaid with gold and silver.That fragrance comes from the incense duckling.

The women and maids around were all dressed up in gorgeous clothes, wearing bead hoops on their heads, looking at them as if they were looking at beggars, Qi Yuan secretly cursed, so he could only continue to lower his eyes and watch the changes quietly.

After about half an hour, an old lady slowly turned out from behind the screen, with a square face, wearing a floral gown with greenery and four seasons flowers pattern, with a bead hoop on her forehead, covered with gold leaf, dotted with gold. The jade ground is embellished with five large flowers, which are extremely golden and dazzling.

The old lady was supported and sat on the kang, she took a sip of tea slowly, but said nothing.

Qi Yuan had never seen such a shining old lady before, he glanced at her, saw Mrs. Peng bowing down to pay her respects, and hurriedly saluted behind her in a vague manner.

The old lady just pretended that the three of them didn't exist, and talked to her mother-in-law and drank tea on her own.

It wasn't until Qi Yuan felt his legs were sore that the old lady suddenly saw Peng, and asked casually, "Is Brother Yuan better?"

Mrs. Peng kept bowing and waiting, and hurriedly said: "Tired mother is worried, Yuan'er is already healed, but she was frightened and couldn't sleep well at night. She still needs to recuperate slowly for a while." After speaking, she looked back and waved Let Qi Yuan pass by.

But the old lady said: "No need. I don't think there is anything wrong with standing here with all beard and tail."

Qi Yuan was about to move forward, when he heard the words, he was taken aback, thinking what kind of talk is this?

But the old lady continued: "Since Yuan'er is fine, I must talk about something serious."

Peng's complexion changed slightly, and he glanced at Qi Yuan, as if he had hidden worries in his heart.

"Have you heard all the rumors outside?" The old lady put down her tea bowl and said with a straight face, "When the imperial court issued an order, how did I tell you and your wife? Leading soldiers to fight is not a child's play! I want to make meritorious service and make a fortune. First, you have to weigh whether you have that ability, otherwise, if you go to the army, you will lose your life at least, and your family will be hurt at worst. As a woman, I understand the truth, and I have told you many times, but you just don’t listen. "

Peng stood with her head bowed, not daring to speak.

The old lady asked: "Why, why are you pretending to be dumb when the elders ask questions?"

Mrs. Peng shook her head hurriedly, and said in a low voice: "My daughter-in-law doesn't dare. It's just an order from the court, how dare the master refuse to obey!"

"What a sophistry bitch! I think you guys are obviously reluctant to part with the wealth! Thinking that once you have made meritorious service, you will have to separate the government and pay it off, so that you can leave me as a widow!" The old lady snapped, "I know stepmother It’s embarrassing, but you ask yourself, have you ever been short of your monthly money in these years? I love you so much, and I invited my husband to open a school, so two good children, Lan’er and Yuan’er, came out. The master is just a stone that cannot be warmed, so it is good now, and he has betrayed the enemy and the country, bringing down the whole house! If the uncle and master of the Cai family hadn’t played around with it, now your mother and child might not be able to survive!”

When Mrs. Peng heard this, she fell to her knees with a plop, and wept softly, "Mother, my lord is loyal, modest and prudent. He is by no means a collaborator and traitor! The rumors from the outside world are absolutely unbelievable!"

"Who knows what happened to him in the past two years." The old lady sneered, "You said he was wronged, but will anyone listen to you?"

Mrs. Peng lowered her head, muttering, not daring to speak.Yun Lan's face was flushed with anger, but she didn't dare to make a sound, she just bowed her head to La Peng's.

Qi Yuan has been dumbfounded ever since he entered the Shouhe Hall.Not to mention that this old lady is trying to torture people, but she is taking trouble on her own family, and she is probably the first to decide that her son-in-law has defected to the enemy!What is this picture?

Seeing that the whole family had lost their minds, the old lady said with satisfaction: "Your sister-in-law has put in a lot of effort in this matter. I have an arrangement. Do you want to listen, or not?"

Peng choked up, wiped his tears lightly and said, "Daughter-in-law dare not refuse."

"That's good." The old lady said, "The Cai family will find a way to save the lives of the three of you. But the second master will at least be punished this time. The title of the uncle's mansion is probably in his hands. I can't keep it anymore." When she said this, she raised her eyelids and glanced at Qi Yuan, "Since this is the case, it's better to let Kun'er replace this title as soon as possible!"

Peng's body shook suddenly, and he raised his head hastily, with a look of shock and fear.

Qi Yuan was also taken aback for a moment, but now he understood, the old lady Ganqing was thinking about this!It's just that if Qi Zhuo really defected to the enemy, this Zhongyuan uncle's mansion would be ransacked and beheaded by his family, how could he save his life because of Cai's pleading and continue to attack the noble?

Unless Qi Zhuo is fine.The family deliberately frightened Mrs. Peng.

Ever since he took over this body, he felt an inexplicable guilt towards Peng Shi. Seeing her being bluffed now, he frowned and looked up.

The old lady ignored him, this Yuan Geer had seldom spoken in the past few years, and he had long since become a stupid scholar who doesn't ask questions about everything.In the eyes of everyone, he is almost dumb.

She squinted her eyebrows, glanced lightly at the three mother and son, and was about to urge them.But seeing that Yuxiu suddenly stepped out for some reason and made a bow.

Qi Yuan smiled and said: "Old lady, no matter what the mother thinks about this matter, ten thousand grandsons will disagree."

As soon as these words came out, the room was filled with silence.

The maids and women around the room were all stunned, wondering why this old saw-mouthed gourd suddenly opened his mouth?Everyone looked at Qi Yuan's face in unison.

Qi Yuan is used to it, seeing everyone looking at him, he also raised his head, and said with a smile: "My father's title, if I want to inherit it, it's up to me, no matter how bad it is, Ping'er. If you feel sorry for your cousin, why don't you think of a way to let my cousin be reincarnated? This time, remember to reincarnate him into my mother's womb. Brother, you can still let him go."