Qi Fang was embarrassed and anxious: "But what?"
"It's just that Madam's … Bejeweled Nectar can only temporarily suppress the poison. My internal energy can't last long. Previously, when I was forcing the poison out, my internal energy suddenly stagnated again, causing the poison to backfire, that … that offended Madam." Song Qingshu explained.
Qi Fang's face was as red as blood, angrily said: "Don't mention that again!"
Song Qingshu shrugged: "Since Madam doesn't want to hear it, then I won't say it."
After a moment of silence, Qi Fang bit her lip and asked: "Then how do you cure the poison in your body?"
Song Qingshu smiled bitterly: "Naturally, I can only force the poison out every time my internal energy recovers. I believe that one day the poison will be completely forced out."
"How do you recover your internal energy … Ah!" Qi Fang's whole brain was a mess from the beginning. Halfway through her words, she remembered that he just mentioned that he needed that thing to temporarily restore his internal energy. She suddenly exclaimed, her heart was ashamed and angry, and fiercely stared at him.
Song Qingshu could only bite the bullet and answer: "I see that every time Madam squeezes it out, you have to pour it out. Instead of wasting it, why don't you give it to me to detoxify?"
"Don't even think about it!" Qi Fang flatly refused. Previously, she saw that he was poisoned and unconscious, so she reluctantly fed him some. Now that she was awake, how could she give him such an embarrassing thing?
"Uh …" Song Qingshu couldn't help but mumble, "It's not like I haven't drunk it before …"
"What did you say?" Qi Fang was so angry that her face turned pale. If it wasn't for the fact that she wasn't dressed properly, she couldn't wait to go over and slap him.
"Is Madam asleep?" When the atmosphere in the room was awkward, suddenly Taohong's voice came from outside the door.
Qi Fang's body stiffened, her face drained of blood, and answered in a panic: "Yes … I'm already asleep."
She originally wanted to solve this matter by herself, but once Taohong found out something, this matter would no longer be within her control. At that time, it would definitely cause an uproar. It was fine for herself, but in the future, her daughter would be unable to raise her head in front of others, and this was the last thing she wanted to see.
"I have something to say to Madam." Taohong replied.
"I … I'm already asleep. If there's anything you want to say … let's talk about it tomorrow." Qi Fang replied in a panic. How could he let her come in to talk at this time?
Song Qingshu had a playful look on his face. Previously, Si Xi's words revealed that they were following Taohong's arrangements. Then, she must have bad intentions for barging into the mistress's room so late at night. There would be a good show to watch later.
"But these words can only be said tonight." Taohong's tone was firm, and she did not have the slightest intention of backing down.
"What should I do … What should I do …" Qi Fang felt her head was about to explode. She looked at Song Qingshu, pointed to the bottom of the bed, and whispered, "Quickly hide in there."
Song Qingshu shook his head. "I never hide under the bed."
Qi Fang was on the verge of tears. "If you're discovered, everything will be over."
Song Qingshu rolled his eyes and immediately came up with a plan, "If Madam is willing to promise to provide … provide the Bejewelled Nectar for me to detoxify, I will hide inside."
"You!" Seeing that he actually took the opportunity to threaten her at such a critical moment, Qi Fang wanted to bite him to death.
"Madam, you're going to throw it away anyway. Why don't you use it to save someone? As the saying goes, saving a life is better than building a seven-storied pagoda." Song Qingshu continued to persuade.
Qi Fang was a little impressed by him. He could actually make such a matter sound so dignified. His skin was probably thicker than the city walls.
"Alright, I promise you!" Qi Fang's chest rose and fell rapidly. Clearly, her mood was not calm.
"Thank you, Madam." Song Qingshu revealed a bright smile.
Qi Fang's heart inexplicably jumped at his smile. At this time, Taohong, who was outside the door, spoke again, "Madam, I'm coming in." As she spoke, she pushed the door open. It turned out that after the soldiers under Li Kexiu went out, they just closed the door. Before Qi Fang had time to lock the door, she was pushed by Song Qingshu. Until now, she still hadn't recovered.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Qi Fang was scared out of her wits. She hurriedly looked back at Song Qingshu, but was stunned to find that the other party had already disappeared. She couldn't help but secretly spit, "At a glance, I can tell that he often does these kinds of things. His movements are so skilled."
Taohong was different from the previous soldiers. It was impossible for her to reach under the bed to search for anything. Qi Fang calmed down a little. There was no time to put on the clothes she was wearing. She could only hastily wrap herself in the clothes and then pull the quilt on the bed to cover herself.
"This servant greets Madam." Taohong bowed and suddenly wrinkled her nose, "Hey, what's that smell in this room."
"Maybe it's the smell of sweat left by too many soldiers who came in just now." Qi Fang's face turned red. The previous situation was too intense, and there was still a strong smell of sex in the room. She hurriedly changed the topic, "What on earth do you want to tell me so late?"
Taohong was obviously full of thoughts and didn't pay too much attention to the smell in the room. She replied, "Nothing, I just want to talk to Madam."
Qi Fang was angry in her heart. You have to come to the room of the Madam in the middle of the night just to chat.
"Too many things have happened today. I'm a little tired. I'll talk with you tomorrow." Qi Fang just wanted to drive her out as soon as possible and didn't have time to be angry with her.
"Don't, I haven't finished talking." Taohong smiled and didn't ask Qi Fang. She pulled a stool over and sat down. Qi Fang was very suspicious. Taohong usually paid attention to etiquette. Why did she behave so abnormally now?
"Madam has been in Lin 'an for a long time. Do you know who is the most powerful person in the court now?" Taohong asked as if she was in her own room, pouring tea.
