Chapter 313: 313 down and out
Chapter 313 Chapter 313 Downfall
Mrs. Shen felt that Mrs. Shen was too cruel. They said it was better to be kind than to cultivate kindness, but Mrs. Shen didn't care about Chu Qianhuang as a mother and daughter at all. It was clear that even if Chu Qianhuang didn't crawl out of her belly, she was still her daughter because of her emotions.
This Mr. Shen has absolutely no dignity at all!
The madam's expression changed several times. She had a thousand things to say in her heart, but she finally kept her mouth shut.
Ever since Chu Lingxiao was convicted, the Shen family has been the leader in the Hou Mansion these days.
The wife did not dare to show off her mother-in-law's score. She held Chu Qianhuang's hand with one hand and comforted her in a distressed and soft voice: "Sister Huang, don't worry, I will find a way and ask your concubine and aunt to beg for mercy for you. , don’t be afraid.”
As she spoke, the Madam's eyes became red, and a layer of tears appeared in her eyes. To Mrs. Tai, Nanhao is no different from places like Chidi, they are all barbaric places outside of Daqi.
Chu Qianhuang's eyes turned slightly, and she forced herself to suppress all the negative emotions just now.
She had finally reached this point, and there could be no more changes. She must go to Nanhao as soon as possible!
"Grandma, don't worry." Chu Qianhuang took out a handkerchief, gently pressed the corner of Mrs. Tai's eyes, wiped her tears, and comforted her in turn, "It will also be a good thing for the Hou family if I marry Nan Hao. , maybe the emperor will feel indebted to the Chu family and be willing to let his father come back."
Chu Qianhuang looked at Mrs. Tai sincerely, her eyes clear.
"Sister Huang!" Mrs. Tai felt even more distressed when she saw Chu Qianhuang. She felt that this child was sensible and knew how to honor her father. She was worthy of her son's love for her all these years.
As a result, Mrs. Shen felt even more resentful.
"You also have to think about your own future. You are still so young and haven't even had haircuts yet." The wife raised her voice deliberately.
These words were specially spoken to Shen. On the one hand, they wanted to make Shen feel softer. On the other hand, they also wanted to remind Shen that there was a Concubine Chu in the palace. Their house was not really helpless. He was helpless and wanted Shen to restrain himself.
Mrs. Shen looked at the loving Tai Madam and Chu Qianhuang, and sneered. Just as she was about to leave, the concierge ran over panting and shouted: "Madam, Princess Chen... the second aunt is back!"
The surrounding atmosphere suddenly became a little weird.
Mrs. Shen immediately changed her smile and told the concierge, "Hurry up and greet her."
While Mrs. Shen ordered her maid Dongmei to prepare tea and snacks that Chu Qianchen liked, she went over to greet Chu Qianchen in person.
Seeing that Mrs. Shen only had Chu Qianchen in her eyes and could not see Chu Qianhuang at all, Mrs. Tai felt pity for Chu Qianhuang even more, feeling that her eldest granddaughter's life was really miserable.
Even if there is everything wrong between the son and Aunt Jiang, the child is innocent, right?
The madam thought in her heart that she must find a way to prevent Chu Qianhuang from making such a sacrifice for the Hou Mansion.
Mrs. Tai took Chu Qianhuang back to Rongfu Hall, while Mrs. Shen faced the cold wind and walked lightly to the outside of Yimen. She didn't feel the cold at all. She saw a familiar red-wheeled cart in front of the concierge. Just stopped under the guidance.
Jiang Yuan jumped out of the carriage first, went over to open the door of the carriage, placed the footstool, and carefully helped Chu Qianchen down.
"Sister Chen!" As soon as Mrs. Shen saw Chu Qianchen, she stepped forward and took her daughter's arm affectionately, looking her up and down. After confirming that everything was fine with her daughter, the smile on Mrs. Shen's face deepened and she beamed with joy.
The two mothers walked towards the inner courtyard together, talking about some trivial matters between the parents.
Mrs. Shen smiled and said: "The Chinese New Year is coming soon. I thought you must be busy recently, so I didn't go to the palace to see you."
Thinking that this was her daughter's first New Year's Eve after marrying into the palace, Mrs. Shen hurriedly said: "If you don't understand anything, just come and ask me."
"I'm not busy. There are few people in the palace and there aren't many things to do." Chu Qianchen blinked and smiled with curved lips. The smile was so sweet that even the pear dimples on his lips were filled with honey.
In fact, Gu Jue has been staying in the palace these days. When she was preparing for the New Year, he also helped her handle it, which naturally got twice the result with half the effort.
