Jia Zhen, Uncle of the Red House

　　Xichun said with a smile: "I said that we are going to come together, but you are the second brother who came first, so why do you blame me?"

　　Ping'er calmed down, "So many people, how do we get in? Let them avoid it?"

　　Xichun shook his head with a smile and said, "No need! My brother built an alley at Xijiaomen only for female family members, which leads directly to the inner courtyard." So Xichun took Ping'er in through Xijiaomen.Baoyu looked interesting and went straight in from the main courtyard. The young servant with good eyesight recognized that it was the Second Master Bao from the west, and hurriedly came up to lead the way.

　　The little servant bowed and hesitated: "Second Master Bao, the uncle and Xiao Rong are not here in our mansion, what are you?" The last half of the sentence was not spoken. You are an uncle and take advantage of your brother's absence to go to your sister-in-law's door, why? It's not the same, is it?

　　But Baoyu didn't care at all. He put his hands behind his back and said, "I'm not looking for Brother Zhen and the others. Just come and see my sister-in-law. Just take me there."

　　The little servant murmured in his heart, not daring to delay, and asked someone to inform the inside to prepare, and then said to Baoyu: "You go this way."

　　After passing the ceremonial gate and the hall, entering the warm pavilion to the east is Jia Rong's courtyard.This is a two-entry courtyard.Keqing lived in the main room, and Kailuan and Peifeng lived in the left and right side of the front yard, but since taking a concubine, Jia Rong did not go back to the backyard easily.

　　Baoyu asked, "Is Rong's daughter-in-law here?"

　　The little servant smiled and said, "Our grandma has returned to her parents' house today."

　　Baoyu sighed, "It's not a coincidence."

　　The servant did not dare to speak, so he led him into the inner hall and the inner three doors, and turned right to the hall. The servant stopped, and another maid followed, leading Baoyu to You's Courtyard.

　　There are three entrances in the courtyard, Jia Zhen's study in the front, You's main room in the middle, and Yindie in the back.There is another same courtyard in the back, where Keren, the second sister, and the third sister live from the front to the back.

　　At this time, all the women in Youshi's room were there.

　　Ping'er handed the list to You, who was resting in bed. You smiled and said, "It's rare that your grandmother has a heart. With this, we have saved a lot of things this year. Go back and tell Feng girl that I thank her."

　　Ping'er said with a blessing: "In previous years, our grandmother also planned to come over to discuss it, but at the end of the year, there were too many things to do, and I was afraid that Uncle Jane would be overly concerned, so it was delayed." You pointed at Ping'er and said to the left and right: "Listen Listen, her mouth is almost the same as Feng girl's."

　　Yindie has always been familiar with Ping'er, so she stepped forward and pulled her to complain: "Ping'er, you haven't been here for a long time, have you forgotten me?"

　　Ping'er smiled and said: "You are now a concubine, I am a girl, how dare you come here casually? People think that I am here to climb Gaozhi!"

　　Yindie spat: "The wife is right, your mouth is indeed the same as your grandma."

　　Just as he was talking, it was reported from outside that Second Master Bao was coming, and the little daughters-in-law and girls in the bluffing room all hid inside.

　　You stopped them and said with a smile, "How old is he? You always want to see how that jade is, but now that others have come, just take a look." Then they sat down again and went outside curiously. Look.

　　Baoyu entered the room, the room was as warm as spring, and Yingying Yanyan was dizzying.He went up to meet You: "Hello, sister-in-law!"

　　You shrugged on the bed and said, "I can't go out to meet you, and I ask Brother Bao to forgive me."

　　Baoyu hurriedly cupped her hands and said, "I didn't know the elder brother was not here, so I came abruptly, so don't mind the elder sister-in-law!"

　　You Shi smiled and said, "Why is the family so ignorant? Come on, let me introduce you!" She pointed to the four on the right, "They are your eldest brother Jane's aunt, you have seen Yindie before, this is lovely. . The other two are my two sisters."

　　Yindie, Kehe and the second and third sisters met and said, "Second Master Bao!"

　　You pointed to the two standing on the left: "This is your nephew's concubine." Xiluan and Peifeng also saluted.

　　Baoyu has recognized them one by one, seeing that they are beautiful in appearance, enchanting in body, and their dresses are bright, gorgeous but not flamboyant.He was a character who was used to rolling around in piles of fat powder. With his beautiful daughter by his side, he immediately felt refreshed and couldn't help saying: "My sisters, when I see you, I feel cordial."

　　You said with a smile: "It's fine for you to call them Yindie and the others. It's just that although Xiluan and Peifeng are older, they are young, so they can't be your sister."

　　Baoyu shook her head, "I just think of them as sisters in my heart."

