Chapter 13: An army against the general

　　Tantai was stunned, never expecting that Shen Baiyu would come up with this trick.

　　She just pretended to be sick and found a suitable reason to throw away the housekeeper rights.

　　She didn't want to make a big deal out of it at all.

　　Tantai tried to stop her: "It's just a minor illness. It'll be fine in two days. You three girls don't need to disturb others."

　　Shen Baiyu tilted his head, with an innocent look on his face: "The doctor Wang's diagnosis and prescription are clearly written, my mother's illness is extremely serious -" After a pause, Shen Baiyu ordered again: "Jade, on the way, go to the Tantai Hou Mansion to inform my grandmother and Uncle's family."

　　Feicui and Manchun were very smart and left quickly, and Zhang's mother couldn't stop them.

　　Tantai's face was pale and his lips were trembling.

　　Things were completely out of her control...

　　But she couldn't admit that she was pretending to be sick, which would be embarrassing and loss of face. Yesterday, Zhang's mother proposed the strategy of "pretending to be sick", but she didn't expect that Shen Baiyu would do this.

　　Shen Baiyu didn't have this kind of character before, why did she become so unfilial?

　　The Tantai family thought hard about how to break the situation, and time passed quietly. In less than half an hour, relatives who were shocked to hear the bad news came one after another. The Tantai Hou Mansion, the Tantai clan's natal family, was the closest to the General's Mansion and was the first to arrive.

　　"Rou'er, Rou'er, don't scare my mother!" The white-haired old lady Tantai staggered upright, her voice choked with sobs.

　　Shen Baiyu sat aside and watched the show.

　　Grandma came, and so did my uncle and aunt.

　　The Tantai Marquis Mansion was extremely fond of the Tantai family.

　　But Shen Baiyu clearly remembered that in his previous life, the Tantai Hou Mansion was in trouble. Tantai's cousin was beheaded at the Meridian Gate for "murdering" the prime minister's son, and his grandmother and uncle were sentenced to three thousand miles of exile. The Tantai family was afraid of being implicated by their mother's family, so they stayed behind closed doors. His elderly mother died of illness on the road to exile, and the Tantai family was unwilling to collect her mother's body.

　　"Mom...I'm fine." Tantai managed a smile.

　　Mrs. Tantai burst into tears with distress, and held Tantai's hand: "I heard that girl Feicui say that Dr. Wang from Tai Hospital wrote a diagnosis letter of a very serious condition... Don't be afraid, mother is always with us. Son."

　　Mr. Tandai:...

　　I almost hate Shen Baiyu to death!

　　Shen Baiyu lowered his head slightly, unable to tell whether he felt happy or sour. Suddenly, his hand was held gently. Shen Baiyu raised his head in surprise and saw his aunt's concerned eyes.

　　"Third girl, why are you getting thinner and thinner, your face looks bad, and you haven't had a good rest recently?" Aunt Wang held Shen Baiyu's hand and felt like it was holding a piece of ice.

　　Shen Baiyu's face warmed up: "Auntie, Baiyu is just suffering from the cold, it's not serious."

　　There were not many people who were kind to her in her previous life, and her aunt Wang was one of them. The Wang family comes from a family of military commanders and has a straightforward and aggressive temperament. She usually dislikes the pretentious Tantai family, and there are often conflicts between her aunt and sister-in-law.

　　Wang held Shen Baiyu's hand to warm her and complained in a low voice: "Tantairou only cares about her own enjoyment, leaving all the housework to your child. How can there be such a mother in the world."

　　Mrs. Wang pulled Shen Baiyu to greet her, but within a moment, a rich and anxious voice came from outside the house: "Madam! My madam! Don't scare me!"

　　Shen Zhenshan is back.

　　When he learned that his beloved wife was seriously ill, Shen Zhenshan immediately dropped his official duties and rode all the way from Dali Temple back to the General's Mansion. Shen Zhen Shanfeng rushed into the house, and the clanging man had tears in his eyes: "Madam, I just haven't been home for two days, and you are actually sick! It's all my fault. I was busy catching fugitives and forgot to take care of my wife!"

　　Tantai's eyes were embarrassed, and the disguise on his face could hardly be concealed.

