Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Implicate.
"You mean Linzhi was digging mud outside the house? She even hurt her hand?" Old lady Zhao looked at the maid Qingdai and asked.
Qingdai nodded. "Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. The two-inch-long nails were cracked. Poor Madam Song was crying while she tried to cut her nails with scissors, but Linzhi didn't know what was good and kept making a fuss and refused to have them cut."
The old lady couldn't help but sigh: "Poor thing."
Sang Bai, the maidservant who was massaging the old lady's shoulders, was moved by this. She had once learned needlework from Song Jiaoniang and was also on good terms with Lin Zhi, so she wanted to put in a few good words for the two of them.
However, she also knew about the conversation between the old lady and her husband yesterday, and knew that the old lady had a grudge against Lin Zhi's suicide, so she didn't just stand there and speak up. Instead, she followed the old lady's words and sighed, "She is also a kind mother. When the third sister's marriage was decided, Madam Song was also very happy for a long time."
Qingdai nodded and continued, "I heard from the servants living next door at the Lin family that Lin Zhi was in such a commotion all night that Housekeeper Lin and Madam Song also had a sleepless night and looked very haggard."
When talking about Mother Song, even the old lady showed pity. She was not very happy with the unruly Lin Zhi, but she was very happy with Mother Song.
The other party is the daughter of his wet sister, who grew up in his presence since childhood. She is well-behaved and polite, and is extremely loyal to him and his wife.
The old lady thought of this and nodded: "Pity the love of parents in the world. Look at how old your master is. I still worry about him every day."
After a pause, the old lady instructed, "You two should go to Mother Song's place later and give her two pieces of top-quality ginseng. Also, tell her to stay home and take good care of Lin Zhi for the time being and not to rush back to work."
Sang Bai and Qing Dai responded in unison and went back to do it. Soon, the two of them arrived at the door of the Lin family with the things.
When Song Jiaoniang learned about this, she held up two ginsengs covered with red cloth and thanked the two men profusely.
Then she took out two purses from her sleeves and stuffed them into Sang Bai and Qing Dai's hands respectively. "I've been away from home these days, and I'm afraid the maids in the sewing room are not well-behaved and may not be doing a good job. I hope Miss Sang Bai and Miss Qing Dai can help keep an eye on them."
Sang Bai smiled and said, "Don't worry, Madam Song. The old lady just told me to tell you to take care of Lin Zhi and come back to serve her when she feels better."
Qingdai thought that Song Mama was probably worried that if she continued to take care of the girl for too long, she would lose her job as the head of the sewing room if she returned to the courtyard. She quickly agreed, "Song Mama's craftsmanship is unique in the mansion. The old lady wouldn't want to let you go. Just rest assured and take care of Sister Linzhi."
Song Jiaoniang usually took pride in this fact and often boasted about it. But now that she was thinking about leaving, she felt bad and secretly blamed herself for not being so outstanding in the past. She smiled and said, "After all, my eyesight is not good. I am not as meticulous as before. It is only because of the old lady's understanding that I have been able to stay in this position."
The three of them exchanged a few words before the clanging noises of things began to rise again. Seeing Song Jiaoniang's worried look, Sang Bai couldn't help but whisper, "How is Sister Linzhi's condition?"
Song Jiaoniang shook her head, looking embarrassed. The clanging noise behind her became louder. She quickly apologized and quickly lifted the curtain to go back into the house.
Qingdai quickly stretched her neck to take a look and was immediately shocked. It turned out that Linzhi's hair was disheveled and her clothes were wrinkled like pickled mustard greens. Most importantly, there was a silk ribbon tied around her leg, and the other end was connected to the end of the bed.
Just as she was shocked, Lin Zhi suddenly looked up. Her eyes were hollow and her expression was strange, but she grinned at her. Even though she threw herself forward, she was pulled by the silk ribbon and her mouth was flat, as if she was about to cry.