　　Kailuan is a little reserved, "Uncle Bao's words have broken us."

　　Baoyu smiled and said, "How old are you? When did you enter the palace?"

　　Peifeng replied, "We are seventeen."

　　Baoyu said in surprise: "I can't see it, I just treat you like Sister Heping'er!"

　　Pei Feng smiled without saying a word.You must know that as Jia Rong's concubines, they are actually older than Jia Zhen's aunt. This has always been a problem in their hearts, and they are very reluctant to mention their age.

　　Baoyu turned around and saw the curious appearance of the third sister, thinking that there was something strange in her clothes, and hurriedly sorted it out.

　　The third sister smiled and said, "Second Master Bao, where is your piece of jade? Maybe show it to us?"

　　Baoyu said "Oh", "It's not something strange." As he spoke, he was about to pick the jade.

　　Ping'er stepped forward to help take it off and handed it over to the third sister.

　　The third sister picked it up carefully, only to see that the jade was as big as a bird's egg, bright and bright, as bright as a crisp, with five-color patterns protecting each other. There is a line of small characters "one knows the good and bad, the second treats the injustice, and the third eliminates the evil", she rubbed it for a while, and handed it to the second sister: "sister, you also have a look." The second sister studied it for a while, and then handed it to Ke People, Yindie, and then passed on to Kailuan and Peifeng.

　　In the end, Ping'er took it, and then brought it to Baoyu carefully.

　　Baoyu saw that the third sister looked extremely beautiful, with the same face and body as Sister Lin, and was delighted. She stepped forward a few steps and said, "Is there any fragrance on my sister?" The third sister shook her head: "No! Those flowers and grasses , either too fragrant or too light."

　　Baoyu smiled and said, "Although my sister doesn't have any fragrance, she has a fragrance of her own, which is different from others." He took a closer look and sighed, "The rouge on my sister's mouth seems to have faded, and the gouache on her face. It's not refined either. The rouge sold in the market is not clean and the color is thin. It is best to use the best rouge to squeeze out the juice, wash out the dregs, and steam it with flower dew. Only use a thin hairpin to pick it Dab it in the palm of your hand, and use a little water to spread it on the lips. The palm of your hand is enough to hit the cheeks and cheeks. There is also a type of purple jasmine flower seeds in my house, which are crushed and mixed with spices to make water powder. Everything is beautiful, it is easy to spread on the face, and it can moisturize the skin, not like other pink and green. If my sister doesn't mind, I will ask the girl to send it to my sister tomorrow. "

　　Baoyu was speaking in a straightforward manner, but she didn't realize that the smile on Third Sister's face was gone.Although she is open-minded and generous, she also knows that she has promised others and needs to avoid some suspicion.Baoyu's criticism of her made her both ashamed and annoyed.

　　Seeing Ping'er anxious, this is not home, nor is the one in front of her sister's maidservant, she is the daughter-in-law of her brother and nephew. Seeing that the third sister's expression remains unchanged, Ping'er hurriedly grabs Baoyu: "Second master, they naturally have things. Bought it here."

　　Xichun also smiled and said: "Second brother has such a good thing, wouldn't it be better to give it to me? I don't want you to give it to me. I'll ask Sister Xiren to get it tomorrow!"

　　Baoyu replied, "Go get it! I have a lot more! I'll give one to Sister Ping'er as well." He didn't feel embarrassed, and he didn't have any coveted thoughts. He simply thought that a good daughter should do it. Those who are clean and beautiful can only use good things, those who are dirty and bad should not be with the good daughter, and they will poison the beautiful woman for nothing.

　　Fortunately, You Shi already knew Baoyu's character and didn't care, she just smiled to the girls: "Don't look at Bao Er Ye's young age, he is much better than us. You will know his temperament after a long time. In this way, it is by no means an outsider who is greedy and lecherous.”

　　Baoyu clapped her hands and said with a smile, "It's still my sister-in-law who knows me!"

　　Only then did the third sister show a smile and glared at Baoyu, but was pulled by the second sister and sat down.

　　Baoyu looked at the second sister, saw that she was born with a beautiful and charming appearance, and her skin was like snow.It turned out that Jia Zhen kept Eryou at home, and Sima Zhao's heart had long spread in the two houses.Baoyu deeply felt that people like them should be pampered and cared for, so how could they be in the company of vulgar things?Brother Zhen really doesn't know how to take care of his daughter, it's a pity, it's a pity!

　　The third sister was dissatisfied and said, "What do you mean when you see my sister shaking her head and sighing?"

　　Baoyu hurriedly explained in other words, the third sister was still indignant, but was held down by the second sister, and accidentally revealed a white and tender wrist.

