Xia Yingxuan, the eldest son of the Tan family.

Aunt Lu lifted the curtain and entered the room with a smile in her eyes.

The Tan family has strict rules and strict requirements for their young children to study. Especially young masters like Tan Jian, who are direct descendants of the clan, cannot delay their studies even if they are newly married.

Early this morning, he went to the study.

There was only Yang Zhen in the room, sitting in front of the table with a chess set. The chess pieces did not move for a long time, holding her chin in her hands and not knowing what she was thinking, her face was red.

As soon as Grandma Lu came in. I couldn't help laughing, "It seems that the girl is not unhappy today."

Aunt Lu is Yang Zhen's nanny. She has been with her since she was a child. She also inquired about many things about the Tan family for her. .

Yang Zhen's face turned redder when her grandma smiled like this, and she hummed and turned her head away.

"I don't understand what grandma is saying."

As she said that, she made a few random moves.

Mother Lu laughed even more and sat next to her.

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand the girl next to you. It's just that you must not understand the ways of the world."

When Yang Zhen suddenly mentioned this, she was confused.

"Did I offend someone again?" She

used to associate with girls of a similar age in Beijing, and she always offended someone without knowing when.

Even her mother said to her, "If you have to say something in your head three times before you say it!"

Yang Zhen thought to herself, even if she said it thirty times, wouldn't it still be the same sentence?

But her mother said that her husband's family is not her mother's family. Only by properly handling the relationship with your husband's family can you live comfortably, otherwise you will be looking for trouble for yourself.

At this moment, Yang Zhen frowned and asked Nanny Lu, "Who did I...offend?"

Nanny Lu quickly said no, "The girl didn't offend anyone, I just gave the girl a heads up."

As he said that, he glanced at Yang Zhen, "Is the second master yesterday different from the previous two days?"

Yang Zhen's heart skipped a beat.

It's different. In the first two days, he was always in a daze and very reckless. But yesterday, he was very patient and his behavior was extremely gentle...

Yang Zhen didn't answer and blinked a few times quickly. Eyes, then he nodded with a warm face.

"That's it." Nanny Lu smiled, "The second master has received guidance from the noble man."

Yang Zhen opened her eyes wide and heard Nanny Lu whisper, "Yesterday, I saw the second master wandering at the entrance of the main courtyard for a long time. , who wanted to enter but didn't dare, was finally met by the eldest lady and asked to enter the main courtyard. "

Yang Zhen understood immediately.

"Mommy, you mean, it was the sister-in-law who gave the instructions to the second master?"

Aunt Lu nodded, "Old Nutte stayed near the main courtyard for a while, and saw the second master coming out of the main courtyard, his eyes were bright, obviously not I was confused and confused before."

"That's it..."

Yang Zhen was surprised, but when she thought that such a thing was mentioned to Xiang Yi, Yang Zhen blushed even more, as if she had been sunburned by the scorching sun.

But Grandma Lu said something from the side.

"The eldest lady is kind-hearted, so she taught the second master how to get along with you. If she has bad intentions, wouldn't she take the opportunity to sow discord?"

Yang Zhen was startled and murmured, "The eldest sister-in-law is indeed the kindest, but I don't know why. , It seems that the Tan family doesn't like her very much. "

Mama Lu knows these things better than she does.

"It's because of family background. To put it bluntly, the aristocratic family has become increasingly difficult to deal with the common people in recent years. Something like that happened to the Xiang family again, which inevitably affected Mrs. Xiang."

She said, lowering her voice.

"The girl doesn't know that when Mrs. Xiang married in, it was said that she only had eight pieces of dowry."

"Eight pieces?!" Yang Zhen had never heard of anyone marrying a girl with eight pieces of dowry. "The Xiang family has no money, doesn't the Tan family? Add makeup to her? "

To add makeup to a new daughter-in-law who comes from a poor family is a sign of respect and dignity from her husband's family.

In turn, it seems to explain the Tan family's attitude towards the Xiang family.

Yang Zhen saw that the eldest brother was fair and fair, why did he treat his wife like this?

Yang Zhen thought about her sister-in-law's gentle and kind appearance, and then thought about the attitudes of the Tan family and her eldest brother, she couldn't sit still.

Without waiting for Nanny Lu to say another word, Yang Zhenteng stood up immediately.

"I'm going to the main courtyard!"

...

Yang Zhen suddenly came to the door.

Xiang Yi thought it would take a few days before Tan Jian could say something to her, but he didn't expect that he would come today.

She came at a brisk pace, with Nanny Lu trotting behind her, huffing and puffing.

Xiang Yi looked at the anxious master and servant.

"What's the matter with my brother and sister coming over suddenly?"

Aunt Lu hadn't calmed down yet, and Yang Zhen didn't speak in a hurry, but just looked at the sister-in-law.

The eldest sister-in-law is the wife of the Tan family. She should be more respectable than herself, but she is wearing a plain dress with outdated patterns. There are a pair of small silver pendants about the size of rice grains hanging on her ears. There are hairpins on her regular bun. I got two more ordinary flower hairpins.

Even so, she was still pure and beautiful. When Yang Zhen looked at her, she couldn't give her all his good things.

She thought this, and immediately took two steps forward, took out a purse from her sleeve and put it on the coffee table beside Xiang Yi.

Ding-ding-dong-dong, the contents of the purse slipped out.

It is a pair of white jade bracelets with extremely soft texture. Half of the bracelets are intricately wrapped with gold threads that are as fine as hair.

It’s worth a fortune just by looking at it.

"Sister-in-law, this is my wish." Yang Zhen said firmly.

