Chapter 191 Plum Garden

At Rongguo Mansion, Lin Daiyu took her younger brother Lin Chang'an and followed her mother to their courtyard.

"Mom, is there anything going on with my second uncle at Lixiangyuan today?"

"Why do you ask that?"

Jia Min glanced at her youngest son and asked him in confusion.

"It felt like grandma wasn't very happy during dinner."

Lin Changan asked: "Sister, do you also feel that grandma is unhappy?"

"Um!"

Lin Daiyu nodded, "Mother, why are my second uncle and his friends always making a fuss? My grandmother is old, why don't they understand her at all?"

She didn't expect them to be filial, but she felt bad for the old lady because they always did this and made her unhappy.

"And Brother Bao, he ran to the East Palace to hide from them all."

Lin Changan was very melancholy.

Of course, I also felt sorry for this cousin, "We all used to eat together, but now he goes to eat with his aunt in the East Mansion."

“…”

Daiyu glanced at her brother.

She went to school in Dongfu, and every few days her aunt would have lunch with them.

Most of the meals in Dongfu are cooked by Aunt Li. She has a pair of skillful hands and no matter what she cooks, even if it is just ordinary vegetables, it tastes better than others.

She and her cousins, her husband, and her aunt sometimes also work on cooking a few dishes.

So far, according to the travel notes, I have succeeded in five tasks, and the others... I won’t mention them.

But my aunt’s wife was determined not to waste anything, so no matter how unpalatable or even if it tasted weird, they had to share some and eat it all.

Today, my sisters and I learned how to make candied sweet potatoes from Aunt Li. We put too much sugar in it and it was too sweet.

Because of this dish, the gentleman said they were causing trouble for her and forced them to brush their teeth again and drink two more cups of tea.

Daiyu sighed softly in her heart. She didn't want to eat anything sweet in the past seven days.

Of course, if you want to eat sweets, Mr. Zhan probably won’t give you anything.

"Sister, when are you going to have your holiday?"

Lin Changan felt very sorry that he couldn't go to school in the East Palace. Every time he heard his sister talk about the interesting things about studying there, he was particularly longing for it.

"What do you want your sister to do on vacation so much?"

Jia Min glanced at her youngest son and said, "If you can't bear to leave Baoyu, then get up early tomorrow and go with him to Master Jiao to practice martial arts."

After receiving the letter from her husband, she got up early and went to the East Palace to take a look.

Uncle Jiao is worthy of being the elder of the Jia family.

Rong'er and Baoyu, who were practicing martial arts, were doing horse stance while reciting their lessons.

Others who practiced martial arts followed suit.

Even a servant who has no martial arts training can learn horse stance and learn a few more words in such an environment.

"tomorrow?"

Lin Changan shrank his neck and said, "Mom, it's so cold recently."

He was afraid of the cold and he couldn't get up.

"cold?"

Jia Min smiled, "Rong'er isn't cold? Baoyu isn't cold? Only you..."

"Mother~"

Daiyu hurriedly tugged at her mother's sleeve and spoke up for her brother, "My brother is still young. The aunt in the East Palace said that children need to sleep more in order to grow taller."

Because of this, their class time was delayed until after 2:15 am.

"...Okay, okay, let's go next year."

My son is indeed still young.

Jia Min only has this one son, and she wants to hold him in her hands and love him dearly, but loving the child does not mean spoiling him.

The Lin family has been a single-line family for generations, and the Lin family's future will have to rely on Chang'an.

He couldn't hold on. Not to mention that his own life would be hard, she and the master would also be worried. Without the support of her brothers, their daughter would inevitably suffer more.

The descendants of the Lin family...

Just look at Zhu'er and Baoyu and you will know how pitiful they are.

If Yuanchun wasn't the eldest sister-in-law of the East Palace, she might still be staying in the palace.

Jia Min didn't dare to raise a useless child. When Lin Chang'an was about to jump up, she said, "But you can't be too happy too soon. Your cousins ​​and nephews will be able to fight three people at once in the future. You should also get ready early. If you want to sleep in the morning to grow taller, then go at night."

Ah? Lin Changan blinked, "Then will I also have dinner at my aunt's house tonight?"

“…”

“…”

Jia Min and Lin Daiyu were stumped by his words.

The two of them miraculously knew what his focus was.

"As long as your aunt accepts you, I don't care about you."

Jia Min was angry and amused, "Go ask yourself!"

…

At Ningguo Mansion, Shen Ning didn't know yet that she had a new dining companion.

At this time, she was listening to the news that Jia Zhen had heard from Shuntian Prefecture.

"...Mother, the Hua family incident is most likely caused by the people in Prince Jin's Mansion. They are trying to cover up the lie about the death of Mr. Liu's waiter."

It just so happens that Mr. Liu is related to the skinny monkey they caught.

Mr. Liu disappeared, and the two waiters who served him died as luck would have it.

