Chapter 12: Tantai Shi pretends to be sick and avoids laziness

　　...

　　Shen Baiyu returned to Baimei Courtyard sleepily, handed Jiang Xun to the two maids, and then went back to bed to catch up on his sleep.

　　The utility room was thoroughly cleaned, and tables, chairs, benches, and beds were placed to serve as a temporary residence for Jiang Xun to recover from his injuries.

　　At sunset, Jiang Xun, who was sleeping in the small woodshed, suddenly opened his eyes. It didn't look like he was hurt at all. He easily climbed through the window and took a peek. Shen Baiyu and the two maids in the main courtyard were already fast asleep. Shen Baiyu is afraid of the dark, so she always puts a small candle lamp in the room, which shines tenaciously and dimly in the darkness.

　　Jiang Xun climbed over the courtyard wall without disturbing the big yellow dog in the backyard.

　　After a while, he appeared in the backyard of Qingtaifang, the most prosperous place in the capital.

　　Qingtaifang has been in business for many years and is quite famous in the Imperial City of Daqing. It has the most beautiful theater troupes, the best-selling scripts, the best cooks, the most beautiful singers and the young husband, and dignitaries often come and go. Partying all night long.

　　Qingtaifang is also Jiang Xun's territory.

　　As soon as Jiang Xun showed up, the three people chatting in the private room stood up and saluted respectfully: "Master."

　　The young man in colorful clothes was the happiest and threw away the cake in his hand: "Master, you are finally back. Just now, Xiaohua and I were scolding Qingbai. He did not do it lightly or harshly, and scratched your right foot, master. Please change it." Punishment."

　　There were three people in the room.

　　The lively young man named Meng Qingtai is the boss of Qingtai Fang.

　　The taciturn man in black next to Meng Qingtai is the fugitive named Qingbai who attacked Shen Baiyu on the street in the early morning.

　　There is also a slender and beautiful man with long hair hanging on his shoulders and a charming look in his eyes. He is Hana Rokuro, a famous actor in Qingtaifang Theater.

　　Huarokuro handed over his hand to plead guilty: "Master, I was waiting for Jiang Yan outside the city today, but she did not show up. In the afternoon, I received a letter from her personal maid, and Jiang Yan was captured by the guards at home."

　　Jiang Xun sat down. At this moment, his temperament completely changed. Even though he was wearing the rough clothes of the general's palace guard, his every move was filled with elusive elegance. There is a picture of the country hanging on the wall of the private room. The Yue Kingdom and the Qing Kingdom are like two competing tigers biting each other.

　　While pouring tea for Jiang Xun, Meng Qingtai comforted Hua Liulang with a smile: "Oh, don't be discouraged. The prime minister's daughter has a deep love for you. She must be braver than the heroine in the storybook."

　　Hanarokuro's eyes flashed with viciousness: "I hope so."

　　Then, Meng Qingtai served tea to Jiang Xun with a smile: "Congratulations, master, on your successful entry into the General's Mansion."

　　Jiang Xun squeezed the tea cup, his expression slightly sluggish.

　　It didn't go well. Shen Baiyu was smarter than he thought. She was vigilant, decisive, and even ruthless... far beyond Jiang Xun's expectations. She was completely unlike a woman who had lived in a boudoir for a long time and was ignorant of the world.

　　Jiang Xun took a sip of top-quality tea and looked probingly: "Is there any omission in the investigation of the third lady of the Shen family?"

　　Meng Qingtai seemed to be greatly insulted. He put down the teapot in his hand and said aggrievedly: "Master, you can insult me, but you can't insult my ability, Meng Qingtai! The intelligence network in the capital has been established by Qingbai and I for many years." If you use the cloth bit by bit, you can even find out the color of the fur trousers the Daqing Emperor is wearing tonight! Shen Baiyu is a boudoir girl, how easy it is to find out her!"

　　With that said, Meng Qingtai quickly opened the secret room of the private room, found a document titled "The Third Miss of the General's Mansion, Shen Baiyu" among the dense files, and handed it to Jiang Xun: "Shen Baiyu is just an ordinary little girl. The quality is pretty good. "

　　Jiang Xun looked through Shen Baiyu's information again.

