Chapter 7：

The days passed without rush, and soon on the eighth day of February, Jing'an Hou Mingtingyuan, who was appointed as the commander-in-chief of West Yangxi Road, returned to Beijing after his full term.

He is in charge of the military and political power, and has made outstanding achievements in office. His return to Beijing to report on his duties is related to the change of senior officials in the court, and many people are secretly paying attention.

Emperor Chengkang passed down an oral order, ordering the Marquis of Jing'an to face the saint immediately when he entered Beijing. After entering the city, Ming Tingyuan separated from his family and servants, headed straight to Qixuan Gate, and detoured all the way to Jing'an Hou's Mansion on Nanque Street.

Hearing that Lord Hou went straight into the palace without passing through the house, and it was Aunt Liu who came back first, the people in the Hou's mansion slowed down a lot. After all, there are no rules in this world to welcome aunts and concubines back to the mansion with great fanfare.

When Aunt Liu and Mingchu got out of the car, only Mama Zhang, who was with Mrs. Pei, led a few maids to wait at the corner gate.

Perhaps it was because of the unique grace that she stayed in Yangxi Road and other places near the bitter cold of Xinjiang for five years, Aunt Liu's appearance was the same as before, and she even added a bit of brilliance.

Mingchu, the third lady, is hard to recognize at a glance. She was only eleven or twelve years old when she left Beijing. Five years later, her appearance has grown, and her temperament is also very different from before. She has a bit of the sassy demeanor of a general and a tiger girl.

"You let my mother and I enter through the corner door?" Mingchu frowned, dissatisfied with Zhang's mother's arrangement.

You must know that on Yangxi Road, no matter where she goes, she is the jewel in the palm of Shuai Si, and no one treats her poorly.

However, this choice is very unreasonable, this is Shangjing, how can the gate be opened indiscriminately, even the Pei family enters and exits through the corner gate on weekdays. Of course, if they go back to the mansion with Lord Hou today, they will indeed have the honor of entering through the main entrance.

Mama Zhang was about to explain, when Aunt Liu stepped forward to hold Mingchu's hand and tightened it calmly.

Thinking of Aunt Liu's reminder on the way back to Beijing, Mingchu froze, and decided to hold back for now. She pulled her face past Zhang's mother and stepped straight into the corner door.

At the same time, Ming Tan was losing his temper in Zhaoshui courtyard.

She slapped the letter paper in her hand on the table, and couldn't help but sweep off the exquisite teacups and teapots on the table.

The sound of porcelain breaking was sudden and crisp. She patted the table and got up suddenly. While circling in the room, she muttered: "You're a scum, it's just a scum! I thought this family was just unruly and shameless, but I underestimated them." , it was calculated on Miss Ben's head!"

Her voice trembled with anger. After the ten fingers were clenched tightly, the knuckles turned white, and the light blue meridian was faintly visible on the back of the hand.

Su Xin and Lu E are quite frightened, the key is that they don't know what happened yet.

Obviously, the ladies of their family have been full of fighting spirit these two days, and they are going to dress up and overwhelm the third lady who is returning home today. This morning, I asked someone to take the morning dew from the flowers and apply it thickly with the jade powder. It is said that after washing the face like this, the skin will be extraordinarily smooth and bright.

But just after breakfast, the maidservant of the Bai Mansion sent a letter saying that Bai Minmin wanted to come and tell her what was in the letter in person, but thinking that it is not appropriate to come to the Hou Mansion for a reunion today, he had to write a letter and ask someone to send it .

I don't know what was written in the letter, but it made the little lady of the Ming family who always said "No matter what happens to a famous lady, don't lose her manners, what's the difference between shouting and throwing things, and a crazy woman in the market?" madness...

Thinking back to the golden chrysanthemum banquet the year before last, Princess Fengzhao came out halfway to take away the position of "Flower Lord" that she should have held securely. When she came back, she just dropped a porcelain cup, and she threw it on the imperial concubine's couch. Did not knock.

But this time, after dropping the tea bowl and porcelain pot, she walked around the house a few times, and suddenly rushed out with the letter.

Seeing this posture, Su Xin, who has always been stable, panicked, and hurriedly chased to remind: "Miss, where are you going? Third Miss and Auntie have already entered the house, and you haven't worn your new hairpin yet!"

Ming Tan paused.

right. hairpin.

And that mother and daughter.

She turned around, walked all the way into the inner room, and sat back in front of the dowry with no expression on her face.