Seeing her daughter smiling happily, Mrs. Shen was also infected with the smile and said with a smile: "Then I will let Brother Mu go and bother you."
There was a hint of teasing in her words, which made Chu Qianchen laugh even more.
Chu Qianchen responded readily: "Okay, you can just 'let' Brother Mu come."
The mother and daughter came to the main courtyard talking and laughing.
Dongmei guessed that the mother and daughter wanted to speak respectfully to each other, so she had already considerately kicked all the other servants out of the pavilion.
"Mom, did someone come to deliver the order just now?" As soon as he sat down, Chu Qianchen immediately got to the point and asked proactively.
Shen nodded and said, "Not bad."
The feeling in Shen's heart was indescribably complicated, and she couldn't tell whether it was sadness or loss.
Regarding Chu Qianhuang, neither Chu Qianchen nor Shen Wan hid anything from Shen.
That day, Chu Qianchen asked Shen Wan to comfort Chu Qianhuang, and tried to guide Chu Qianhuang to see the King of Andaman County, and Chu Qianhuang actually went...
Shen didn't know what Chu Qianhuang said to Andaman. Judging from the results, she obviously reached some kind of agreement with Andaman.
For more than half a month, Shen had watched Chu Qianhuang sink deeper and deeper step by step, and her heart became colder and colder.
During this process, Chu Qianhuang had no repentance at all. Even now, she still remains the same and refuses to repent.
Thinking of Chu Qianhuang's appearance just now, Shen's heart felt empty, her brows also dimmed, and there was a hint of ridicule in her expression.
This subtle emotion passed by in a flash, and Shen quickly calmed down.
Chu Qianchen is her daughter, and she cannot make her daughter sad.
It was her own choice that Chu Qianhuang would reach this point. No one forced her to do so. It was her own fault.
Even if he stops her this time, she will still seek death next time.
Shen told herself over and over again in her heart, she quickly calmed down and took two sips of tea.
Chu Qianchen ate a candied rose and suddenly asked, "Mom, have you noticed that Chu Qianhuang has changed a lot?"
Chu Qianchen's question was so confusing that Shen was stunned, with a bitter look on her face: Chu Qianhuang had changed a long time ago.
Without waiting for Shen's answer, Chu Qianchen asked another question: "Mom, based on your understanding of Chu Qianhuang, will she really change that fast?"
Chu Qianchen's face was calm, and he stared intently at Shen's phoenix eyes that were eighty-nine times similar to hers.
"..." Mrs. Shen was confused when she heard this, and her eyebrows moved slightly. She didn't understand why Chu Qianchen asked these questions, but she could vaguely feel that she seemed to be trying to tell him something.
Ms. Shen felt a little inexplicably flustered.
Chu Qianchen held Shen's hand and smiled slightly. There was a hint of comfort in the smile, but also a hint of unpredictability.
"Mom, put aside the present... no, put aside what happened in the past year, and think about it carefully, if it were Chu Qianhuang in the past, would she have done 'these things'?"
Chu Qianchen looked directly into Shen's eyes intently. Her eyes were as calm as the windless lake surface, clear and peaceful, and clearly reflected Shen's face.
Although Chu Qianchen's question was a bit ridiculous, it was Chu Qianchen who asked it. Shen naturally took it to heart and lowered her eyes seriously to think about it.
Then there was a long moment of silence in the room, complete silence.
Chu Qianchen was not in a hurry and sat quietly beside him, drinking hot tea elegantly.
Wisps of sunlight streamed in from the outside through the windows, illuminating the warm pavilion with half darkness and half light. There was a quiet and distant atmosphere in the room, with some faint stagnation in it.
It seemed that even the flow of time slowed down as the silence spread.
Shen thought for a long time and then raised her head. The smile on her lips had long since disappeared.
Her expression was calm, but her eyes were complicated. Her dark pupils were filled with complex emotions of uncertainty, and the corners of her red lips were tightened.
She shook her head firmly and said clearly:
"Won't."
As these two words came out, Mrs. Shen looked away and turned to look at the wintersweet branches outside the window. There was a little nostalgia, a little sadness and a little helplessness in her eyes, all intertwined together.
Her eyes seemed to travel through time, back to the past.
In the past, her sister Huang was the daughter she was most proud of. She was gentle, courteous, generous and decent, filial to her elders, friendly to her sisters, and a brilliant woman. Unlike now, she was inconsistent in her words and would use any means to achieve her goals.
If it were the Chu Qianhuang from the past—
She would not provoke Chu Qianling;
She would not go against her will and insist on being the third princess’s companion;
She would not harm Gu Zhiyan...
She would not even risk being a concubine just to go to Nanhao.
