Chapter 091 Chapter 91
"Grandma, are you going to go on night patrol tonight?" Qingdai asked.
Yao Niang nodded as a matter of course: "That's natural. Since we separated, the servants in our house seem to listen to me. But I don't know if there is any sabotage from other families. Although the night patrols don't have to be done every day, they often go there every now and then, which has a frightening effect on them."
Mother Gu asked the little girl to take a plate of walnuts outside to crack, and then said to her: "I heard that the second wife Jiang from the third room is the first in everything now. In fact, I heard that her parents are just merchants, and it was her uncle who became rich and donated an official position to her father."
"It's nothing. A hero is not judged by his origin. The most important thing for a person is his character. The reason I drove her away last time was not because I had a personal grudge against her, but because I wanted to make peace with her. As for the future, we'll just have to do what we want." Yao Niang was not really that petty person.
In her opinion, everyone living in this world must find their own position.
When you are a child, besides playing, you have to learn various skills. After marriage, if your husband has a good career and you can manage the family well, this is better than anything else.
Shen Linfeng had a successful career, could make money, was handsome, and was devoted to her. Her life was more comfortable now than when she was in her parents' home. The Shaw family and their ilk were not only comparable in terms of husbands, but also in terms of abilities. She had already secured a future for her baby through painting, and if she had the opportunity in the future, she might be able to secure a better future for herself, which was something they could not compare with.
In this case, now that the family has separated, she has to focus on herself.
In addition to painting, she usually takes care of the housework, or reads books, which are so good that you can't help but linger. People in the mansion didn't expect that the grandmother's words of not leaving the front door and not going out the back door really meant that she didn't go out at all.
She was content, but it made others anxious.
Although Shen Bangyan made this decision in a hurry that day, he did not regret it after he sobered up. He saw that his cousin Shen Linfeng had gone further and further away, leaving him far behind, and he would never catch up. Mingming, when he was a child, he was a hundred times smarter than Shen Linfeng. Shen Linfeng was just a fat boy who loved to eat and was foolish when others cheated him of money and things.
After he grew up, he became tall and strong, and was even very good at riding and archery. That was not all, he passed the imperial examination with one stroke. He was cuckolded on the spot, but he endured the humiliation and passed the imperial examination.
Now he has many friends, and the elders are willing to help him, and even generously help him. Wherever he goes, he can't escape the three words "Shen Linfeng". He is even willing to help poor children like Chen Long and Qin Shubai, but not his own brother.
So, don't blame him for taking such a desperate measure. It's just that Yan's family is not an ordinary person. The door is locked and no one goes out except for those who buy vegetables every day.
It would be difficult to get her to go out, so You Da wouldn't be able to see her in person. Then his last deliberate boasting about Yan's beauty and charm wouldn't be convincing.
Grandma Qingda was also anxious. She had no way to provoke Yao Niang, and Shen Linjiang and his wife were also frightened. After listening to her, they not only did not get angry with Yao Niang, but also planned to wait for Shen Linfeng to come back and let Shen Linjiang prepare gifts to reconcile the two families.
This made Grandma Qingda feel that Shao was really a hopeless person, and Yan was not really a person with a bad temper, and would not be fooled no matter how she provoked him, so she could only come by herself.
That day, Shaw came to thank Qingda's grandmother because Qingda knew that she was pregnant and had swollen feet, so she made a pair of shoes for her personally. She also brought two packets of tea.
"Why do you have to come here in person? If you have anything, just ask the servants to bring it over." Grandma Qingda said with a smile.
"What are you talking about, sister-in-law? It is my duty. You made a pair of shoes for me specially. If I were that person, I would not know what is good for me. My parents are not around. Although my uncle's family is good, they can't control me. Last time, I didn't even know that I shouldn't eat too many crabs. It was you, sister-in-law, who told me that eating crabs and turtles can cause miscarriage." Since she became pregnant, Shao has become more emotionally sensitive, and she feels that her sister-in-law treats her much better.