Xiang Yi was stunned for a moment, and when he saw the embarrassed smile on Nanny Lu's face, he immediately understood what Yang Zhen meant.

She laughed and pushed the bracelet back.

"Brothers and sisters are too polite. This is what I should do. I don't need these things."

In this Tan family, if there is anyone who doesn't have so much grudge against her, it is probably Tan Jian. She will naturally help Tan Jian if he has something to do.

Besides, she also likes this younger sibling who comes from a military family.

She declined, but Yang Zhen became anxious, "Sister-in-law, why don't you want it? Could it be that you don't like this color? I don't know how to choose these..."

She didn't choose the color, but hurriedly put the most expensive and most valuable part of the dowry. I brought a pair of beautiful bracelets.

Aunt Lu had no choice but to say, "Madam, it's just a thought, please accept it."

Xiang Yi was helpless and amused. When he was about to say something, he suddenly heard the footsteps of a man in the yard.

The sound of those footsteps made her eyelids jump.

Xiang Yi's expression became more positive, and he was about to ask Yang Zhen to put away the bracelets, but Yang Zhen took off the pair of green jade bracelets from his wrists.

"Sister-in-law, do you think gold wire is tacky? The quality of these jadeite pairs is not bad. Then sister-in-law, should you accept this pair, or both pairs..."

The sound of footsteps was approaching, and Xiang Yi's eyelids jumped. Faster.

She knew that Yang Zhen had no other intentions. She was a straightforward girl, but she really couldn't accept the bracelet.

Xiang Yi put both pairs of Yang Zhen's bracelets into his purse and put them back into Yang Zhen's hands.

"I accept your sister-in-law's wishes, but I can't have these. Please take them back quickly."

He said and glanced at Grandma Lu.

"I won't keep any more siblings for now. I can come back when I have time."

Aunt Lu immediately understood what Xiang Yi meant, and she hurriedly gave her girl a tug secretly.

"...Let's go back first and come to visit the eldest lady another day."

As she spoke, Nanny Lu pulled Yang Zhen, and Xiang Yi also sent them to the door.

However, Yang Zhen didn't give away anything he wanted to give.

Obviously this sister-in-law is in such a difficult situation, and she sincerely wants to give it away, why doesn't she accept it?

When she saw the door, Yang Zhen became anxious. When Xiang Yi wasn't paying attention, she put her purse on the small table next to the door with very neat hands and feet.

Xiang Yi didn't notice it and followed Yang Zhen out of the house.

The door curtain was lifted, and Tan Ting, who had just returned from outside, happened to be in the corridor.

When everyone sees each other, they each salute.

Yang Zhen had a very limited impression of the eldest brother, so she hurriedly saluted Tan Ting, then pulled Nanny Lu and left.

Tan Ting even nodded to this younger brother and sister, but only half of the time.

As soon as their master and servant left, only Tan Ting and Xiang Yi were left in the empty corridor of the main room.

The two of them still had nothing to say, and Tan Ting just came back to get a book.

But Xiang Yi quietly followed him into the room with his eyes lowered, only to see him pause beside the small table by the door and look at the purse on it.

The purse opened, and the jewels of two pairs of expensive jade bracelets overflowed.

Tan Ting looked at the purse for a few seconds, frowned tightly, and his surprised eyes fell on Xiang Yi.

His face completely darkened.

His sister-in-law has just entered the house less than three days ago. What does his wife want?

When did the Tan family realize that younger siblings who have just entered the family should serve their eldest sister-in-law like this?

Xiang Yi was also stunned for a moment, having just seen the purse that she had returned.

But she saw Tan Ting's gloomy and ugly expression.

The gentle expression on her face faded under this gaze.

She pursed her lips and said silently, "This is my sister's belongings. I will ask someone to return them."

The man still looked at her silently.

For a moment, Xiang Yi wanted to explain a few more words, but she swallowed them back as soon as they reached her lips.

No matter what she says at this time, her husband will probably not believe it, so why bother to explain?

She regained her usual calm expression, tied her purse again, and called Chun Bamboo over.

"Go and take this back to the Second Madam Xia Yingxuan. I told the Second Madam that it is not convenient for me to accept it."

Chun Sun took the order and went immediately.

As soon as the spring bamboo shoots left, the main courtyard room fell silent again, and the silence tightened the suffocating atmosphere again.

Xiang Yi wordlessly cleared away the remaining cold tea cups on the coffee table.

Tan Ting stood there with a sullen face and his hands behind his back for a long time. The aura around him was so strong that the wind outside the door did not dare to wander in.

After a long while, he took a deep breath, walked to the desk in front of the window, sharpened his ink, picked up his pen, and wrote with a sharp stroke, not knowing what he wrote.

After writing, he put down his pen and glanced at Xiang Yi without turning his head.

"Frame this and hang it on the wall in the room."

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his feet and left the room.

Xiang Yi was the only one left in the room for an instant. Xiang Yi turned his head and looked under the window, where the ink was still wet.

She walked over and saw Tan Ting's calligraphy. It was a poem called "Inscription on Bribery"①:

Xiao Xiao returned his luggage to the east to cross the most dangerous road ahead.

If there are any stolen goods or earthly objects, let them sink in the blue waves.

Chun Zun came back from Xia Yingxuan at this time. When she saw Xiang Yi standing in front of the desk, she also came over.

He saw the words on the desk.

"Madam, what does this mean?"

Xiang Yi's eyes fell on this word and he took a few breaths.

"It means, don't be greedy."

"What...why are you writing this?"

The wind outside blew open the window, wrapped her clothes, and made her thin back look even thinner.

Xiang Yi smiled faintly.

"Hang it in the room, always reminding me that I must be honest."