…
The past events passed through his mind like the wind, causing a twinge of pain in Shen's heart.
Mrs. Shen always felt that Chu Qianhuang, whom she raised, would not do those unbelievable things, so she would give her opportunities again and again, and then be disappointed in her again and again.
When did Chu Qianhuang change?
What changed Chu Qianhuang? !
Shen's eyebrows furrowed as she thought about it carefully.
As if overnight, Chu Qianhuang suddenly turned into another person, a person who even felt strange to her mother.
Shen thought about these two questions again and again, but couldn't figure it out.
While thinking, a little sadness, a little sigh, a little helplessness, a little guilt... and a little bit of tiredness that couldn't be concealed flashed across Shen's face.
Whenever she thinks of Chu Qianhuang, Shen often feels tired.
Her face turned gloomy and she whispered to herself: "It's my fault that I was careless and didn't teach her well..."
"I don't even know when she became like this."
Although Mrs. Shen had already vaguely felt that Chu Qianhuang seemed to have changed since last year, at first, she thought that at the age of thirteen or fourteen, the little girl was about to grow up and would inevitably suffer from physical and mental problems. More or less changes.
She was careless, she should have noticed something was wrong long ago. It was because she failed to teach Chu Qianhuang well that she made so many mistakes and harmed so many people...
Mrs. Shen withdrew his gaze from the window again, slowly lowered his eyes, and was immersed in his own thoughts.
"..." Chu Qianchen's eyes locked on the subtle expression changes on Shen's face, and his eyes trembled several times quickly.
This time, Chu Qianhuang became the concubine who went to Hao Kingdom as a dowry according to Chu Qianchen's step-by-step plan. Mr. Shen also knew this.
Chu Qianchen came to the Hou Mansion specifically today not to tell these things that Shen already knew. She came here to tell Shen about a "guess" she had.
Chu Qianchen was already 80% to 90% sure about this "guess", but at this moment, looking at Shen's guilty and sad expression, Chu Qianchen suddenly couldn't say anything.
Chu Qianchen hesitated for a moment, looked at Shen's gentle profile, and swallowed all those words.
If Mrs. Shen were to know that the child she had raised since childhood was no longer the same person, and that the current Chu Qianhuang was destroying "Chu Qianhuang's" life step by step, this truth would be too bizarre and too cruel. Shen may not be able to bear it.
Her mother is a very strong person.
She has a resolute and steady temperament, but she has a groove in her chest, but she attaches too much importance to emotion, which is where she gets hurt.
Thinking of Shen's previous life, which was overly sad due to Chu Yunmu's early death, and therefore lingering on the sickbed, a slight ripple appeared in Chu Qianchen's calm inner lake, and soon returned to calm.
Let's talk about it later... we'll talk about it later.
"Mom, I also feel that Chu Qianhuang has changed a lot." Chu Qianchen personally took the teapot and poured tea for Shen, and then changed the topic, "Although the imperial edict has been issued, the matter of this concubine has not been decided yet."
"..." Shen opened her eyes slightly and showed a bitter and helpless smile.
She thought that Chu Qianchen said this because he was concerned about her. Thinking about it when Chu Qianchen asked about Chu Qianhuang just now, she felt even more so.
Mrs. Shen picked up the tea cup and sighed: "I have given up. Sister Chen, you and Prince Chen don't have to worry about Chu Qianhuang for my sake. Just do whatever you want."
The light of the tea reflected in her pupils, making her eyes flicker.
This is what Shen is thinking.
Although her emotions will still change a little because of Chu Qianhuang, that's all. Time will eventually wear away the last trace of her emotions towards Chu Qianhuang.
Her only daughter is Chu Qianchen.
The only children she needed to pay attention to were Chu Qianchen and Chu Yunmu.
As for other people, if they appreciate it and want to be taught, she is willing to teach them; if she is like Chu Qianhuang, she doesn't need to put her hot face on someone else's cold buttocks and insist on straightening them out.
Chu Qianchen smiled slightly and said nothing more.
She also agreed with Shen's words, just do whatever you want, the prince has his own concerns.
"Mom," Chu Qianchen leaned his upper body over, pressed her shoulder affectionately against Shen's, and said coquettishly, "You are the best!"
Her voice was sweet and soft, and Shen's heart almost melted when she heard it.
"Be good." Mrs. Shen gently touched Chu Qianchen's hair, with a loving smile in her eyes again.
Life is not perfect, and if a woman is like this, she should be content.
Seeing that the mother and daughter had almost finished talking, Grandma Chen entered the Nuan Pavilion carrying a tray. On the tray were two steaming white porcelain soup cups, and the alluring fragrance filled the room.