Grandma Qing said, "We are all family, so we should not talk behind each other's backs. It's good that you and your wife said last time that you would wait for Linfeng to come back and ask for reconciliation. To be honest, your eldest brother is not very successful, and he will still have to rely on you in the future. But to be frank, we sisters-in-law have to say this from the bottom of our hearts. Even if my brother passes the imperial examination and becomes an official in the future, I'm afraid he won't be as good as Linfeng."
Shao nodded: "I think so too. In fact, the relationship between me and Yan was not bad before. It's just that the separation of the family is not right. We can't keep the family in this stalemate forever."
"Forget it, let's not talk about this. Do you like sour or spicy food now? Since ancient times, sour boys and spicy girls have always been the norm." Grandma Qingda joked.
Shao touched her belly and said, "My aunt said that such things are unpredictable. When she was pregnant with my cousin, she loved spicy food, and she ended up giving birth to a son."
Grandma Qing shook her head and said, "It's hard to say, but I can't completely disbelieve it. There have always been sour boys and spicy girls, you know? I'm trying to find a virtuous concubine for our eldest master, and I'm worried sick, just hoping that you give birth to a son. If it's a daughter, you and I have been married for almost three years, and you will have to follow my old path."
"What?" Shaw still didn't understand.
Grandma Qing said, "Last time I was at my aunt's place, I was thinking about making this girl beside me a concubine. She and I grew up together, and now she is just a girl. If she is made a concubine, I will stop her contraceptive medicine, and the children she gives birth to will also be of the same mind as me. But my aunt said that the Shen family has an ancestral precept that does not allow maids to give birth to children. Later I learned that the faces of the other three illegitimate children in our third room are not listed in the family tree. If they have a promising future, they will be listed in the family tree for the time being."
Shao had never thought that the truth would be like this. No wonder the masters of the first and second houses of the Shen family all had concubines, but these concubines were not proper concubines, they were only servants, and they had no children. Even before Master Shen returned home this time, almost all the servants of the first house were released.
So that’s it, so that’s it!
"Does not allowing me to have children mean that you want me to pick a child from a decent family?" Shao asked again.
Grandma Qing nodded, "Of course it is so. Our Wuxing Shen family is not a small family where any woman can raise offspring. Otherwise, we would be secretly cheating and everything would be useless. Let's not talk about the distant past. Look, Dalang's wife Yan's mother was married by the old Minister Yan for Minister Yan. If it is better for a maid to give birth to a child, why doesn't the Yan family directly inherit from the eldest wife, but also have to make a joint heir. I, your sister-in-law, have been worn out by the temper, you are more fortunate than me."
Shaw was stunned for a moment.
How could she allow others to sleep soundly beside her bed? Even those second wives who came in with formal banquets, even though their status was far inferior to theirs, were still strong rivals. The Shen family could regard their sons as legitimate sons.
Other words seemed to have no impact on Shao. After saying this, Shao left in a state of dismay. Grandma Qingda breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I still have some grapefruits here, which were given to me by your eldest brother and his classmates. The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming next month, so you can take a few back home."
Shao said "Oh" and asked the servant to take it away.
The two servants Wang Gu and Nan Gu beside Shao were both from the Shao family. They grew up in merchant families and although they were smart, they did not know the real rules of a wealthy family. When they saw Grandma Qing giving gifts here and there, they actually thought that Grandma Qing was a good person.
Especially Wang Gu, who was beaten by Yao Niang last time, and Shao's didn't want to use her anymore, thinking that she was causing trouble, and it was Grandma Qing who spoke for her. Therefore, in order to get promoted, she naturally helped to give advice: "Second Grandma, in fact, you really should have taken precautions against what Grandma said."
"Prevent? How to prevent? It's not up to me to decide whether the baby is a boy or a girl." Shao felt very uncomfortable.
Wanggu said, "I heard that the incense in the Dagu Temple is very effective. Isn't it because of the Dagu Temple that Second Madam is pregnant this time?"
Nan Gu frowned and said, "What are you talking about? Our grandmother is pregnant now, how can she go to the Dagu Temple? The mountain road there is very rugged."
"That's all I said. If you don't agree, forget it." Wang Gu said embarrassedly.
