The time goes back to the fifth day of May, the day of the Dragon Boat Festival.
In the capital, the Xie family hosted a banquet for the Dragon Boat Festival as in previous years.
Although Mrs. Lou has lost power, she is still the hostess of the family. Naturally, she must attend such a banquet.
Now that she has lost her authority as a housekeeper, she has less silver in her hands. She can eat and drink without worrying about relying on the monthly silver alone, but if she wants to wear gold and silver, she must live as grand as usual.
Although the Xie family was troubled this year, it did not shake its foundation.
On the contrary, with Xie Huaiyu as an heir, and because of Zhao Liang's gaining power, more people wanted to curry favor with Xie's family.
Therefore, although the banquet was not as extravagant as in previous years, there were more guests coming and going.
In addition to the relatives of Xie's and Lou's families, there were also many foreign guests, and the whole Xie's mansion was very lively for a while.
Mrs. Lou sat in the garden with a fan, chatting with several relatives of the Lou family.
She is also wearing Kesi clothes today, and wearing pearls and emeralds on her head, she looks gorgeous.
However, those who have been in close contact with Xie's family know that this Kesi is actually the old style from last year.
She can no longer afford such a thousand-dollar dress.
Although Lou's face was swollen to pretend to be fat, she didn't want others to see how careless she is now. But it is still unavoidable to be made fun of by those who worship the high and step on the low.
Those Xie family members who surrounded her in the past are now very few.
The female family members of Xie's family were originally scumbags, and they made friends with Lou's in order to get benefits from Sir Xie.
They have long been displeased with Lou's publicity in the past, but now that Xie Qi can't turn over, they don't care anymore.
After meeting Mrs. Lou, he said sarcastically: "I haven't seen you in half a year, but I've aged so much. In the past, we still envied my sister's eternal youth. Looking at it today, this woman is old when she is old. There is no comparison." Those young women."
During the speech, the eyes of these people looked to the other side. A few young women in their early twenties over there, who were surrounded by people, were trembling with laughter. They were the new favorite concubines of Lord Xie.
Although Lord Xie is in the period of filial piety, he secretly raised two concubines and did not give them names, so everyone couldn't say anything.
The clothes of those concubines are not luxurious, but they are in brighter colors, matching the most fashionable styles in Beijing.
However, because of his youth and beauty, he was already very good-looking. Compared with them, Mrs. Lou was like their elders, and the gorgeous clothes he wore became antiques.
Lou Shi is a person who loves beauty, and what she hates the most is when others say she is old. Now that she heard these words, a crack appeared on her face, which was trying to pretend to be indifferent, and she wished she could swallow these women alive.
After those people left, the maid beside Lou said: "What, it used to be just a dog beside you, Madam, but now it's here to show its prestige." The relatives of the Lou family next to Lou comforted: "
You Don't be angry, this matter is still on Xie Qi's body. As long as Qi'er takes care of herself and gets a good name in the exam, you will have a chance to turn around in the future."
Lou nodded, holding back the anger in her heart, and smiled at the relative .
These women or brothers are originally men.
Rely on father and brother at home, husband and children when married. Lou's success in Xie's family was also due to the birth of Xie Qi, and it was also because of Xie Qi's loss. The most important thing now is to let Xie Qi get a good reputation as soon as possible.
The person who comforted the Lou family was Wang Shi, the wife of Lou Caitang, the third wife of the Lou family.
This Lou Caitang is Lou's younger brother, born of the same mother as him. However, with a weak personality and no fame, he has no right to speak in the Lou family.
Lou Caitang originally relied on his status as his elder sister to live in the Lou family. Now that the Lou family has lost power, his life is much more difficult.
Therefore, when Mrs. Lou is in trouble, he must stand on the same line with her and fully support her.
The wife that Lou's appointed for Xie Qi was the concubine of Lou Caitang, but not from Wang's.
The main reason is that Xie Qi's reputation is too bad, even with Wang's status, she doesn't want her daughter to marry. So he picked a cowardly concubine daughter, brought her up by her side, and gave it to Lou Shi.
The concubine of the Lou family also came to the banquet today and was standing beside Wang Shi.
She was wearing a magenta dress, which was the most popular style at the moment. But her eyebrows and eyes were downcast all the time, and she looked very indifferent, and she was not as beautiful as the maids serving Lou's side.
However, Lou is quite satisfied with her future daughter-in-law.
Xie Qi is a lustful guy, and when he sees that beautiful woman brother, he doesn't do his job properly. In order to urge him to study his homework, Lou has replaced all the beautiful maids around him.
