Aunt Jing lowered her head and thought for a while, then smiled bitterly and said, "Mrs. Yun is impatient and vicious; Mrs. Lan is gentle and deep; and Aunt Jiang is ignorant. Grandma is right. If you say this to me, I might really send the young masters here. Well, just be careful. After the incident with Chuan'er, I don't think anyone would dare to make trouble with the children. I have never relaxed on this matter, and everyone in the mansion knows it. If you want to make trouble with the children now, aren't you rushing to give me a handle?"
The two talked for a while, and then Aunt Jing's maid Zhuxiu came over and said that several maids were waiting to ask for instructions on some arrangements and expenses for the New Year. Aunt Jing then got up and left. Here Honglian brought Su Nuannuan a bowl of tea and said with a smile: "Grandma, Aunt is in charge of more and more things now, which is a good thing."
Su Nuannuan sneered, "Misfortunes sent by heaven can be forgiven, but misfortunes brought by oneself cannot be forgiven. Madam Yun has been causing trouble in the mansion for such a long time. Even Chuan Ge'er's incident was most likely caused by her. If we let her show off her power and manage the household, wouldn't people think that there is no one in our mansion? Aunt Jing is fair and resourceful. I asked a few people and they all praised her. It is right that the capable should be promoted. Madam Yun likes to jump around, so let her jump around in Xia Yuxuan in the future and stop causing trouble in the mansion."
In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the year. That day was the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, and the mansion celebrated the New Year with great excitement.
After having dinner with Old Lady Fang in the North Courtyard, Su Nuannuan was about to return to Chunfeng Garden, but when she saw Duan Tingxuan approaching, she whispered, "Mrs. Yun's power as the housekeeper has fallen into someone else's hands now. Look at her face, she looks so pitiful. Why don't you go over and sit with her?"
"She brought it upon herself. I clearly warned her." Duan Tingxuan glanced at Xu Ranyun. His tone was not very good. Although the investigation into Duan Maochuan's diarrhea had reached a deadlock, several clues pointed to Xu Ranyun, and there seemed to be the shadow of someone close to Xue Zhilan. After all, it was impossible to leave no trace after Long Yan fanned the flames. However, these were all speculations in the young marquis' mind. There was no direct evidence. As Su Nuannuan said, he was too eager at the time. All the evidence was destroyed. It would be extremely difficult to find clues again at this time.
Because of this, Duan Tingxuan's attitude towards his two wives changed. He didn't want to be with them anymore. When they were together occasionally, he felt that they were testing and complaining in their words, which made him even more annoyed. It happened that he was busy during this period, so he spent the night in Chunfeng Garden. But except for Xiangyun and Honglian, no one knew that he and Su Nuannuan had never slept in the same bed.
"Whether it's my own fault or not, it's already happened..." Su Nuannuan tried to persuade him earnestly, but her husband glared at her: "Have I ever told you that I hate your attitude of pushing me away? Let's go. I have something important to discuss with you."
"You hate me for pushing you out today, so why did I have three wives and four concubines? Since you've been the first, don't blame me for being the fifteenth." Su Nuannuan still had resentment in her heart: such a handsome, rich, foodie, humorous, strong and reliable handsome husband. But because of her own principles, she could only look at him but not eat him, which made her very depressed, okay?
Back to Chunfeng Garden. After sending all the maids out, Duan Tingxuan pondered for a long time before softly asking Su Nuannuan, "I may have to go to Jiangnan in the spring. Would you like to go sightseeing with me?"
"Traveling?" Su Nuannuan was surprised: "You are in a high position, and you still have time to travel? Why? Could it be that the emperor or the prince is suspicious of you?"
"Don't let your imagination run wild." Duan Tingxuan glared at Su Nuannuan and said, "Can't you think of me a little better?" He tapped the table with his fingers and said in a low voice, "Pingzhang has been dead for almost three months, and even his body cannot be found. After the emperor was furious, he seemed to have let the matter go. However, he called me to his study today and said that he intended to send me to Jiangnan, and asked me whether I would go openly or secretly."
"The emperor wants to send you to the south of the Yangtze River?" Su Nuannuan was even more shocked: considering how much the emperor values Duan Tingxuan, he would actually send him to the south of the Yangtze River to investigate the death of a censor. This shows how much he values this matter. Could it be that even the emperor has become suspicious of the Prince of Xiangyang?
"I prefer to investigate secretly. I will dress up carefully at that time and won't be able to show my tracks." Having said this, he looked at Su Nuannuan and tempted her in a very contagious tone: "What do you think? Do you want to go? Jiangnan, the place where you can listen to the spring rain in a small building all night, and where apricot blossoms are sold in the deep alleys the next morning. There are 480 temples in the Southern Dynasties, and many towers in the misty rain. The old friend bid farewell to the Yellow Crane Tower, and went to Yangzhou in March with fireworks..."
"That's enough. I'm going."