　　The document investigates Shen Baiyu's life in detail, from his premature birth in August to his childhood as a housekeeper. The document described Shen Baiyu as: kind-hearted, diligent and motivated, loving her parents, caring for her brothers and sisters... she was so busy every day that she felt dizzy.

　　Jiang Xun held the dossier with his doubts undiminished - has a kind personality?

　　The "kind" Shen Baiyu sent someone to push him out of the dog hole in the middle of the night. He was the prince of the Yue Kingdom, and had to grit his teeth and crawl through the dog hole thirteen times for the sake of his great cause...

　　Today, I rescued Jiang Baiyu from an injured right foot. I thought it would arouse Shen Baiyu's sympathy, but in the end, Shen Baiyu actually wanted to throw him to the hospital to die. Jiang Xun pretended to faint and wanted to fall into Shen Baiyu's arms, but Shen Baiyu hid even more slipperily than a loach...

　　Diligent and motivated?

　　Jiang Xun stayed in Baimei Courtyard for two days. After long-term observation, he found that the little girl Shen Baiyu had nothing to do all day long except eating and sleeping. Today, Shen Baiyu slept all morning, and then slept in the afternoon. In the evening, after eating and drinking medicine, she went back to the house to continue sleeping.

　　Is this called diligence and progress? Jiang Xun has never seen a woman who can sleep better than her.

　　"That's all, I'll leave the General's Mansion after Jiang Xinyue returns to Beijing." Jiang Xun put down the teacup. He didn't plan to stay in the General's Mansion for a long time.

　　A mere boudoir woman, no matter how smart she is, can't guess his origins, let alone stop his plan.

　　Jiang Xun put aside Shen Baiyu's information and asked Qingbai: "How is the situation at the East Palace?"

　　Qingbai held the knife and said in a straight voice: "As the master expected, the prince of Qingguo does have an ulterior secret."

　　Jiang Xun: "Very good, you will hide in Qingtaifang during this period. When the news is over, you will have your own mission."

　　Qingbai: "Yes."

　　The water in Qingguo's capital city is being quietly disturbed. When the water becomes muddy enough, the opportunity to fish will come.

　　Jiang Xun stood up and left, and the three of them saw each other off respectfully. When Jiang Xun's figure disappeared in the thick moonlight, Meng Qingtai smiled broadly, stood on tiptoes and hugged Qingbai's burly shoulders: "Brother Qingbai, don't worry, I will take good care of you, you can regard me as yours" 's father."

　　Qingbai threw the knife in Meng Qingtai's arms, helplessly and indulgently.

　　...

　　...

　　Jiang Xun returned through the night. Baimei Courtyard was quiet and remote. It was always dark in this area. Only the lights in Shen Baiyu's house were still on stubbornly. Jiang Xun thought, she is indeed a little girl who is afraid of the dark.

　　Shen Baiyu slept soundly at night, but there was a big problem with the Tantai family.

　　Since Shen Baiyu gave up his job, all the internal affairs that were previously sent to Baimeiyuan were transferred to Tantai's room.

　　During the day, the stewards of the mansion presented the account books one by one:

　　"Madam, this pile is the property of the General's Mansion, including the daily expenses of shops, mansions, fields, antique jewelry, etc. It also includes the profit income of the farm shop."

　　"Madam, this is the catalog of the monthly payments for the servants and maids. The rewards and punishments are also recorded in the book. The monthly payments will be issued by the General's Mansion in three days. The monthly payments need to be allocated tomorrow."

　　"The day after tomorrow, the Prime Minister's Mansion held a flower viewing banquet, and the Prime Minister's Mansion sent a greeting card..."

　　"Madam, this is a post sent by the Queen. The Peach Blossom Mountain Spring Banquet will take place in half a month..."

　　Mountains of account books and books filled Tantai's desk without leaving any space. Her beloved leaf play box was pushed into a corner, and the box crashed to the ground. The jade cards inside were scattered all over the floor.