Nanny Chen smiled and said: "Second aunt, my wife just ordered the kitchen to make the milk tuckahoe cream you like. It has just come out of the pot and is still warm."
Nanny Chen sent one of the two soup cups to Chu Qianchen and the other to Mrs. Shen.
The milk tuckahoe cream is smooth and delicate, like milky white suet, with a rich milky aroma. There is also a spoonful of sweet rose jam and chopped almonds on top.
Chu Qianchen took the soup cup, scooped up a spoonful of milk and poria cream and put it into his mouth.
This milk tuckahoe cream is cooked just right, soft and creamy, with a light sweetness. After eating, it leaves a fragrant aroma in your mouth, with a fragrant aftertaste lingering on your lips.
Chu Qianchen ate with gusto, one spoonful after another, and he ate half the cup in one go.
Seeing that Chu Qianchen liked to eat, Shen was also infected and her appetite increased. While picking up the soup cup in her hand, she said: "Poria is a good thing. It can beautify the skin and is most suitable for women."
"If you like it, I'll ask the kitchen to write you the recipe. When you leave today, take some Poria cocos with you."
Chu Qianchen knew that Mrs. Shen wanted to be nice to her, and Mrs. Shen was eager to fill in the missing fourteen years between mother and daughter, so Chu Qianchen accepted her kindness with a smile and joked: "Mom is so good to me. Okay, Brother Mu will be jealous again later."
"Then let him be sour." Mrs. Shen wiped the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief, thinking about Chu Yunmu, but couldn't help laughing, and said jokingly, "Boys should be more jealous, so that they can be more open-minded. ”
Chu Qianchen was so amused by Mrs. Shen.
Fortunately, my mother still has Brother Mu.
Chu Qianchen's eyes, as clear as autumn water, swayed slightly, and were so gentle that they could shed water. He smiled and said, "Mother, you are just like my third aunt, you have a hard mouth but a soft heart."
Chu Qianchen took the opportunity to turn the conversation to Shen Wan: "But some people are just too greedy. There has been a lot of commotion in Prince Jingjun's mansion recently. Have you heard about it?" She blinked meaningfully.
"What?" Mrs. Shen raised her eyebrows. She had visited the new residence of Shen Yuan and his wife in the past few days, but she had not inquired about Prince Jingjun's residence.
Chu Qianchen wanted to make Mrs. Shen happy, and said mysteriously: "I heard that the four and five houses are now using their dowries to buy charcoal fires."
Chu Qianchen also listened to the gossip about the Jingjun Palace from Princess Li. In the past half month, Princess Li always told her some things in the clan, and said sadly that Gu Jin and his wife were good friends. , but Gu Jin's several younger brothers and sisters-in-law are all greedy and greedy, and there will be more trouble in the Jingjun Prince's palace in the future.
Shen's interest was indeed aroused, and she was not surprised. She said casually: "Your aunt told me that her third younger sister is a tough guy."
Speaking to her daughter, Shen didn't mince words at all, and directly relayed Shen Wan's evaluation exactly.
Mr. Shen has been in charge of the middle office of the Hou Mansion for so many years. He can figure out the key to this with just a brief thought. He clarified the key in one sentence: "The price of charcoal has increased recently."
This winter is cold. Not only did it get cold earlier, but it was also much colder than last winter. Therefore, the price of charcoal fires has nearly doubled compared to last year.
Because of Chu Qianchen's reminder, the Hou Mansion had prepared enough charcoal fires in advance, so it was not greatly affected, but life in Befu might not be so easy.
"I think the charcoal fire will continue to rise in the past few days." Chu Qianchen caressed his sleeves casually and nodded, "Now in the Jingjun Prince's Mansion, I heard that even the masters can hardly use the silver frost charcoal." Gu Ming's wife said that charcoal was expensive, so she asked each house to buy charcoal. The fourth and fifth houses were not willing to spend their own money, so they could only use second-class pine charcoal. "
If the Prince's Palace does not separate families, even if the price of charcoal fires increases recently, the Prince's Palace's wealth will not be able to afford charcoal fires this winter. However, Gu Laosan used all the cash from the Prince's Palace to make up for his shortfall. Well, now that the county prince's palace still has a large family to support, it can only live a modest life.
Shen raised the corners of her lips, with a mocking smile on her face, and commented without any politeness: "You deserve it."
Seeing Mrs. Shen's interest, Chu Qianchen continued: "A few days ago, Princess Jingjun gave the emperor an invitation to apply for a knighthood for Gu Ming, but the emperor's mood has been fluctuating recently, good and bad. It’s bad, my mind is not on this matter, I’m afraid it won’t happen until next year.”