Su Xin bumped into Lu'e lightly, and Lu'e was a little confused, she stammered a few times before reacting: "Little... Miss, don't be angry, once you get angry, you are not beautiful anymore... It's not that you are not beautiful, Miss is beautiful no matter what, But when Miss laughs, she is even more, more overwhelming, and turning all living beings upside down!"

I don't know if it's Lue's compliment, or looking at his own face and calming down, after Ming Tan sat down, he calmed down a lot.

Her father was entering the palace to meet the saint, and now he rushed out to find no one to tell, and made people laugh for no reason.

Besides, when her father came back, she couldn't just rush forward and shout for divorce. They haven't seen each other for five years. Who knows how much Mingchu and Aunt Liu have given her father a bad wind. If there is a misunderstanding at that time, it is because of her lack of etiquette that the Duke of Ling's government despises her, and it will be a bad thing.

Furthermore, she wasn't too sure that the father who treated her well in his memory, but he didn't hurt his bones like her uncle treated Bai Minmin, would be willing to offend Duke Ling for her.

She picked up the newly made silver moon tassel hairpin on the table, looked at it for a while, and suddenly ordered: "Su Xin, take a plain handkerchief and soak it in some garlic juice."

"yes."

"One more thing, come here."

She motioned Su Xin to come closer, put the letter sent by the maid in the White House back into an envelope, handed it to her, and whispered a few words in her ear.

Su Xin has always been the master who doesn't say anything, so she doesn't ask too much. After answering the errand, she bowed down.

Ming Tan breathed a sigh of relief, and then ordered Lu E: "Redress me, don't be too grand, and change clothes."

Previously, she only thought about how to overwhelm Mingchu, but forgot that meeting her father was the more important thing.

So under her repeated pickiness and guidance, Lue finally arranged her into a delicate and delicate appearance.

She stared at the bronze mirror that was as tall as a person for a while, and bent the corners of her lips in satisfaction: "Let's go to Lanxinyuan."

Lanxin Courtyard is Pei's courtyard. From Zhaoshui Courtyard, you have to go through corridors and walls, and you have to pass through the garden of Dongkua Courtyard.

A group of people went forward along the Chaoshou corridor, and as soon as they reached the garden of Dongkuayuan, they heard a noise ahead.

"Oh...it's the granddaughter of the old lady's natal brother. How long has the old lady been here, and the relationship is really far away. And if I remember correctly, the old lady's natal family was originally an uncle's house, and she has been downgraded to the rank of noble. There is nothing to surrender, I haven't been in touch with our family for many years, I'm a serious relative." Mingchu mocked.

Shen Hua: "Third sister, you!"

"What are you, cousin, I called you cousin because of the old lady who has gone. You really don't treat yourself as an outsider. My mother and I just returned home, and we met you reading something sour in this garden. Poetry, don't you mean to create trouble for me and my mother? If you want me to say, you should also do your part when you are under the fence!"

Ming Chu was originally unhappy because he entered the mansion through the corner gate, and the servants he met along the way were far less thoughtful and attentive than those on Yangxi Road, and when Shen Hua was reciting some poems hurting spring in the garden, her evil fire I couldn't hold it in any longer, the words I said were full of irony, and my tone was full of unreasonable and unforgiving arrogance.

Shen Hua was extremely angry.

In the past, she and Ming Tan were often annoyed at the slightest sign of separation, but Ming Tan is a noble girl from a famous family, she can hide a needle in her cotton, how could she be so vulgar, rude and without ladylike demeanor!

She was about to open her mouth to block back, when suddenly another teasing voice came from behind: "Third Sister, please be careful, mother is in Lanxin Courtyard, but not here."

Both Zhili and Li turned their heads subconsciously.

I saw a group of green-clothed maidservants walking towards the corner of the veranda. After walking for a while, the group of maidservants stopped and spontaneously lined up in two rows, bowing their heads respectfully—

A girl in a brocade dress embroidered with jade-white gold silk embroidered steps forward. She has snow-skinned black hair, her pupils are water-cut, and she gently shakes a fan with her slender hands. Every time she takes a step forward, the silver moon tassel hairpin in her hair twitches. Gently shakes out a fine-grained luster.

It is obviously not a very gorgeous dress, but when viewed from a distance, it has a delicate and delicate feeling like a precious porcelain vase, which is afraid of falling on the ground and afraid of breaking in the palm of the hand. It is so beautiful that people can't take their eyes off it.