At dinner time, someone brought a plate of sour soup to Shao's place. She was not used to it and felt a toothache: "I don't want to drink this." When the servant was about to bring it, Shao thought of the sour son and spicy daughter, and said: "Put it here, I'd better drink more. By the way, if you have anything else sour, just send it to me."
It was just a bowl of sour soup. Because Shaw wanted it sour, the chef put a little more in it, and Shaw bled.
Yao Niang was drinking sweet soup. When she heard that Shao had seen blood, she hurriedly asked, "Why is she like this?"
Mother Gu said, "I heard that she wanted to drink the sour soup. It was already sour enough, but she wanted more. She even thought the soup was not sour enough. The chef had no choice but to add some hawthorn. Fortunately, it was just spotting. If it was a miscarriage, what would we do?"
However, Mother Gu said, "Speaking of which, the Third Madam is too young, and she is not a very competent mother-in-law."
"Mom, in that case, why don't I go over and take a look." Yao Niang knew that if she didn't go, she would be tough, but she would also be easy to be picked on.
She was originally in the right, but now she is no longer in the right.
Mother Gu also praised: "You are the wife of the clan after all. Although you don't have to be as considerate as the wife, it would be bad if you didn't go to see your sister-in-law when she has bleeding."
At that moment, Yao Niang asked someone to prepare some supplements and asked the driver to get the mule ready. Only when they arrived at the third room did Yao Niang help the people get off.
After getting off the carriage, Yao Niang said to Yan Dayan and Yan Er beside her: "Just wait in the carriage for a while."
從去開封之後，窈娘就十分警惕，不管在哪裏都帶着護衛，顏大顏二也跟着她陪嫁到了沈家。窈娘亦是前呼後擁，出門最少也要帶八個人，在簇擁之下，愈發顯得讓人望而生畏。
偏偏沈邦彥還對游大呆呆傻傻的樣子，假意勸道：“表兄，我勸你少打主意，我這位嫂嫂可不是一般人，你可不要色迷心竅。”
游大看了沈邦彥一眼：“表弟，你年紀還小，這要女人如何能夠蠻幹，我有這個耐心。”
“你可別亂來，若我哥哥知曉，你可知道後果？”沈邦彥知曉這位表兄位卑人卻自大，最不喜歡的就是別人瞧不起他。
游大心想沈臨風又如何，說起來沈臨風原本就和他有宿怨，沈邦彥不提還好，提起沈臨風，游大就道：“他也從未正眼瞧過我，那次他中了之後，請春風滿月樓全樓的人吃酒，我本想都是親戚，也想沾點喜氣，還上前和他搭話，沒想到他壓根就不對周圍的人介紹我，他就是瞧不起我。”