　　"If this arm was born on Sister Lin's body, I would have to touch it, but it grows on her." Baoyu was sighing that she was not lucky to touch it, and suddenly remembered that she would be Brother Zhen's concubine in the future, and sighed even more, with pity in her eyes. The color is heavier.

　　So the second sister couldn't help asking: "Second Master Bao, is there something wrong with the slave?"

　　Baoyu shook her head and blurted out, "It would be great if my sister was born in our house!"

　　The room suddenly became quiet.Baoyu knew that he had made a slip of the tongue and did not know how to explain it.The second sister was blushing with shame.Ping'er stamped his feet anxiously, "My lord! What did you say?"

　　Fortunately, You Shi smiled and said, "You want all the girls in the world to be your sisters and sisters, right?"

　　Baoyu nodded and retreated to Ping'er, "That's what I meant." He looked at Ke Ren next to him again, and heard that she was born in a brothel, but she didn't have the slightest hint of wind and dust. .

　　Yindie waited beside You, dressed as a woman, and her temperament was different from before.

　　Baoyu sighed in her heart: "My daughter's marriage is like a pure beauty falling into the mud. It is rare for these sisters in Brother Zhen's house to be so refreshing."

　　Ping'er was afraid that Baoyu would say some nonsense, so she hurriedly dragged him out, and had to say a few words on the way.

　　Although Baoyu smiled happily, she was very disapproving.Ping'er is helpless.

Chapter [-] Jia Zhen broke the wealth and donated the official

　　Two days later, it will be the Spring Festival. Jia Zhen is counting the wealth in the family, and it is when she is in a good mood. She sees Huang An hurried in from outside, reporting: "Master, the minister of the palace of the Daming Palace, Eunuch Dai, is here! "

　　"Dai Quan?" Jia Zhen put down the gold ingot in her hand, looking a little ugly, and asked, "Qian'er wants you to go to the palace to give a boxing gift, can you go?" Huang An quickly replied: "Go early in the morning! According to you According to your orders, each inner minister's residence has a thousand taels."

　　Jia Zhen couldn't help cursing in a low voice: "It's not over yet! Is one thousand taels too little? Go, have a look!"

　　When he reached the middle hall, Dai Quan was already sitting in the hall, with two little eunuchs standing behind him.Jia Zhen saw him from a distance, laughed, then cupped his hands and said, "The Prime Minister took the time to go to his humble house today, it's really a blessing!" When he arrived at Dai Quan, he gave another salute, "I don't know if my father-in-law is here, but if you have lost your way, forgive your sins and forgive your sins. !"

　　Dai Quan lightly held Jia Zhen's hand and pretended to be displeased, "You and I are old friends, it's a waste of time to make these false rituals!"

　　Jia Zhen smiled and said, "What the minister said is very true!" He bowed and supported Dai Quan's hand, let him sit down, and sat with him.Dai Quan was very satisfied with Jia Zhen's special compliment, so he sat up straight and said with admiration, "I don't know how many nobles and relatives in the capital, but our family is only willing to come to yours. Without him, just because you treat us sincerely. Home, when our home is our own."

　　Jia Zhen felt a chill in her heart, the ghost and you are her own family!But he had to put on a smile and pour tea for Dai Quan in person, "This is something that the inner minister looks down on, and it is an honor for you to be favored by the old man!"

　　This power was only more than forty years old, and Jia Zhen called herself a kid in front of him, which was a real shame for Ning Guogong.

　　As expected, Dai Quan became more relaxed, his face was wrinkled with a smile, and he hurriedly postponed: "You shouldn't say that! Brother Zhen, a serious hero of the founding of the country, Miao Yi, our family is just a servant by the emperor's side. !"

　　He said so, but there was no shame on his face at all, but he enjoyed the compliment very much.

　　Jia Zhen smiled and said, "The Minister of Internal Affairs is too self-effacing. You manage the imperial palace for His Majesty. You have been cautious and worked hard for decades. This is obvious to all."

　　Dai Quan stared at Jia Zhen blankly. The words just now pierced into his heart. As the saying goes, accompanying the king is like accompanying a tiger. He has been in the palace since he was seven or eight years old. , have today's status and power.He was even afraid to reminisce about the past. There were too many companions who failed to make it through, and the shadows of swords and swords always made people shudder.

　　"Brother Zhen, you still know our family!"

　　Jia Zhen sneered in her heart, and her face was sincere and fearful.I just heard Dai Quan continue: "Our family knows in our hearts that although some people respect our family, they despise our family in their hearts. , is not considered a human being. Although our family is also angry, but for the sake of their father and grandfather, they don’t care too much. But you also know that our family is bitter!”

　　Jia Zhen originally only wanted to make a fool of herself, but it actually caused Dai Quan's true feelings to explode. What's the situation?He had no choice but to pretend to feel the same way, and sighed, "Your Excellency has worked hard!"