Qingdai was frightened and subconsciously took a step back. Almost at the same time, the door curtain suddenly fell, covering the figures of Song Jiaoniang and Lin Zhi.
Not long after, Mother Song came out again.
Seeing this, Sang Bai and Qing Dai did not ask any more questions. They just said that Mother Song should take care of herself while taking care of her daughter, and then turned and left.
After watching the two of them go away, Song Jiaoniang turned back to the house. She closed the door and hurried forward to remove the silk strip tied around Lin Zhi's leg: "Alright, alright, take it off quickly..."
"Mom, don't pick it." Lin Zhi raised her hand to stop Song Jiaoniang's movements. "Act, act it out."
"Just in case, there are others later."
"Yes, yes, yes." Song Jiaoniang stopped moving, her eyes involuntarily falling on Lin Zhi's hands, her eyes reddening again: "Mother knows that acting must be done in full...but you're too ruthless, look at your nails."
"Just tell me, was it successful?"
"..." Song Jiaoniang certainly knew that she was successful, but she didn't want to praise her daughter, so she sat there with a fierce face and said nothing.
Lin Zhi took her arm and shook it. Seeing that Song Jiaoniang didn't react, she rubbed her arm with her fingers and cried out, "Ah!"
Song Jiaoniang's composure was immediately lost, and she hurriedly held Lin Zhi's hand, which was wrapped like a dumpling. "Why are you so careless? You're injured and why don't you just stay still... Does it hurt?"
It wasn't until she looked up at Lin Zhi's face that she realized what was happening. Song Jiaoniang was both angry and amused. She reached out and pinched Lin Zhi's cheek: "Look at you!"
After saying that, Song Jiaoniang lost her temper and hugged her daughter and sighed, "I just hope everything goes well."
"And what about over there?"
"I've been paying attention." Song Jiaoniang knew what her daughter was asking and said, "Among the servants who came to watch the excitement this morning, there were some who served Xu Xiaoniang."
The Xu Xiaoniang that Song Jiaoniang mentioned was Xi Zhizhou's second wife. She came as a dowry from his first wife, and the second and fourth daughters were both hers.
Although the second young lady was already married, the fourth young lady was of similar age to the third young lady, making them suitable for marriage. If anyone in the mansion was most worried about the aftermath of this incident, she would definitely be one of them.
Just as the mother and daughter were talking, there was a knock on the door: "Is Mother Song here?"
Song Jiaoniang went out to open the door, while Linzhi straightened her clothes, leaned half-way on the couch, and stared outside.
As soon as Song Jiaoniang opened the door, she was delighted. The person who came was none other than Xu Xiaoniang, whom the mother and daughter had mentioned - the maid Shaoyao beside her.
Shaoyao was holding a tray with two boxes of medicine on it, a plate of five-red cake, a plate of roast goose, two packets of herbs and two strings of money.
"Mother Song, my wife heard that Sister Zhi was ill, so she asked me to send some things over. She also told me to come and see her if you need any money."
"Thank you, Miss Shaoyao, for taking the trouble to come here." Song Jiaoniang's eyes were filled with tears as she quickly stuffed a purse into her hand. "Thank you for your concern, Miss Shaoyao. Please tell me that when Sister Zhi gets better, I will bring her to kowtow to you."
Shaoyao was delighted to see Song Jiaoniang's generosity. She hadn't forgotten Xu Xiaoniang's instructions, so she inquired about Linzhi's condition in detail, briefly asking about the details. She took a look at Linzhi's appearance before reporting back.
Song Jiaoniang brought the food into the house, placed two dishes on the table, and asked Linzhi to try them. "That Li is really a heartless person. Xu Xiaoniang sent some food here, but she didn't even say a word."
Linzhi smiled, picked up a five-red cake, and took a light bite.
The five-red cake in front of you is made by grinding red beans, red dates, brown sugar, wolfberries and peanuts into powder, then adding sticky rice flour and glutinous rice flour and steaming it. It is sweet and delicious, and has the effect of invigorating qi and replenishing blood.