Qi Fang frowned slightly. She didn't know what medicine Taohong was selling, so she had to answer perfunctorily, "Of course it's the Prime Minister." In fact, she should call Moqi Zhou grandpa, but she didn't like him, so she usually called him the Prime Minister.
Taohong shook her head, "Although the Prime Minister is the head of all officials, his foundation is not stable. He is not the most powerful person."
Qi Fang was angry in her heart. How could she be in the mood to talk about the politics of the court with her in the middle of the night? But she had a guilty conscience and didn't dare to scold her. She could only deal with it, "If it's not the Prime Minister, it's Han Jiefu."
Taohong chuckled, "After overthrowing Zhao Ruyu, Han Jiefu was regarded as the most likely candidate to become the Prime Minister. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister took the fruit. Now his reputation is not as good as before. In fact, even if he becomes the Prime Minister, it is estimated that he won't hold the position for long."
"Why?" Taohong was unusual today. She spoke with confidence and assurance, but her words were meaningful, which aroused Qi Fang's interest.
"Although the Han family is the first wealthy family of the Two Song Dynasties, it's all because of their ancestor, Han Qi. After so many years, how much of the ancestor's shadow can be left? Among the several powerful in-laws of the Han family, the Wu family of Longgan, the Chen family of Haining, the Yang family of Taiyuan, and the Lu family of Shanyin, except for the Wu family and the Chen family who can barely support them, the Yang family and the Lu family have been in decline for many years. No one from the family has been able to enter the inner circle of the court for a long time. "
"So the Han family looks glorious now, but it's empty inside." Taohong curled her lips disdainfully.
Qi Fang frowned and said, "Taohong, who taught you these words?" She didn't believe that Taohong could have such knowledge.
Taohong didn't answer, but said, "Madam, you have been in Lin 'an for so long. I don't know if you have heard a folk song:
Jia is not fake, white jade is the hall, and gold is the horse.
Epang Palace, three hundred miles, can't accommodate a governor of Ming Province.
The East Sea lacks white jade beds, so the Dragon King invited the King of Gusu.
The year is full of snow, pearls are like soil, and gold is like iron. "
Song Qingshu, who was under the bed, had a strange look on his face. What was going on? Why did he feel like he had entered the Dream of the Red Chamber?
Noticing Qi Fang's confusion, Taohong said with a smile, "Let me explain for Madam. Jia is not fake, which naturally refers to the current Privy Council Commissioner Jia Shidao. His sister is also the Emperor's favorite concubine."
"The second sentence refers to a governor of Ming Province, which refers to the Shi family of Ming Province. The previous family head of the Shi family, Shi Hao, was the Emperor's Preceptor, and the current family head, Shi Miyuan, is in charge of the Censorate."
"The third sentence refers to the Wang family of Gusu, which was formerly Wang Anshi's Wang family of Linchuan. After the Jingkang Rebellion, the family moved to Gusu. In terms of prestige, it was no less than the Han family. The current family head, Prince Teng, is the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Army. "
"The last sentence refers to the Xue family of Jiangyin, whose family head, Xue Ji, is now a political advisor and a Grand Secretary of the Guanwen Hall. In terms of official position, he is on the same level as Han Xingzhou."
"Each of these four families is the most powerful family in the Great Song, and they have formed an unbreakable political group through marriage. Jia Shidao's wife is Prince Teng's sister, and his nephew is also married to the young lady of the Wang family. Shi Miyuan's aunt is Jia Shidao's mother, and it is said that he plans to marry his daughter to Jia Shidao's son. Prince Teng's eldest sister is married to Jia Shidao, his second sister is married to Xue Ji, and his niece is married to Jia Shidao's nephew. Xue Ji's daughter and niece are both famous for their beauty in Lin 'an, and it is said that they also plan to marry Jia Shidao's son.
"In addition to these four families, there are also the Lin family, the Li family, the Lyu family, and the Murong family, who are also inextricably linked by marriage. Lin Ruhai, the family head of the Lin family, is now the Salt and Iron Commissioner of the Third Department, in charge of nearly one-third of the imperial court's taxes. His wife is Jia Shidao's sister, and she also has a beautiful daughter. It seems that she also plans to marry Jia Shidao's son. Li Shouzhong, the family head of the Li family, is the Chancellor of the Directorate. His second daughter is Jia Shidao's eldest daughter-in-law, and his younger sister is married to the Wang family of Gusu. Murong Bo, the former family head of the Murong family, has married Wang Ziteng's cousin."
Song Qingshu, who was under the bed, was shocked. The sister of Li Shouzhong, who was married to the Wang family of Gusu, was Li Qingluo? And the Murong family was also a part of the Jia Group.
Qi Fang couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean by telling me all this?"
Taohong showed a trace of a strange smile, "I said all this mainly to explain that if you want to be more stable, you can only unite by marriage between rich families. Unfortunately, Madam was born in a peasant family, so she can't bring even a little bit of political capital to the Moqi family. Therefore, the Prime Minister and the Old Master have discussed and decided to change the marriage for Young Master."
---
In fact, I also hesitated for a long time whether to add the elements of the Dream of the Red Chamber or not. On one hand, I wanted to keep the elements of the Golden Book pure, but on the other hand, the structure of the characters in the Dream of the Red Chamber and the structure of the Song Dynasty in the book almost perfectly fit, which made me really itchy. In addition, Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, Xue Baoqin, Qin Keqing, and Wang Xifeng in the Dream of the Red Chamber were extremely charming.
In the end, I couldn't resist the urge to write in my heart, so I finally added it!
This chapter drew out the general outline of the Jia Group from Taohong's mouth, and at the same time, combined the characters in the Dream of the Red Chamber with the characters in the book.
However, this is not very intuitive, so I will use the form of a table to publish the internal marriage relations of the Jia Group in the public account, hoping that it will be clear at a glance.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