　　Tantai's head is as big as a bucket.

　　The Tantai family bravely showed off, opened a field of account books, and thought arrogantly: "Three girls can take care of the house, am I not as good as a yellow-haired girl?"

　　The dense arithmetic words were like black flies flying in front of his eyes, making Tantai feel dizzy.

　　I was busy until dark, and I didn't even finish reading a simple account book. The stewards who were waiting for Mr. Tantai to give orders had sore legs and numbness, and each of them looked at Mr. Tantai with something wrong.

　　They didn't expect that the matron of the house could be so incompetent.

　　The third lady could read through these fifty account books in two hours, and she could accurately find the flaws. The Tantai family was not even one ten thousandth as good as the third lady.

　　Tantai's face was red with the glare of the stewards, and she gradually felt regretful. She wanted to invite her best friends to play leaf opera, and also wanted to go out to the countryside to enjoy the flowers, but she never wanted to have to deal with a bunch of tedious household chores every day.

　　Zhang's mother saw Mrs. Tantai's thoughts, and after rejecting the group of stewards, she lowered her voice and said, "Madam, I heard from the concierge that the third lady went out for fun this morning. I think she has recovered from her illness."

　　"Seriously?" Mr. Tantai's expression changed, and he grabbed the handkerchief and said, "I'm still lazy every day after I recover. Go and call the third girl."

　　Mother Zhang shook her head: "Madam, the third lady's personality has changed a bit recently. If you directly ask her to continue to be the housekeeper, she will definitely refuse."

　　Tantai thought the same thing, Shen Baiyu was not as sensible as before.

　　Zhang's mother said: "Madam, I have a good idea."

　　Zhang's mother lowered her head and whispered.

　　After hearing this, Mr. Tantai hesitated: "Is this method really feasible?"

　　Zhang's mother nodded solemnly.

　　...

　　...

　　Shen Baiyu woke up in the morning and nestled in the bed as usual, greedily enjoying the warmth that did not dissipate from the bed.

　　There was another argument outside Baimei Courtyard. Shen Baiyu lay lazily on the bed and listened to Jade's quarrel outside the house.

　　Zhang's mother came again, claiming that Tantai was in ill health and asked Shen Baiyu to come over and take a look.

　　Jade looked angry: "If you are sick, go to the imperial doctor. My young lady doesn't know how to treat illnesses."

　　Mother Zhang put on airs and said in a sour voice: "The third mother is sick and my daughter doesn't visit her. If word gets out, the third lady will be said to be unfilial."

　　Jade's eyes were red with anger.

　　Her young lady is usually the most filial, and if she finds out that Tantai is ill, she will definitely take back the housekeeping rights. But Jade could see clearly that the young lady's painstaking efforts could not be exchanged for a word of praise, but all she got was harsh criticism.

　　Sometimes Jade can't help but wonder, is the lady really the madam's biological daughter? How could any mother in the world treat her own daughter so harshly?

　　Feicui and Zhang's mother were quarreling fiercely. They heard the door under the eaves open and Shen Baiyu yawned and walked out. Her illness has not completely recovered, and her face is still pale and sickly.

　　Zhang's mother was secretly happy that the plan worked.

　　Zhang's mother couldn't wait to remind her: "Miss Third, my wife has caught a cold, and I'm afraid that the housekeeper's affairs——"

　　Shen Baiyu interrupted Mother Zhang's words with a calm expression: "My mother is sick, so I naturally have to visit her in person. Jade Manchun, help me go to the main room to visit my mother." After saying that, he glanced at Jiang Xun who came out of the utility room. , Jiang Xun recovered very quickly and was able to walk on the ground, but there was still a slight limp in his walking posture.

　　Shen Baiyu: "Jiang Liu, remember to feed the dog."

　　Jiang Xun's eyebrows skipped a beat: "Yes."