　　But then, there was another announcement from the little eunuch outside the house——

　　"The Crown Prince is here, the Crown Princess is here!"

　　Shen Baiyu's sister, Shen Wan'er, the noble crown princess of Daqing Kingdom, is here.

　　Tantai almost fainted.

　　I thought it was just Wan'er who came back, but I didn't expect that the prince, who was busy with everything, also came! If the prince found out that she was pretending to be ill, where would the Tantai family put their face? How can Wan'er's reputation in the East Palace be maintained?

　　"Mother, Wan'er is late." A crimson figure hurried into the room, Shen Wan'er's eyes were filled with tears, and her beautiful face was full of worry.

　　The prince entered the room and raised his hand to avoid everyone's salutes: "I govern the country with benevolence and filial piety in Daqing. The Crown Princess is benevolent and filial. I should personally accompany you."

　　Shen Baiyu sat in the corner watching the show, looking at the strange and familiar faces.

　　The actors are all here and the show begins.

　　Crown Princess Shen Wan'er attaches great importance to her reputation. Today the Crown Princess came to visit the Tantai family in person. On the one hand, she was worried about her mother's condition, but more importantly, she wanted to establish her reputation as "benevolent, filial and respectful to her mother".

　　At this time, Shen Wan'er burst into tears, crying so hard that she said, "Mother, His Royal Highness has sent for the imperial doctor, so you can rest assured."

　　Mr. Tandai:...

　　How dare she feel relieved!

　　As soon as the imperial doctor came, her lie about pretending to be ill was revealed.

　　In a hurry, Mr. Tantai kept looking at Zhang's mother.

　　Zhang's mother has been following the Tantai family for decades, so she understands it and slyly diverts everyone's attention: "Your Highness, Crown Princess, Madam has always been in good health. It's just that in recent days, the third lady has been pretending to be sick and avoiding the complicated housekeeping duties. Throw it all to the madam, who is busy all night long, and this causes serious illness."

　　Tantai clan secretly approved.

　　Yes, just do this and quickly put the responsibility on Shen Baiyu, and she can escape quickly.

　　Compared with the reputation of the entire Shen family, Shen Baiyu's slight injustice is nothing.

　　Shen Wan'er's pretty face was astonished. In her impression, the third sister was as down-to-earth as an old scalper, never daring to disobey her family. Maybe it was because he was getting older and his temper had become bad. Shen Wan'er immediately ordered: "Come here, drag this disrespectful thing out of my mother and beat her with twenty boards! I will punish her by kneeling in the ancestral hall for half a month and copying twenty volumes of Buddhist scriptures for my mother!"

　　The prince showed admiration, and the princess abided by her filial piety, acted impartially, and had indeed good conduct.

　　The little eunuch outside the house quickly entered the house and wanted to drag Shen Baiyu to make a plan.

　　Aunt Wang was so worried. How could the third girl be so angry that Dantai was so angry?

　　But the Crown Princess gave the order, and the status of the royal family was here, so how could she, a harem woman, dare to stop it.

　　At the critical moment, Shen Baiyu suddenly coughed heavily——

　　Cough cough cough——

　　Cough cough cough——

　　Coughed up two mouthfuls of dark red blood.

　　Shen Baiyu's face was pale and extremely weak, and she said: "I hope the prince, princess, father, and grandmother will forgive Bai Yu. It's all Bai Yu's fault... Bai Yu has a high fever that won't go away for two days, and he coughs up blood and has a headache... A mere wind chill enters the body." Because of my minor illness, I had the evil thought of slacking off, and even made my mother sick. It was all Bai Yu's fault, and Bai Yu accepted the punishment voluntarily."

　　She coughed violently.

　　The white handkerchief covered her mouth, and there was a lot of blood on the handkerchief.

　　Shen Baiyu's face was pale, her forehead was dripping with cold sweat, and she couldn't even stand firmly. She was like a leaf withering in the wind, a poor cabbage in the snow in winter. She looked so miserable.

　　Jade, who had brought the news, had already rushed back. She was a smart girl. When she saw this, she immediately knelt down and kowtowed in apology.