This wife is not beautiful, Xie Qi can't bear those crooked thoughts, and she just agrees with her.
In addition, she is the daughter of the Lou family, she was born in the Hou family, and she is from her own family, so it does not mean that she has insulted Xie Qi's identity.
Lou thought for a while and said, "Lan'er, you don't like to listen to us women talking. Go talk to your cousin."
Lou Lan'er blushed, and responded timidly, looking for Xie Qi went.
Xie Qi was sitting in the corner drinking wine, feeling very depressed.
In previous years, when was he not a star, how could he be so neglected as he is today.
As soon as he looked up, he saw his engaged cousin Lou Laner walking over. With a long face, thin eyebrows and eyes, and a dull expression, his heart was already suffocated.
After exchanging a few words with the cousin, the other party sat down next to him, but he only answered once after asking, three sticks can't make a loud fart, and the words are tasteless.
After Xie Qi talked to her a few words, she became annoyed and ignored her.
Then Lou Lan'er didn't speak, and sat next to Xie Qi without saying a word, staring at him directly, which made him suffocate even more.
Xie Qi was upset, and saw Lin Shuyu coming in from the courtyard, holding a fat boy.
Although he has given birth to a son, his appearance has not diminished in the slightest, and he is still a peerless appearance.
When passing by Xie Qi, he saw Xie Qi looking at him. Lin Shuyu stopped in her tracks, saluted him generously and said, "So it's Master Qi, it's been a long time since I saw you."
His eyebrows and eyes were a bit more charming than when he was in Xiankeju. His expression was half a smile but not a smile, which made Xie Qi's teeth itch with hatred, but she couldn't bear to look away.
Seeing that Lin Shuyu was about to leave, Xie Qi said, "Wait a minute, you've been at Xie's house for a long time, but I haven't seen this child yet, so come and show me!" Lin Shuyu didn't say anything
. Doing so, she hugged the child and said to Xie Qi with a faint smile: "This is Master Qi's child, and it was in the yard in the past. If Master Qi is interested, he can go to see it on weekdays. There are so many people at this banquet today. , I’m afraid I’ll scare the child, so I’ll forget it.”
After speaking, he carried the child and left without looking back, leaving only Xie Qi’s back view.
Xie Qi took Lin Shuyu's nails and was angry and hated. Then I heard Lou Lan'er who was on the side say: "Cousin, that brother is so rude, but a concubine, how dare you talk like that." "
That's none of your business!" Xie Qi yelled at Lou Lan'er, startled Her face paled, and she wiped away her tears with a sob.
But it made Xie Qi even more upset and disgusted. He would rather quarrel with Lin Shuyu than hear Lou's mourning, so he dropped the wine glass and went back to his room.
Xie Huaiyu was sitting on the seat drinking tea at this time, surrounded by Xie Jiayuan who came to curry favor with him, it was very different from last year's Mid-Autumn Festival.
At that time he was sitting in the gazebo in the corner with only Xiaoshu by his side, but now there are so many people around him, but Xiaoshu is no longer there.
Thinking of this, Xie Huaiyu was inevitably depressed, and his face became even colder.
Those who wanted to flatter him also showed a hint of embarrassment. This Xie Huaiyu is different from Xie Qi, with a cold temper, it is really hard to please.
But even so, there was still an endless stream of people who came to talk to him.
Especially those families with girls or brothers of the right age took their children around in front of him, hoping to be lucky enough to get his favor.
Besides Xie Huaiyu, Xie Ling also had many people inquire.
Although he is a brother, he is already good-looking. All of a sudden, many families from the Hou family came to visit, which made him very proud.
However, Xie Huaiyu rejected them all.
It's just because most of them want to ask him to be a concubine, even if some of them say they want to marry him, they don't have much sincerity, and their family tradition is not good.
Xie Ling is already old, and she is very concerned about her marriage.
He heard that many of the people Xie Huaiyu rejected were from the Hou family, the uncle's mansion or the public mansion, so he was very puzzled.
He was already concerned about this, but when he met his betrothed younger brother, he was ridiculed again, saying that he used to only know how to curry favor with Mrs. Lou, and ignored his own elder brother. I'm afraid that if I offend my elder brother, I won't get half of the benefits.
The more Xie Ling thought about it, the more afraid he became. He was afraid that Xie Huaiyu would not like him and deliberately withhold his marriage, so he took Xie Huaiyu to talk in another courtyard just before the banquet.
After Xie Huaiyu heard that Xie Ling hesitated and apologized to him, he realized that he actually had such thoughts in his heart, and he felt a little bit cold about his younger brother.