Even if Shen Hua had seen this scene a lot, she was stunned for a moment before recovering. For a moment, she didn't know whether to mock Ming Tan's pretentiousness secretly in her heart as usual, or to thank her for her pretentiousness for shocking a shrew who didn't know what a boudoir is like.

"This is the Fourth Miss." Aunt Liu quickly recognized Ming Tan, smiled gently, and said softly, "I haven't seen you for a few years, and the Fourth Miss is really beautiful now."

The main reason why she couldn't stop Mingchu before was because she didn't take Shen Hua too seriously. But Mingtan is different. If Mingtan wants to talk about this title, he will go to Pei's face. Nine can't ask for good.

"Auntie praises it a lot. I see, the third sister is also coming out now... It's not the same as those of us girls who have lived in Beijing for a long time."

Ming Tan responded to Aunt Liu's words, but didn't give Aunt Liu a look, just looked at Mingchu contemptuously from top to bottom as she just looked at Shen Hua clearly.

After knowing it clearly, I came back to my senses: "You!"

"What are you, third sister, this is Shangjing, pointing at people to talk, but it is very indecent." Ming Tan pressed down her finger slowly with a fan, "Third sister has not returned to Beijing for a long time, I think she has forgotten a lot of rules Like today, I don’t know where my mother is, disrespecting my cousin who came from afar, not pity my younger sister, and just making a scene outside, it’s enough to be laughed at for half a year. It’s the third sister who should be responsible right."? ? ?

Mingchu was blocked by what he said before, and was burning with anger, staring at Mingtan, his eyes were about to spit fire!

Seeing that she was about to pull out the soft whip around her waist, Aunt Liu hurriedly stepped forward to hold her down, and shouted softly: "Chu Chu!"

Mingchu stared at the girl in front of him, and the word "bitch" came to his lips, but for some reason, he finally swallowed it back.

Her mother was right, no matter what she had to wait until after the marriage was engaged, Pei Shi was her aunt, if she caught her wrong and made a big fuss, it would be too uneconomical for her to get in the way when she was negotiating marriage!

After persuading Mingchu, Aunt Liu forced a smile again, and looked at Mingtan: "Miss Si, she is Chuchu..."

Ming Tan was too lazy to listen, so he interrupted directly: "It's getting late, I still have to greet my mother, so I won't accompany you any longer."

Seeing this, Shen Hua followed, "Fourth sister, I'll be with you."

She has never liked Ming Tan, but today, under the background of Ming Chu, she feels that this arch-enemy looks a lot better.

Or as the saying goes, the wicked have their own grind. These four younger sisters of hers can choke people, one mouth is indecent, one mouth is polite, and they are charged with the crime of "not pity the younger sister", they are only one year younger, no matter how young they are, they put gold on their faces It's also really natural.

But after a while, Shen Hua felt that she was wrong.

Compared with putting gold on her own face, the singing skills of the little lady of the Ming family can kill famous actors in the Fuchun class.

After they arrived at Mrs. Pei's place, they sat there for a short time, when someone came in outside and spread the word that Master Hou had returned to his residence and was heading to Lanxin Courtyard.

Everyone stood up to greet each other.

Shen Hua inadvertently caught a glimpse of Ming Tan taking Fang Supa from his wide sleeve and pressing his eyes, then his eyes turned red and tears glistened.

Shen Hua was thinking about it, but she didn't realize that she had any deep father-daughter affection for the Marquis of Jing'an on weekdays... Then she saw her holding her skirt and pounced on the tall, short-bearded Zhong who had just walked into the courtyard. The young man was still calling "Daddy" repeatedly.

Ming Tan's voice is soft and clean, with a bit of pretended forbearance crying, which can make people want to protect.

Sure enough, after not seeing his little daughter for five years, Ming Tingyuan, who should have been hard to recognize his face immediately, immediately patted Ming Tan's thin shoulders, and comforted him in a rough voice: "Daughter, what's the matter? Isn't it?" Being bullied?"

Ming Tan lifted his small head, with red eyes, shook his head and said: "No, it's A Tan who misses Daddy so much." But as soon as he finished speaking, tears flowed down his eyes.

She hurriedly wiped it with a handkerchief, then reluctantly took a half step back, Fushen said: "A Tan has seen Daddy, it is Ah Tan who lost his composure, and forgot the rules of etiquette for a while, please punish Daddy."

Ming Tingyuan was very pleased.

The little girl he hasn't seen for five years, she is filial and sensible, well-behaved, and the key is that she looks like a fairy, um, she is indeed his Ming Tingyuan's girl.