　　Jade didn't sell out, but did the opposite: "It's all the slave's fault. A few days ago, the young lady jumped into the lake to pick up paper kites for the fifth lady. She developed a high fever that night, had a headache, coughed up blood and vomited. Doctor Wang said that the young lady needs to rest for three months. , but the trivial matters in the General's Mansion are complicated, and the young lady only coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood, how can she delay the affairs of the inner house? In the future, I will definitely supervise the young lady, even if the young lady is about to die of illness, she cannot slacken on the housework in the inner house!"

　　Shen Baiyu coughed up blood and secretly admired it.

　　Jade, this girl, is eloquent and can be made.

　　After Jade finished speaking, the room fell into an eerie silence. Shen Zhenshan originally wanted to scold Shen Baiyu, but when he saw the red blood coughed up on Shen Baiyu's handkerchief, his words got stuck in his throat.

　　Contemplation flashed in Mrs. Tantai's eyes.

　　Seeing that something was wrong, Zhang's mother quickly knelt down and shouted loudly: "Your Highness, please don't be deceived by Third Miss! Yesterday morning, Third Miss went out to play, which shows that her condition has improved. Madam is really mad at Third Miss. Wang The imperial doctor personally diagnosed my wife's pulse, how could the imperial doctor lie?"

　　Usually, Zhang's mother's attitude towards Shen Baiyu was not very good, and her tone was very harsh. Now she was used to complaining in this tone, and Mrs. Wang immediately scolded her: "Where did you come from, bitch? You, a little servant, actually arranged for the master?"

　　Zhang's mother was so frightened that she trembled.

　　Mrs. Wang added: "Three girls are as thin as a cat. How can she pretend to be sick? Your wife, on the other hand, has a rosy complexion. I can see her plowing several acres of land without panting!"

　　Zhang's mother still insisted: "My wife is indeed sick——"

　　Before he finished speaking, the little eunuch announced from outside the house: "The imperial doctor has arrived!"

　　Tantai was secretly nervous.

　　There are as many as a hundred doctors in the Imperial Hospital, and the chance of Dr. Wang being sent is extremely slim.

　　People eat all kinds of grains, and everyone has some ailments and ailments. The imperial doctor can always detect some innocuous minor diseases by taking a pulse, and when the time comes, it will fall on the third girl, and today's predicament will be solved.

　　Shen Wan'er still believed in the Tantai family and told her softly: "Mother, the maid who came to the East Palace to report the news specifically mentioned Dr. Wang, so my daughter sent someone to invite Dr. Wang."

　　Tantai was stunned...

　　Wang, Doctor Wang!

　　Tantai subconsciously looked at Shen Baiyu. Shen Baiyu was still coughing, and the handkerchief covering the corner of his mouth was stained with bits of blood.

　　The two people's eyes met in vain, and Tantai discovered that the third girl's eyes were no longer as respectful and gentle as before, but more distant and indifferent.

　　Alienation is like a thorn, silently piercing Tantai's heart.

　　The white-haired Doctor Wang entered the room and bowed respectfully to the Crown Prince and Shen Wan'er.

　　Carrying the medicine box again, he sat on the empty chair next to Shen Baiyu.

　　Doctor Wang thought he was here to treat Shen Baiyu, and after some questioning, he frowned and said, "Third Miss, it's cold and windy today. You are weak and should not go out. You need to rest for at least three months, otherwise you will suffer from lifelong illnesses and your life will be short. "

　　Shen Baiyu coughed twice: "Thank you, Doctor Wang, for your advice. Bai Yu coughed up blood again today. Could you please Doctor Wang to prescribe a prescription to treat it?"

　　Doctor Wang caught a glimpse of the wet blood on the corner of Shen Baiyu's mouth and frowned.

　　Doctors don't like it when patients don't follow the doctor's instructions.

　　The third lady is not resting at the first sight!

　　Doctor Wang was angry, he stood up and raised his hands towards Shen Zhenshan, with a look of displeasure on his face: "General Shen, the third lady is seriously weak and overworked, she must rest, otherwise she will not live to be eighteen years old. I am afraid she is a fugitive beggar on the streets of Yanjing. The body and bones are stronger than the third lady!"

　　Shen Zhenshan's face turned red and white.

　　He is busy with official duties and a bit patriarchal. He usually only has high hopes for his two sons. The matter of educating her daughter was left to Tantai.