The emperor's current thoughts are naturally on the marriage between the two countries. Until the king of Andaman leaves the capital, he is afraid that he will not pay attention to Concubine Yang's trouble.
Mrs. Shen could imagine that Mrs. Yang and the others were extremely anxious. As long as the emperor's offer did not come down, the Zongren Mansion would have an excuse to hold back the salary of the County Prince's Mansion.
"Isn't this family's life very tight?" Shen said sarcastically.
Chu Qianchen nodded again: "Princess Li told me that because of this matter, the Fourth and Fifth Fangs had several quarrels in the Prince's Mansion, but they were suppressed by Princess Yang out of filial piety."
"But a few days ago, the Fourth Madam Gu and the Fifth Madam Gu had trouble with Princess Li. It must be that Gu Ming was raising a foreign wife outside, gave all the palace money to the foreign wife, treated their concubines harshly, and asked Princess Li to preside over it. justice."
It was also because of this that Princess Li learned about the trivial household affairs of the Jingjun Prince's Mansion.
The Fourth Madam Gu and the Fifth Madam Gu did not accuse Gu Ming unjustly. Gu Ming, the Third Master Gu, did raise an outside wife. In fact, in the capital, there were not a few noble clan members raising outside wives. That is to say, did they make it public? Just go up.
Gu Ming's concubine made trouble at the county prince's palace. Because Gu Ming was short of money recently, he didn't give his concubine any money. The concubine and her brother went to the gate of the county prince's palace to make a fuss. It was known by the people in the fourth and fifth rooms.
The fourth and fifth bedrooms felt that they had suffered a loss because of the charcoal fire, but they couldn't make trouble with Concubine Yang, so they went to Prince Li's Mansion to file a complaint. This was already a joke in the capital.
Mrs. Shen finished the remaining milk and poria cream in the soup cup, rinsed her mouth with tea, and said with a calm expression: "The fourth and fifth rooms in Prince Jing's Mansion just eat from the bowls and look at the pot."
"In the past, when your third aunt was in charge of the house, the people in the fourth and fifth bedrooms believed that your aunt treated the concubines harshly and felt that their lives were not as good as those in the second and third bedrooms, so they devoted themselves to Concubine Yang, hoping that after Gu Ming of the third bedroom took over, they could Chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. I don’t know what to say. It means that my life is too comfortable. "
“It’s time for them to know what it means to be ‘in the midst of blessings but not to know how blessed they are’.”
In the capital, no matter which family or household, the treatment of the concubines is inferior to that of the concubines. The monthly rule is that the proportions when dividing the family property are also the same. This is a rule, and it also protects the status and dignity of the concubines.
In the past, when Shen Wan was the head of the family, the distribution of each house in the county prince's palace was clear, and he would not treat anyone unfairly. Instead, he spoiled the two concubines, so he "can't wait" to lean towards Concubine Yang, hoping to earn some money. More benefits, but the reality is not always satisfactory.
Before the division of the Prince's Palace, the third, fourth and fifth houses had Gu Jin and Shen Yuan as their common enemies, and they could barely stay together. Now, it was their turn to fight among themselves.
"Third aunt has always been a cheerful person, there is no need to mix with mud." Chu Qianchen said with a smile.
With the tutors from Duke Mu's residence there, even if Shen Wan disliked the other people in the Duke's residence, he would not deliberately deprive them of anything, nor would he engage in those tricks that were sweet on the outside but bitter on the inside.
Shen Wan does things with a sense of moderation, but she wants to be clear in her heart.
At this point, Chu Qianchen also admired this aunt.
To put it bluntly, in the past, Shen Wan only hesitated and swallowed her anger because of Gu Jincai, which was too unfair to herself.
It is a waste of time and energy to deal with the concubines in the prince's palace and argue with them. Since they feel that Gu Jin and Shen Wan are getting in the way, they can just "compliance" with them now.
The little suffering they are experiencing now is the result of their own actions!
Chu Qianchen felt that such a small amount of suffering was not enough. He tilted his face and said meaningfully: "It is the end of the year now, and the rent for Zhuangzi and the shop is coming soon. I think I can still survive this year."
However, this may not be the case next year.
The prince's palace in Jingjun didn't have any cash at all, and all the properties with good profits were divided up by Gu Jin and Shen Yuan. The big family of Sanfang was left, and their "good days" were still to come.
There are so many down-and-out clans in the capital, so they probably won't care about the addition of this one.
I have a guaranteed monthly pass today. Can I give it to you?
(End of chapter)