Haha~Are all people in this world fools?

It was obvious that he was killed by King Jin.

But now all the evidence has been erased by the people from Prince Jin’s Mansion.

"As for Hua Zifang being arranged to marry after death, it's obvious that his body has been exposed. The people in Prince Jin's Mansion can only think of another way."

The King of Jin is so careless about human life...

Jia Zhen felt cold in his heart, "Now the Wang family has come to the Hua family to ask for a dowry. I'm afraid their target is not the Hua family, but our Jia family."

“…”

Shen Ning sighed and said nothing.

What can she say?

He is a prince.

Even if the matter is reported to the emperor, as long as the emperor emeritus is around, his life will not be in danger.

The person who did this...

"They are looking for the Hua family, why are you trying to get ahead of them?"

The Jia family showed their head and fell into the trap of King Jin.

"If the Hua family has money, then give it to them. If they don't have money, then just bring their son back home!"

If Hua's mother forced Xiren to steal Baoyu's things just for the sake of her dead son... then Xiren would probably have to leave the Jia family early.

It all depends on her choice! "Don't worry about how they make a fuss. Just let them watch."

“Hey~”

Jia Zhen was just a little angry.

But there is no comparison between the Jia family and... the King of Jin.

"Mother, the guard I found for you, Wen Peilan, has already brought her niece to Beijing."

Oh? This is business.

Shen Ning sat up straight at once, "Then why don't you go into the mansion?"

"They have been traveling a long way, and they said they want to rest outside for a night, wash up, and come back to the mansion tomorrow."

"Tell Mrs. You to send two sets of clean clothes."

"Youshi has already sent it."

On this point, Jia Zhen was very satisfied with Youshi.

She always thought ahead of household affairs, so he and his mother didn't have to worry about them.

"...When we get back later, please help me thank her."

Shen Ning smiled and said, "Come to think of it, she doesn't have all the maids around her yet. I'm very busy now. Tell the farms down below to select some more."

"yes!"

While the mother and son were talking about the people on the farm, Wen Peilan, who was staying in the inn, was also asking about the nobleman she was going to protect.

A lady of the first rank!

Apart from the royal family, the lady with the highest status would actually be gossiped about and said to be the most shrewd woman in Dazhao.

Huh~ "Aunt, Madam Shen is so powerful, is there anyone who wants to beat her?"

Nine-year-old Wen Yaner followed her aunt to see off the guests and finally asked her question.

“…”

Wen Peilan sighed, "Who knows? We took her money and said we would protect her safety, so we must protect her safety."

Other things are not within her consideration for the time being.

"I heard that the maids in wealthy families are all literate. In their free time, they will teach the little maids to read."

She touched her niece's face and said, "Now that you are at Ningguo Mansion, you should be sweet-mouthed and diligent. Learn some words. If there is anyone teaching embroidery, you should learn more."

Fighting and killing is not a good thing in the end.

Escort service is hard, and it is even worse for women.

She didn't want her niece to follow her old path.

"It's normal for a good piece of embroidery to cost over a hundred taels of silver."

"……Um!"

Wen Yaner nodded, "As long as they teach, I will learn."

She would never waste it.

"Aunt, if they chase me away..."

"No, my aunt will also teach them martial arts."

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

If you know a little Kung Fu, you won't be left without a chance to fight back when you meet a bad man.

Wen Peilan, who has traveled all over the country, has seen many such incidents.

Women should be more powerful and men should be more honest.

The more powerful a woman's family is, the more honest the man will be.

No words were spoken that night.

The next day was a sunny day, and Shen Ning finally saw the female guard she had been waiting for for a long time.

"sit!"

“I don’t dare!”

Wen Peilan entered her state directly, "Some habits are better not to form." She entered Ningguo Mansion to be a guard, and guards don't sit casually, "Madam, from now on, I will be one of your maids."

She glanced at Qingzhu and the others who were raised like delicate young ladies and said, "But I have no experience as a maid. I..."

"My name is Qingzhu. From now on, sister, follow me and I will teach you."

Qingzhu smiled and said, "At the same time, those in our courtyard who want to practice martial arts..."

"I'll teach you!"

This is also one of her tasks.

Wen Peilan said without further ado, "I practice boxing once every morning and evening. Anyone who is interested can come and learn."

"I don't know your fist..."

Shen Ning admired her decisiveness and of course wanted to ask her if she could learn it.

"I know Tai Chi, Bagua Zhang, Emei Quan, and White Crane Quan."

Wen Peilan said, "Madam, if you are interested, you can learn Tai Chi from me."

"It's settled then."

Shen Ning smiled, "Qingzhu, bring me my apprenticeship gift."

I saw my grandparents practice it when I was a kid, but I wasn’t interested in it at that time.

Now that I can learn systematically, I certainly can’t miss it.