　　Unexpectedly, Tantai raised his youngest daughter to be fair, tender and cute, but raised his third daughter to be sickly, and even made him lose face in front of the imperial doctor.

　　For the first time, Shen Zhenshan felt dissatisfied with his wife.

　　Aunt Wang was very shrewd and deliberately asked: "Physician Wang, tell me, is Bai Yu pretending to be ill?"

　　Doctor Wang was straightforward and thought that Wang was doubting his medical skills, so he immediately retorted: "Wang comes from a medical family and has been practicing medicine for fifty years. Even His Majesty is full of praise for Wang's medical skills! Third Miss's illness is caused by fatigue." , the body is weak due to lack of strength in the womb, and the disease has been caused by years of overwork. This time the wind and cold are just the inducement, bringing out all the old diseases, and the disease comes like a mountain."

　　Wang smiled and turned to look at Shen Zhenshan: "Brother-in-law is such a good father. He actually let a little girl who has not yet had haircuts take care of the housework and even fell ill from exhaustion."

　　Shen Zhenshan's face turned even worse.

　　But Shen Zhenshan felt that Wang was exaggerating.

　　What's so hard about being a housekeeper?

　　Just looking at the account books and giving out monthly money, can it be more tiring than a man fighting a war?

　　Tantai, who was lying on the bed, was so anxious that she secretly winked at Zhang's mother.

　　How could Mother Zhang let things go astray? She secretly hid the forged medical diagnosis, then knelt down and kowtowed: "His Royal Highness, it is clear that the third lady has some minor ailments, but it is true that she is mad at her! Madam! Now I'm too sick to eat."

　　How could the prince be deceived by the old woman in the inner house?

　　The prince's eyes narrowed slightly: "Mr. Wang, can you diagnose the general's wife's pulse this morning?"

　　Imperial Physician Wang looked confused: "Back to the Crown Prince, Wei Chen has been on duty at the Imperial Hospital today and has not received any documents to treat the official's family members."

　　Then, Dr. Wang glanced at Mr. Tantai from a distance: "The general's wife has a rosy face, smooth breathing, and no obvious external symptoms. Her face is slightly red and her throat is slightly bulging. It should be because she ate too much food in the morning. Diet You have to be restrained, madam, don't be greedy."

　　Everyone:...

　　Mr. Tandai:...

　　Just now, Zhang's mother swore that Tantai was too sick to eat. In the blink of an eye, Doctor Wang exposed the situation, and the room was filled with embarrassment.

　　Seeing the excitement, Mrs. Wang didn't take it too seriously, and hit the nail on the head: "I'm addicted to pleasure, and I despise the hard work of the housekeeper. I actually pretended to be sick and slandered my own daughter. There are thousands of official residences in the capital where the matron is in charge of the middle school. Brother-in-law, you let a little girl who has not even got hairpins do it?" Stewardship is truly a pioneering work."

　　A noble daughter who has not yet left the court will learn to read the account books and manage the back house in preparation for marrying into her husband's family in the future, but she will never manage the house for a long time before leaving the court.

　　But the Shen family has placed all the responsibility of housekeeper on a little girl, Shen Baiyu. If word spread, it will probably become a joke in the entire capital.

　　Shen Wan'er was extremely angry. She planned to show her "filial piety" in front of the prince today, so as to win back the prince's heart and prevent him from spending the night in the concubine's room.

　　Who knew he would lose such a big face!

　　If the news that the mother pretended to be ill and framed her own daughter was reported back to the East Palace, where would the majesty of her crown princess be?

　　Everyone has their own thoughts.

　　Seeing that the lie was exposed, Mrs. Tantai's cheeks turned red and she hid under the quilt in shame and anger. When Tantai did something wrong, she immediately thought of avoiding it rather than admitting it, because she knew someone would clean up the mess for her.

　　Sure enough, Old Madam Tantai, who had an insight into everything, had no choice but to stand up. She was the noble wife of Imperial Majesty, and she was also a close friend of the current Queen Mother, so her words naturally carried a lot of weight.

　　Old Madam Tantai sighed and spoke slowly: "Your Highness, today's farce is really a family matter, so please don't worry. Your Highness and Wan'er are one husband and wife, sharing weal and woe."