Su Nuannuan was defeated. Duan Tingxuan was well versed in seduction. These few lines of poetry hit her right in the heart. She had been to Jiangnan several times in her previous life. But what was the scenery of Jiangnan in this imaginary era like? She really wanted to see it, especially in a good season, with grass growing and warblers flying, flowers blooming and willows green. After a night of spring rain, the clear cries of flower girls could be heard in the narrow and long alleys, with dozens of apricot flowers with raindrops in their baskets...
"Okay, then it's settled." Duan Tingxuan smiled with success and clapped his hands with Su Nuannuan: "You are so useless. You agreed after I only recited three lines of poetry. The remaining seventy or eighty lines I prepared are now useless." A typical face of a mean person who wants to act cute after getting an advantage.
"I don't understand a little bit." Su Nuannuan also hated her lack of concentration, but she really wanted to go out and travel around Jiangnan with Duan Tingxuan, and secretly investigate the inside story of Long Pingzhang's death. Maybe she could uncover the conspiracy of King Xiangyang and redress the injustice of her parents. The most important thing is: what kind of delicious snacks are there in Jiangnan in this era? They should be different from those in her previous life, and maybe she can learn a few tricks.
"What don't you understand?" Perhaps Duan Tingxuan was very happy that Su Nuannuan agreed to this matter, the young marquis asked excitedly.
"What I have always shown is that I like delicious food and am a bit greedy. How do you know that I also like these romantic things? So you deliberately used these poems to deceive me?" Su Nuannuan was indeed very confused. The romantic cells in her bones had almost been occupied by the foodie cells. How did Duan Tingxuan know this?
"Last time at Pushan Temple, the night was clearly as cold as water, but you insisted on collecting dew under the moonlight. If you didn't love these romantic things in your heart, how could you do such a stupid thing..."
Before he finished speaking, Su Nuannuan's eyes narrowed dangerously. The young marquis realized that he had let something slip, and quickly stood up and said, "Well... I remembered that I still have something to discuss with my second brother, so I'm leaving first."
"Hey, hey, hey!" Su Nuannuan called a few times, but Duan Tingxuan turned a deaf ear and walked out of the courtyard in a flash, which made her angry and amused. She muttered to herself, "I didn't say anything, is it that serious?" After that, she picked up the needle and thread on the kang and embroidered a few stitches. Her mind flew to the south of the Yangtze River in February when the grass was long and the warblers were flying. The scenery of the Twenty-Four Bridges on a moonlit night should be extremely beautiful, right? But I wonder what identity Duan Tingxuan would use if he wanted to disguise himself for a private visit? Could it be that he had to pretend to be a fisherman, and because he lacked a fisherwoman, that guy targeted him?
No matter what the reason was, Su Nuannuan's heart was aroused, and even the New Year that she had been looking forward to with great enthusiasm could not extinguish this passion.
"Grandma, you've worked really hard today. During the Chinese New Year, everyone can have a few days off, but you're busy in the kitchen yourself. Who can stand this?"
The 26th day of the twelfth lunar month is a day for making snacks. Su Nuannuan brought Xiangyun to the kitchen early in the morning and directed the cooks to make many snacks. In addition to the big hemp twists and golden silk crispy cakes with snowy bean paste that everyone in the mansion liked, they also made many fried dumplings. After making the fried dumplings, she casually threw the unformed dough pieces left in the pan and fried them, and they became sweet and fragrant fried cakes. Rose flower cakes could not be made in the kitchen because Duan Tingye specifically asked to keep it secret, but in addition, a lot of steamed dumplings, pumpkin cakes, red date rice cakes, peanut crisps, etc. were prepared.
Xue's wife naturally tried her best to flatter him. She personally moved a clean chair for Su Nuannuan to sit down and rest. She also brought a cup of hot tea and two plates of freshly fried snacks. However, Su Nuannuan only drank the tea and said softly, "You should be aware of these things in the kitchen. Let everyone continue to be busy after I leave, so that everyone in the mansion can get their share. Wait until the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, arrange the kitchen affairs and go to my small kitchen to help me for two days. You also need to make some new things. It's the New Year, and you can't just use these old things to get by, right?"
"Is this called the old eight? I've never eaten the fried slices and fried dough sticks that grandma mentioned..." The Xue family's wife was excited, but she saw Su Nuannuan slightly shook her head and smiled: "It's something from Lingnan. Even if I don't make it, it will be passed on sooner or later. You go to my small kitchen on the 28th, and the snacks made at that time are truly fresh. In fact, according to my thoughts, we should make it in this kitchen, but your second master is like guarding a state secret. He said that if we make it in the kitchen, he must lead people to enclose the kitchen, and each person must be responsible for a part. Anyway, we can't let one person learn all the methods. I have no choice but to ask you to help. Fortunately, the ingredients are ready. We can start making them when you go there."
"Yes, don't worry, grandma. Even if I have to stay up all night, I will make sure the kitchen is properly set up before the 28th. Second Master is right. We must be on guard against others. Our restaurant in the Marquis' Mansion is counting on this to make money."
The Xue family's daughter-in-law agreed happily, and only then did she understand the intention of Su Nuannuan asking her for a lot of food a few days ago. Because she respectfully sent the master and servant out, she became even louder when she returned to the kitchen. For a while, more than 20 people in the kitchen were ordered around.
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