So, within two days, the maids in Ningguo Mansion had one more thing to do: they had to practice horse stance with Master Wen for half an hour every day.

Shen Ning couldn't move anymore and could only learn some fancy moves.

However, Tai Chi is much more beautiful to perform than Wu Qin Quan.

She was not at all secretive and introduced Tai Chi to Ningcuixuan.

The days passed by inadvertently, and by the time the Shi family sent an invitation to invite people to drink and celebrate the return of Shi Ding, the Marquis of Zhongjing, it was already the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Early in the morning, snowflakes were falling again.

However, the meritorious officials who returned to the capital from the north to receive rewards made the capital lively.

King Jin had been waiting for this day for a long time.

In other families, Shen could find any excuse not to go out, but in the Shi family... she had to give face to her deceased mother-in-law and also to the old lady of Rongguo Mansion.

Therefore, she must go to the historian's house.

"Are you ready?"

"I'm ready."

The man dressed like an ordinary person said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, Shen can't escape."

"...You have already disappointed this king once."

King Jin stared into the other person's eyes and said, "Remember, there won't be a second time."

"yes!"

The man bowed and saluted, then retreated respectfully.

Shi Ding had already moved out of the Baolinghou Mansion because of his disagreement with Shi Nai.

The newly-granted Marquis Zhongjing Mansion by the Emperor still has some parts that are not ready yet.

But Shi Ding's stay in Beijing was limited, so he specially rented a very famous plum garden in the west of the city to entertain relatives and friends.

Jia Yue is still young, so Shen Ning naturally won’t take her with her.

Besides, she and Jia Zhen were always worried that Prince Jin would not give up, so they even kept Youshi at home in the name of looking after the house.

When the wind and snow stopped for a while, the carriage slowly drove out of Ningrong Street.

Each Jia mother had a car.

Following closely behind were Xing and Feng, who were riding in the same car.

Then Jia Min got a car.

Shen Ning is at the back.

But if someone looked more carefully, they could see that more than half of the Ningguo Mansion's guards had been dispatched.

In addition to the attendants, there were also people dressed as passers-by.

"Mother, the carriage in front is from the Nan'an Palace."

The carriage stopped at the city gate.

Jia Zhen rode over and said, "The imperial concubine invited the old lady over to chat."

"...Please, please!"

The old lady is not a fool.

Shen Ning fiddled with her cloak.

Qingcheng sewed a secret pocket here, and the musket bought from the missionaries at a high price was placed inside.

"Just say hello for me."

“Hey~”

Jia Zhen rode over on horseback.

Soon, the two families joined together and headed towards the plum garden.

"My elder sister is blessed."

Concubine Nan'an was somewhat envious of Lady Jia.

Jia Daishan, who could support the family, is gone, his sons are useless, but he didn't expect his grandson to rise up.

"Not only the children and grandchildren are using it, but even the nephews and nephews at home are also getting up and running."

I originally thought that having two dukes in the Jia family was the greatest honor for a family, but I didn't expect that there were two marquises in her mother's family.

This woman... is truly blessed.

Who would actually like Jia Lian?

Although he was said to be the heir to the title, in fact, Jia Zheng was the head of the Rongguo Mansion at that time, and Jia Lian was the housekeeper of his second uncle's family.

But what about now?

Even her son, when he came to Beijing, had to show his goodwill to Jia Lian when he saw him.

The Concubine Nan'an was speechless. She didn't know how a woman like Shi could be so blessed.

"What did the Toffee say?"

Grandmother Jia was delighted. "What's wrong with the prince? There is also the Zhen family. Who in Jiangnan doesn't know the Zhen family? In terms of luck, you are better than me."

"Haha, that's true. The other day the prince sent a New Year gift and said he saw a piece of excellent red jadeite, which is suitable for a young wife. I asked someone to add it to your family. I wonder if my elder sister has seen it? That piece of red jadeite is just right for Feng girl."

"That's right."

Grandmother Jia knew that the princess was mainly using her to build a closer relationship between the palace and Lian'er.

So he specifically asked to give the gift to Lian's daughter-in-law.

"I saw that piece of red jadeite was perfect for my daughter Feng, so I gave it to Jin Yu Tang and asked the master chef there to help make a headpiece for her."

“Okay, okay!”

Nan'an Concubine smiled and patted Lady Jia's hand. "When we get to the Plum Garden, call Feng over. I haven't seen her for a long time."

"Don't worry, she will definitely greet you."

The two old ladies were talking here. Wang Xifeng, who was standing behind them, heard that the Concubine Nan'an and the old ladies were sitting in the same car, and her brows unconsciously frowned.

The Chinese New Year is coming, and the New Year gifts given by each family this year are simply beyond imagination.

Their purpose is obvious at a glance.

As for the Prince of Nan'an..., let alone her, even Jia Lian has to listen to the Emperor.

But the emperor seemed not very satisfied with that side.