He patiently said to Xie Ling: "I asked you to study at home, how much have you learned now? Most of the marriages I rejected were for you to be a concubine, or this person lingered in the flowers. Concubine, it is not suitable for you."
"You are my younger brother, so I naturally do it for your own good. When the situation is stable in the future, I will find you a young man with excellent character and knowledge , don't think about these issues now."
After hearing what Xie Huaiyu said, Xie Ling finally felt relieved, and a relaxed look appeared on his face.
Seeing this, Xie Huaiyu couldn't help shaking his head in his heart.
With Xie Ling's mentality, he can't marry him into those complicated families. In the future, he will find a simple family for him, and let him live in peace.
After the two chatted, they went to the banquet together.
At this time, Lord Xie and the others had already taken their seats, seeing that Xie Huaiyu was a bit late, they coughed twice in displeasure. After he sat down, he announced the opening of the meeting.
The maids and servants of the Xie family brought out plates of dishes like flowing water. After the appetizers were served, Sir Xie stood up to toast, said some polite words, and announced the opening of the banquet.
After Sir Xie finished speaking, everyone picked up their chopsticks and prepared to use them.
Unexpectedly, Lou, who was sitting beside Lord Xie, suddenly stood up. With a serious face, he raised his wine glass and said: "During such a good night and festival, everyone is here, and I have something to say."
Seeing Lou's appearance, Lord Xie twitched the corners of his mouth a few times, feeling that she was desperate. Will not say anything good.
He grabbed Lou's sleeve with one hand underneath, trying to pull her to sit down.
However, Mrs. Lou remained unmoved, and lifted Lord Xie's hand with one hand, and pulled out a hand letter from his sleeve.
The people present were discussing and looking in Lou's direction curiously, not knowing what she was going to do.
Xie Huaiyu sat on the back of the chair and looked at Lou Shi coldly.
Although he didn't know what Lou Shi wanted to do, but when the soldiers came to cover her up, he wanted to see what tricks she could pull out.
"Everyone, this letter was found by the servants at home when they were tidying up the study. It is a letter left by the deceased old master." Lou said: "The concubine saw this letter. , I was very surprised, because it was my father's handwriting, so I didn't dare to keep it private."
Hearing Lou's words, Mr. Xie scolded impatiently: "It is my father's cronies, so I read it at home after the banquet. That's fine, why take it out at this time, you just don't know what to say."
Lou's changed the subject when she heard the words, and said softly, "Master, it's not that Ting'er doesn't know what's going on, it's just that the things written in this letter are too big, and they are related to the marriage of the Xie family's heirs. Ting'er You don't dare to delay even for a moment."
Hearing this, Sir Xie felt a thump in his heart, and grabbed Lou's sleeve to make her stop talking.
He has never heard of the old gentleman's hand letter! It's probably because the Lou family was upset that Xie Huaiyu inherited the title, and came up with some idea to ruin his marriage!
Although Lord Xie did not like Xie Huaiyu, he still put the Xie family's foundation first.
Xie Huaiyu is now the sure heir of the Xie family, so he must marry a wife who will help the Xie family.
Wen Zhongqin and Wei Houye came to ask him about Xie Huaiyu a few days ago, and they seemed to intend to choose him as his son-in-law.
At that time, Lord Xie didn't want Xie Huaiyu to gain the influence of Yue's family and do too much, so he didn't think about it for the time being, but at this time, he was caught by Lou!
He used to think that Lou was gentle, pleasant and understanding. Now it is as if he has seen the other party clearly, and thinks her face is hideous.
Lou's decided to ruin Xie Huaiyu's marriage during the banquet, so naturally she would not stop doing one thing, she couldn't care what Sir Xie thinks of her now.
He took a step back and said, "Sir, this is a souvenir from the old lord. Even if he has gone now, we children should follow his teachings? Otherwise, wouldn't it be unkind and filial?
" The unfilial big hat was pressed down, suffocating Mr. Xie, and there was no way to refute.
At this time, the relatives of the Lou family also echoed, and said emphatically, "What's wrong with this old gentleman's hand letter? Since it involves the marriage of the heirs, it must be announced as soon as possible to avoid delay." According to the old master's arrangement."
Xie Huaiyu frowned, looking at the letter in Lou's hand.
When he was in Baitang Village, he once forged a souvenir letter from his grandfather, but he didn't expect that the Xie family actually had one handed down. I don't know what was written in the letter.
But no matter what it is, Xie Huaiyu will only marry Baishu in this life, if others say that he is rebellious, then just say so.
With the support of others, Lou took advantage of the opportunity to unfold the letter and read it.
Her words were sonorous and forceful, so that everyone in the banquet could hear them clearly.