Pastries, which were very common in later generations, are not affordable for ordinary people nowadays because of the high price of sugar, which often costs three to five hundred coins per pound.
Linzhi narrowed her eyes, savoring the sweet aroma melting on her tongue. She discovered this body's taste buds were stronger than her own. With just one bite, her mind raced through the various ingredients and even the quantities used.
This talent is extraordinary!
Lin Zhi swallowed the five-red cake and said slowly: "No, it's a punishment, it's good enough."
Song Jiaoniang curled her lips, picked up her chopsticks and picked up a piece of roast goose. "She is the wife of the prefect, but she is so mean. She doesn't even bother to pretend... No one, Xu Xiaoniang, has come to find out what happened."
However, not long after Lin Sen returned in the evening, Xi Zhizhou and Li each sent someone to deliver something.
Lin Sen hadn't slept all day and all night, and even dozed off while talking to people. After a while, he sent everyone away and then came in to talk to the mother and daughter. "It's said that the master went to Xu Xiaoniang's place last night, and when he heard Xu Xiaoniang say she gave us something, he casually asked what it was..."
As a result, Li didn't give any reward at all.
Over there, Xi Zhizhou's words of rebuking Li were surprisingly similar to those of Song Jiaoniang: "Mrs. Xu knows to send something, look at the situation of that maid."
"You are so mean that you can't even use money to shut up!"
"I forgot..."
"Did you really forget or were you just pretending to forget? Do you think you can just ignore it and let it go? Every eye in the room is on you."
After Xi Zhizhou finished speaking, he glanced at Xi Shiwei, the third daughter, who stood silently by the side. "I've had someone pack your boxes and boxes. From today on, you will move into your grandmother's courtyard. Learn the rules and regulations well, and don't bring shame to the Xi family again."
The third girl blushed, opened her mouth, and stammered, "Dad, I did, I really had a dream."
Li also echoed: "Sir, Sister Wei must be blessed by heaven to have such a prophetic dream..."
Xi Zhizhou shook his head, not even bothering to speak. He stood up, wanting only to go to Xu Xiaoniang's place to rest and reminisce about the old times.
"Dad!" The third girl's eyes turned red with anxiety, and tears dripped down her face.
Xi Zhizhou paused, raised his chin, and said, "Since you said you dreamed about the future, then tell me where I will go in the future?"
The third girl hesitated for a while before she whispered, "I will go to...Jiangzhou as a magistrate."
Jiangzhou and Taipingzhou are similar in area, but the Tongpan is one rank lower than the Zhizhou. This means that Zhizhou Xi was not promoted but demoted.
Xi Zhizhou's face suddenly turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. Even Li, who agreed with him, froze her smile, her eyes filled with shock: "How could this be!?"
Li knew clearly how much effort and money the official had spent on this assessment, and she wanted to return to the capital with all her heart.
This time, she didn't dare to agree with her daughter. She quickly grabbed her daughter's hand and scolded her, "How can such a thing happen? Don't talk nonsense."
Xi Zhizhou was annoyed for a moment, but then curiosity arose and he asked, "Do you know why?"
The third girl was silent for a while, then shook her head and said, "I had just gotten married at that time, so I didn't know the reasons."
When Xi Zhizhou saw that she could not make any sense, he asked a few more questions about the affairs of the court. Seeing that she looked confused again, he immediately turned away. He felt that the third sister had learned to be a bad girl and only knew how to use all kinds of lies to talk nonsense and gain sympathy.
After Xi Zhizhou left, Li Shi also muttered: "How could it be? Your father's political reputation is very good this year, how could there be anything..."
The more Li spoke, the less confident he became. He felt more and more guilty. If there was a problem, there was a big problem right in front of him.
She was silent for a while, then stammered, "Did you do this in your dream too?"
Could it be that the matter was so serious that it implicated the officials?
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