所以，游大也有招，顏氏不是不出來嗎？但是沈家極其大，若是能夠小小放一把火，人不就偷摸進去了嗎？他常常來沈家玩，對沈家很是熟悉了。
殊不知，窈娘常常巡夜，也對守門的婆子說起失火防盜的問題：“若是失火，你們記得先不要開門讓火勢進來，若是遠的地方用這缸裏用唧筒射出去，這可是大公子特地讓藺公子打造過來的，這幾日我見幾位表現操練的很好，夜裏得更警惕些。”
所以，游大故意引起一小簇火，還準備趁亂進去，沒想到沈家的幾個極壯的仆婦拿着一個什麽高大的會出水的東西瘋狂的噴灑，連他都被噴了一身，倉促翻牆逃回家去。
甚至大房的下人還立刻通知二房的附近方才着火了，游大趕緊越牆跑了，他自小擅長功夫，也因為武藝高強在大興縣做捕手。原本也考過武舉，只是屢試不第，歪點子很多。
沈邦彥還假意披着衣裳出來，大房的下人道：“二爺，你們那兒像是有樹燒着了，差點燒到我們這邊，還好我們有唧筒，大奶奶讓我們演練好幾次，這次一下就把火滅了，您那邊的下人也得警醒些才是。”
“好，我知道了，沒有驚動嫂嫂吧。兄長不在家中，你們可要多看好家裏。”沈邦彥原本以為一個女子沒什麽大不了的，沒想到這個女子居然這麽不好惹。
下人們連忙道是。
窈娘是次日才知曉事情，着重賞了兩位仆從各幾尺布頭和點心，她也是覺得真的是什麽事情都做到前頭，自有好處。
又說沈二夫人倒是親自上門道謝，窈娘擺手：“不過是一點兒小事罷了。”
“我一直擔心大嫂走了之後，你這個家很難當，沒想到你比我想的周全謹慎多了。”沈二夫人自己就是當家夫人，當然知曉管家的利害之處，一場火災，能讓富貴之家頃刻蕩然無存，當年她家都是經歷過的。
窈娘道：“哪裏哪裏，我還要多向您請教才是，只不過公定他如今在外，我一年輕女子，關門閉戶如此才是正理。”
沈二夫人也颔首道是。
但有件事情窈娘怎麽也得過去，那便是李氏生産，李氏臨産幾日還是回到顏家，她自覺不能在婆家做月子，窈娘正好聽聞她生了孩子，當然要回家去探望。
游大一計不成又生一計，他原本安排了兩個無賴故意打打鬧鬧去刺激窈娘的馬車，到時候趁機救人，只是沒想到顏大顏二出手更快，他二人騎馬在前，見無賴靠近，立馬用馬鞭卷了人甩在一邊。
如此游大又挫敗了。
窈娘則穩穩當當的坐在馬車裏看書，等到了顏家，直奔東跨院。李夫人已經在這裏了，她的臉色也很不好看，李侍郎近來被人參，恐怕位置坐不穩當了。這些當然随着龔家倒臺就能想到的，李家想讓顏老尚書出手，顏老尚書人老而辣，早就看透官場這套，愈發不會出手，他自己孫子被貶谪，他也沒有多挽留。
因為顏邁未救，李家和顏家關系不睦，李夫人左右為難。
“李夫人，嫂嫂已經發動了嗎？如何了？”窈娘問道。
李夫人道：“這生孩子可不是一時半會兒的事兒，我看你留個人在這兒就好。”
“沒事兒，我先在這兒等一會兒，大不了就在家裏睡。”窈娘現在屬于丈夫不在家中，她能全權做主。
只是沒站一會兒，她就被顏老尚書遣人過來去工部衙門，窈娘不明所以：“衙門這樣的地方，祖父讓我去做什麽？”
“姑奶奶，工部都水清吏司員外郎徐翰不慎死在衙門，胸膛正中插了一把尖刀。老大人想讓您聽小吏們的供詞，把當時的情景描述出來。”
窈娘颔首，還好她常常出來時都把畫筆帶着，因此就讓人送她去工部衙門。
衙門很少會有女子過來，尤其是朝中機要之地更是少見，但現下是顏老尚書請過來的人，他們不敢置喙，窈娘見到顏邁之後，也不是喊祖父，而是立馬行禮：“給顏大司空請安。”
顏邁則介紹道：“這位是翰林院沈編修的夫人，她十分擅長丹青，尤其是對于見過一面的人，或者別人描述的場景都能精準的畫出來。徐員外郎是山東一個縣丞出身，因為有治水之才被我提拔成員外郎，如今卻不明不白死在衙門內，老夫一定要為他找出真兇。”
都水司？那就是巡防河道的官員，如今卻遭到如此駭人的場景？窈娘想來其中也有蹊跷。
工部當時是有小吏在旁伺候的，徐翰到工部之後也安排了一位小吏，窈娘還沒喘過氣來就道：“那就請你先說說當晚的場景，我要把他畫出來。”
衆人間一妙齡女子，氣度高華，衣着華貴考究，卻沒有絲毫猶豫，一個時辰之後，就交給顏邁及大理寺少卿幾張畫。
“這是我根據這小吏的描述畫出來的，昨夜一共有三個人進過徐員外的公所，一位是他，也就是算房的黃敏中，他是拿着賬冊進去，那個時候太陽還未落山，應該是酉時之前。亥時，徐員外只身到工部衙門的此處走動了一二，這個時候，有人找他，小吏卻并不認識此人，因為當時天色太暗，小吏看的也不甚清楚，我也只能根據小吏描述草草畫出此圖。最後在亥時三刻，河防科的人來了，沒有待到一盞茶的功夫就出去了。”
大理寺少卿原本嫌棄顏邁多管閑事，但見窈娘雖然為女子，但辦事效率極其高，且出來所說的話全部是和案子有關，一點廢話都沒有。
且這些圖，尤其是第二張至關重要，他不由得道：“徐員外是亥時三刻之間去世的。”
程少卿今年三十六歲，年紀輕輕就已經是大理寺少卿，自然也不是一般的人，他的意思窈娘明了，這就是說第二個見到徐翰的人很有問題。
自然這個案子絕對不是這麽簡單的，但這就不是窈娘所能管的了，她只負責畫出一些情景和人物描述，具體怎麽判案，還得看大理寺怎麽判。
“沈夫人真是妙手丹青，你把第二個人畫出來，我們要找到此人就便宜了。”程少卿眼睛發亮。