According to the content of the hand letter, a villager surnamed Bai in Xie's old house had once saved the old man's life.
The old man was grateful, and made a marriage contract between the heir of the Xie family and the heir of the Bai family.
This letter was written in the Xuanxu period, and the identity of the heir in the letter was not specified.
At that time, the Xie family had only one child, Xie Huaiyu, and no other heirs were born.
Everyone couldn't help but think that when the old lord wrote the letter, he didn't know that the Xie family is now small and only has two sons.
But now the unmarried one is only Xie Huaiyu, the heir.
If it was according to what the old man wanted, the heir of the Xie family would have to marry a village woman, wouldn't it be a big joke.
But if you don't follow the old lord's wishes, it will be a big treason, and Xie Huaiyu will inevitably fall into the shoes of others, and the position of the heir of the Xie family will inevitably not be so legitimate.
Today's Dragon Boat Festival banquet, Xie's family invited thirty or forty guests, a total of hundreds of people, big and small.
Except for Lin Shuyu, who had already heard the difference in the letter and looked at Xie Huaiyu a few more times, everyone believed it.
At this moment, almost everyone held their breath, and their eyes fell on Xie Huaiyu's face without blinking, watching his reaction.
Mr. Xie was going crazy with anger at this moment.
Lou's is really a crazy woman. He shouldn't have shown any affection for the Lou family in the first place, but should have locked her up.
However, at this time, everyone is watching, no matter how he can remedy it, it is already too late!
Unlike Lord Xie, Xie Huaiyu's face was as immobile as a mountain, but he was extremely pleasantly surprised in his heart.
The letter Lou just read was not a souvenir from his grandfather, it was clearly forged by him.
In order to imitate the hand letter, he did not know how many manuscripts he had typed up, and he had already memorized every word and every word. Lou just read a sentence, and he recognized it.
This is really hard to find, and it takes no effort to get it.
I'm afraid that Zhao Yan would mistakenly think it was true when he saw the souvenir. He thought that if he married Bai Shu, he would no longer be able to marry a noble daughter from a famous family in Beijing, and he would lose a helping hand.
"Xie Huaiyu! This letter has been read. What are you going to do?" Seeing that Xie Huaiyu hadn't answered for a long time, Lou asked forcefully.
Before Xie Huaiyu could speak, Lord Xie exploded first, stood up and slapped the table and said: "Mr. Lou! You are ridiculous! This letter is not from the old gentleman, it is clearly forged by you! You are jealous of Yu'er's inheritance!" Nobility, to do such a shameful thing, such a nasty woman, is not worthy of being the wife of my Xie family, I want to divorce you!" No matter how much
Master Xie dislikes Xie Huaiyu, he also does not want to humiliate the Xie family.
He's abandoning his car to save his handsome man, and he's ready to turn his back on him.
Sir Xie's performance caused everyone in the field to discuss.
Someone said: "How could the Xie family allow the eldest son to marry a countryman? Lord Xie's move was already expected. Even if the countryman has any kindness, he can pay a hundred taels of silver." Another person
said "This letter may really be forged by Mrs. Lou. After all, his son also wanted to blame Xie Huaiyu for what happened before. Now that there is no hope, it is even more difficult to see Xie Huaiyu." But the most people still
think This letter is genuine, Sir Xie's move is just to forcibly save his respect.
Now that the old lord has a souvenir, even if the Xie family does not marry the heir of the Bai family as his wife, he must accept him as a concubine, so as not to violate the order of the ancestors.
Amidst the divergent opinions, Xie Huaiyu got up with a very calm expression.
"Father." He smiled slightly and said calmly, "That hand letter is not forged, but genuine."
His words sealed the conclusion of the letter.
Sir Xie and everyone who ate melons at the banquet were dumbfounded. Xie Huaiyu What does this mean? Lord Xie took great pains to cover it up for him, so is it possible that he still has to accept the engagement?
"Xie Huaiyu! You should think clearly! Don't talk nonsense in a fit of anger!" Lord Xie said bitterly.
"My son didn't talk nonsense." Xie Huaiyu said: "My son found this letter in Xie's old house, and he put it away at that time, and brought it back when he was going to return to Beijing. It's just that for some reason, my son was seized by thieves. The Xie family’s old house was burnt down, and the box containing the letter was also taken away. Now the letter has been passed around several times, but it is in the hands of my mother.” As soon as
Xie Huaiyu said this, everyone looked at Lou There was a little more strange look in his eyes.
They all heard that Xie Huaiyu was seriously injured in the countryside and almost died. There are naturally many people who suspect that Lou and Xie Qi wrote this matter.