　　Dahuang wagged his tail excitedly: "Woof woof woof~"

　　It was cold today, so Shen Baiyu put on a thick mink fur cloak and walked to the main house of the General Mansion where the Tantai family lived. Shen Baiyu insisted on walking to the main house, and Zhang's mother could not stop her, so she had to keep hinting all the way: "The fourth young master and the fifth young lady are still playing in the suburbs of Zhuangzi. The general has been helping catch fugitives in Dali Temple these two days. My wife is sick again. We The General's Mansion can only rely on you, Miss Third."

　　Shen Baiyu thought that Zhang's mother was farting.

　　Shen Baiyu thought as she walked. She had already expected that the Tantai family would find a way to give her the housekeeping power because they were indolent and indolent.

　　We have to think of a permanent solution.

　　Shen Baiyu's current physical condition is not very good. The congenital deficiencies in her womb have made her physical condition worse than her peers. Years of running the back house of the General's Mansion has left her physically and mentally exhausted. She can no longer withstand long-term hard work and needs to rest. She has no pursuit in life, she just wants to live longer - at least longer than in her previous life.

　　Braving the cold March wind, walking from the White Plum Garden to the main house is like stepping from a bleak winter to a blossoming spring.

　　Tantai lay weakly on the bed, closing her eyes to rest. She wore precious gray rabbit hair to wipe her forehead, her cheeks were rosy, her body was plump, and she didn't look sick at all.

　　Shen Baiyu entered the room and called: "Mother."

　　Nothing further.

　　If it were the former Shen Baiyu, he would have been so worried: he asked the imperial doctor to diagnose Tantai's illness, prepared the medicine himself, served Tantai to drink the medicine, and came to inquire about his condition every day...

　　But now she was just sitting on the chair, holding a beautiful white porcelain tea cup in her hand, sipping it slowly, with an attitude of staying out of it.

　　Seeing that Shen Baiyu didn't ask for the housekeeper's rights back, Tantai pretended to cough twice and said weakly: "Third girl, I stayed up late last night to read the account books and contracted the cold."

　　What is this girl still hesitating about?

　　When the mother is sick, the children should share her worries.

　　She, a dignified wife of a general, should be like other noble ladies, playing the piano, playing cards, reciting poems, and playing with her children for fun. How could she read boring account books every day? Tantai has not played the leaf opera for several days. She is bored.

　　Shen Baiyu sat still, her clear eyes flashed with deep thought: "Mother, are you really seriously ill?"

　　Mother Zhang was already prepared.

　　Zhang's mother handed a piece of written diagnosis letter to Shen Baiyu with a sad look on her face: "If my wife had not been seriously ill, how could I have dared to disturb the third lady so easily. This morning I asked Dr. Wang to diagnose her pulse. Dr. Wang diagnosed that my wife is internally weak and cold. It's an emergency and requires rest."

　　Shen Baiyu glanced at the letter.

　　Think she's blind?

　　She still recognized Dr. Wang's handwriting.

　　At this time, there was the sound of footsteps outside the house. It turned out to be people from the General's Office. There were too many chores accumulated in the past two days, and today more than a dozen stewards came to seek instructions from Tantai.

　　Mother Zhang walked outside the white jade screen and told the stewards: "My wife is seriously ill and cannot get out of bed. For matters in the house, please contact the third lady——"

　　Jade jumped up in anger: "My young lady is not fully recovered from her illness, how can she care about so many things!"

　　Zhang's mother said arrogantly: "My wife is sick, does the third lady still need her sick mother to take care of the housework? It won't become a joke in Beijing if word spreads."

　　Shen Baiyu laughed softly.

　　Look, this is the distinguished general's wife.

　　For his own selfish reasons, he did not hesitate to pretend to be sick in front of his daughter.

　　Shen Baiyu touched Mrs. Tang in her hand and told the two maids solemnly: "My mother is seriously ill and needs close relatives to accompany her. Manchun, you immediately set off to Zhuangzi in the suburbs to find your fourth brother and fifth sister, and ask them to go home immediately. Stay with your mother."

　　"Jade, go to the East Palace to inform my second sister, and then go to Dali Temple to look for my father. My father cares about my mother and will definitely put down his official duties and come back."