　　Dai Quan wiped a few drops of crocodile tears and said with a smile, "Brother Zhen, you're laughing! We haven't spoken to our hearts like this for many years." A pair of dead fish eyes suddenly gleamed, and he looked at Jia like that. Jane.

　　Jia Zhen hurriedly stood up and bowed and said, "The boy respects the inner minister from the bottom of his heart. I won't say anything else, but it's enough for us to learn the importance of friendship and righteousness for a lifetime."

　　Dai Quan was comforted by Jia Zhen's flattery, and said complacently, "That's how our family is. I don't know how many people I have offended over the years, but I can't change it."

　　The two chatted happily for a long time, deeply speculative.So Dai Quan handed over to Jia Zhen and said, "A few days ago, you asked your housekeeper to send a New Year's gift to my mansion, which is too precious. You and I are friends, and it's important to know that you don't need those things, it's just plain and simple. , I'll have the little eunuchs bring it back tomorrow."

　　Jia Zhen quickly waved her hand and said, "The boy knows that the minister is interested in being noble, but I'm actually very nervous, and I shouldn't defile the eyes and ears of the adults. But thinking about the Chinese New Year, the people in your hands also need to be rewarded, so the boy dared to act for the sake of the new year. You have prepared some. When you came, I was worried that the adults would complain that I was overly busy!"

　　Dai Quan didn't pretend to shirk, he nodded and smiled: "If that's the case, then our family will be ashamed to thank you for those little brats!"

　　Jia Zhen breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

　　Dai Quan took a long sip of tea, put down the tea cup, and paused for a while before saying, "It's rare that you are so thoughtful. Our family is willing to promote you, but we don't know what you mean by yourself?"

　　Jia Zhen's mind changed, although this eunuch was only the grand eunuch in the palace of Daming Palace, but he usually went straight to the front of the imperial palace and was favored by the emperor.I didn't have time to think about it, I hurriedly stood up and said in surprise: "If you have the help of adults, dare to disrespect!"

　　So Dai Quanzhi pulled away the little eunuch behind him, leaned over and whispered, "Not long ago, the emperor spent hundreds of millions of dollars on river work because of the war, and the state was not enough, so he specially issued a special order to temporarily donate. Members; military ranks, generals and generals can all be donated. Do you know?"

　　When Jia Zhen heard this, her heart was hot.

　　He nodded and said, "I saw the imperial court's newspaper. To tell the truth, the kid is willing to donate, but he has no access."

　　Dai Quan kept looking at Jia Zhen's reaction, and when he saw Jia Zhen's early intention to move, he couldn't help but be overjoyed. "What do you mean there is no way? As long as you can trust our family..."

　　Jia Zhen hurriedly poured tea for Dai Quan, "Trust me!"

　　To say that Dai Quan is also a tyrant in the palace. Usually, there are a lot of people who come up to ask him for this kind of business of selling officials and vassals, and he is not necessarily happy.In addition to trying to win Jia Zhen, the rare active door-to-door service today, the competition in the palace is also an important reason.It is said that Xia Shouzhong, the eunuch of the six palaces, was praised by the emperor and sold a prefect in Guangxi for a good price.

　　Jia Zhen knew that this eunuch Dai was here to slaughter the fat sheep.But he wasn't angry either. He set his outlook on life, values, and world in a positive way. Anything in the world that can be solved with money is not a problem.

　　Dai Quan then asked, "What do you think? Maybe I can give you something to think about."

　　Jia Zhen thought for a moment, then cupped her hands and asked for advice, "Where does the kid have any ideas, it's all up to you, sir!"

　　So Dai Quan didn't go around in circles, and simply explained: "I don't know if you want to be a civil official or a military officer? In addition to the founding of the country, this dynasty has become a habit of being noble and lowly military. If you want to be a civil official, Beijing officials can donate up to five Among the six masters of the rank, foreign officials can donate up to the fourth rank Taoist. As far as you are concerned, it is best not to donate to Beijing officials. In five years, I will keep you from being promoted to political participation or even a political envoy, and within ten years you will be the governor of a province, that is a real official of the frontier, and then you enter the capital, and a waiter can't escape."

　　Jia Zhen lowered her head to think, but Dai Quan was not in a hurry.

　　After a long while, Jia Zhen sighed and said, "What the lord said is very reasonable, but my family knows my own affairs. Although I have read a few books when I was a child, it was not a success after all. If it is about flying eagles, walking around, drinking and acting like prostitutes, I will not lose. Others. But local affairs are complicated. Today's emperor pays the most attention to the management of officials, and the inspector is very strict. Even if I have ten heads, the emperor can't cut it. After thinking about it, this civil official is impossible."