But doubts are doubts, but no one dares to make a conclusion. After all, there are so many thieves, and I don't know how to contact them. Besides, every house in Beijing has a lot of secrets, but there are almost no one who dares to commit murder.
Lou's being so ruthless made people look at her differently.
Everyone's eyes fell on Lou's body, and she was pierced like a knife.
She did not buy murder to kill Xie Huaiyu, but at this time she could not justify that the matter was done by the First Prince. He could only make a silent acquiescence, hating Xie Huaiyu who intentionally drew a knife on him from the bottom of his heart.
Seeing that he couldn't explain it clearly anyway, Lou simply smashed the jar and said: "Since you have admitted that this hand letter is true, then the marriage contract made by the old master is also true. Do you admit it?" Xie
Huai Yu smiled when he heard the words, his smile was very beautiful, his eyes were warm and soft, and there was a hint of sweetness, he said slowly: "I admit it, how could I not admit it. The grandson is willing to follow his grandfather's wishes and marry the heirs of the Bai family , my son will send someone to propose marriage."
Xie Huaiyu's smile blinded everyone present, including Lou's, and she was completely stunned.
She imagined that Xie Huaiyu might be angry or forbear, but she didn't have this obvious joy and sweetness.
Subconsciously, Lou felt scared. Had I been put on by Xie Huaiyu again!
However, the letter was given to her by His Highness, and His Highness would never stand by Xie Huaiyu's side. Her mind was full of confusion, and she didn't know whether Xie Huaiyu was really happy or just putting on airs.
Lord Xie was also stunned, and when he realized it, he reprimanded Xie Huaiyu for messing around.
Even if the Xie family insisted on marrying that countryman, they would at most be a concubine, so how could they accept her as their regular wife?
Xie Huaiyu directly brought out his grandfather to suppress him and said: "Here is the letter from my grandfather, and today's Dragon Boat Festival banquet is in full view. If my son breaks his promise and reneges on his promise, wouldn't it be embarrassing for the Xie family, and people will say that we are unjust?" His generation."
What he said made Lou even more confused, and Mr. Xie was speechless. After the banquet was over, it took a long time to come back to his senses and think: Didn't you lose face for Xie's family by marrying a countryman?
But at this time, it was already done, and it was too late to say anything...
After the Dragon Boat Festival banquet, the news about the Xie family spread throughout Beijing.
During this period of time, the Xie family has had a lot of major events. Celebrities in Beijing have been paying attention with the idea of gossip.
Xie Huaiyu's filial piety for his grandmother is not a rigid rule, but in Beijing, any shameless family cannot marry within three years.
However, at the Dragon Boat Festival banquet, the hand letter Lou took out was Xie's grandfather's last wish.
Even if it is the grandfather's last wish, it must be carried out accordingly, which is also filial piety. It can't be said that you only care about the filial piety to your grandmother, but leave your grandfather's aside.
Therefore, this matter broke the rule of not being able to marry for three years, but it needs to be implemented quickly. Xie Huaiyu is so anxious to propose marriage, marrying a countryman is a great filial piety to his grandfather.
At this time, when they heard that Xie Huaiyu was going to marry a countryman as his main wife, those women and brothers of the right age couldn't help but feel very sad in their hearts.
Some literati with strong character heard about this and praised Xie Huaiyu for being honest and trustworthy, and he was a real gentleman.
It was also related to his previous donation of food for disaster relief, and the folks admired Xie Huaiyu for a while, saying that his filial piety moved the heavens and the earth, and praised people like there is nothing in the sky and nothing on the earth.
Even the emperor personally recruited Zhao Liang into the palace and asked him about Xie Huaiyu's marriage.
Speaking of Xie's family, the hand letter is regarded as authentic, Lou's family can't be divorced by Sir Xie.
But even if he didn't divorce his wife, Lord Xie would not let Mrs. Lou appear in front of him again.
After the Dragon Boat Festival banquet was over, Lord Xie issued a death order and locked up Lou's family and was not allowed to go out. After staying for a while, the limelight has passed, and then sent to the remote village of Xie's family. Let her spend the rest of her life there, and never come back again.
Hearing that his elder brother was going to marry a village woman, Xie Ling was the most unhappy. His own sister-in-law was a village woman, so he was naturally disgraced, but his elder brother agreed, so he had nothing to say and could only let go.
And Lin Shuyu congratulated Xie Huaiyu. He has known about Xie Huaiyu and Bai Shu for a long time, now that he has a child, all his thoughts are on the child, he only has envy for Bai Shu, and he can't feel any jealousy for a long time.