窈娘道：“原本您查案，我們無關人等不應該來的，但祖父之命，我只好獻醜了，既然事情已畢，諸位，我就先告辭了。”
顏邁看着窈娘道：“你先回去吧，明日祖父去看你。”
“嗯。”窈娘點頭，又立馬離開。
在場衆人才知曉原來這位沈編修的夫人是顏尚書嫡親的孫女，二人還是祖孫關系，可她剛進來的時候直接稱呼官職。
從工部衙門出來，窈娘見天色不早了，就直接準備回家，想着明日若是嫂子生了，應該會有人報喜。
游大今日再次敗北，已經有些怕了，到底沈家不是一般的人家，若是被人抓到了他的仕途也就完蛋了。
只不過機會又來了，這顏氏出門之後，游大則去了沈家二房，他趁着無人注意潛入河中，通過河道才爬到大房，他對沈家地形又熟悉，三下五除二就摸到院子裏去了。他又很有耐心，顏氏今日出門去，帶了不少下人出去，平日院門都是關着的，正好方便他了，他縱身一躍，過牆之後，見正房這裏只有兩個守門的丫頭，他就在樹上等着，見這兩位打瞌睡，進去午睡之後，才摸了進去。
游大家中不過是普通鄉紳，他在京中當了捕手，雖然靠着四處收刮得了不少錢，但沒想到沈家居然如此富貴，比他去過的姨母家都還要精美，他又怕翻箱倒櫃弄醒那些丫鬟，就打算趴在梁上或者躲在床底，等夜深那顏氏睡着了，他再摸上床來。
甚至，他還在窈娘常用的茶壺中放了一些蒙汗藥。
Just after administering the knockout drug, You Da saw a portrait of Shen Linfeng hanging here. The image of Shen Linfeng was even more glaring to You Da. He couldn't help but step forward and touch it, but suddenly several arrows and needles shot at him. You Da fell to the ground with a painful howl.
When Yao Niang entered the room, she heard that a thief had broken into their room. The man had been tied up tightly, with bloody holes all over his body. Yao Niang was shocked: "How scary! Who is this person? I'm going to report this to Shuntianfu and Dali Temple."
You Da said with a sullen look, "You are so cruel."
Yao Niang was puzzled. She thought that this thief had actually managed to sneak into the main room. If she didn't get rid of him, there would be endless trouble. He even dared to scold her for being cruel. She was afraid that he would take revenge in the future, so she had to be ruthless.
"This person has evil intentions. Go and call my grandfather over and tell him that I painted for Mr. Xu who died in the Ministry of Works today and was retaliated against by someone who wants to kill me."
You Da fainted after hearing this. When he came here in the morning, he heard that there was a big case in the Ministry of Works. He was afraid that the Dali Temple, the river channel and the Ministry of Works were all trying to catch the murderer. He was involved in such a murder case and was afraid that he would have no chance of survival. This woman was simply the reincarnation of King Yanluo. He really regretted his decision.