Chapter 41 My Cousin Arrives in the Capital?

The talent show has come to an end. Whether the people of the Dingbei Marquis's mansion are happy or not is a topic of conversation among ordinary people on the streets when they have nothing else to do.

But this time, it was like throwing a stone into a well.

—It was a rare moment of calm and tranquility.

"You all think that the continuous disasters on the southwestern border for years might be..."

The man who spoke first was a sharp-tongued, monkey-faced fellow who loved to gossip and talk nonsense all the time.

Normally, such people would be disliked, but in today's turbulent times, those who are well-informed have become highly sought after.

The man glanced around suspiciously, pointed to the sky, and shook his head while sighing. The people surrounding him also sighed and groaned.

After a while, another bold person chimed in.

"You know what I mean, what he said makes a lot of sense. Otherwise, how come several princes have died young? Surely the imperial physicians in the palace can't all be just sitting around doing nothing?"

Upon hearing that man's words, another man suddenly stood up, slapped his thigh, and, as if remembering something, continued, "It's said that the little princess fell into the water at the beginning of the year... and almost didn't survive! Perhaps it was divine intervention..."

"Ordinary people love their eldest son, while officials and wealthy families dote on their youngest son; this has been the case since ancient times."

In the crowd, someone sighed, "If you ask me, the old rule of establishing seniority still has some merit, but who could have predicted..."

In broad daylight, who dares to speak so openly about the late emperor's decision to establish an heir?

Even the people who were terrified by the disaster in the southwest dared not respond without reason, and the scene suddenly fell silent.

Everyone was afraid that the news would spread and bring disaster to their families, so they quickly waved their hands and went home.

Wen Lingzheng was out running errands when her carriage happened to pass by. Upon hearing these remarks, she felt a chill run down her spine.

Ten days ago, just over three days after the talent show, the buzz was still going strong, and the public was still debating it heatedly!

Unexpectedly, refugees suddenly appeared in the suburbs of Beijing, dressed in rags and emaciated.

A few lucky ones were rescued by kind farmers, and it turned out that almost all of these refugees came from Yunjiang City.

Yunjiang City is located in the southwest of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Although it is a small border town, it is one of the few plains in the southwestern mountainous area of ​​the Great Zhou Dynasty. It also borders the Great Xia Dynasty and has always been rich in resources.

It is named Yunjiang City because it is located at the source of the Yunjiang River.

Nourished by the Yunjiang River, the city is known for its simple and honest people, and its peaceful and prosperous life makes it a rare and wealthy place among the cities on the southwestern border.

Unfortunately, this year's fortunes are not good. The temperature dropped sharply at the beginning of the year, and there was also the turmoil of the succession to the throne in the Great Xia Dynasty.

When everyone is in danger, chaos is inevitable in the border cities.

People are so busy trying to make a living that they inevitably neglect farming and animal husbandry.

The people had finally reached a point where the neighboring Xia Dynasty was becoming more stable, but then they were hit by a once-in-a-century drought.

The rice planted in early spring dried up in the ground before it even had a chance to sprout...

In Yunjiang City today, it would be no exaggeration to say that corpses litter the ground. In fact, many people who were starving even resorted to cannibalism.

If Yunjiang is like this, one can only imagine what the surrounding areas are like.

When the people of the capital heard this, the story spread like wildfire, becoming increasingly bizarre and causing many to live in constant fear, lest Shengjing follow in Yunjiang's footsteps.

"These people are no longer a concern."

Wen Lingzheng rubbed her temples and looked up at Yaoguang, "Has Third Sister sent another letter?"

Yao Guang shook her head and handed a cup of tea to Wen Lingzheng. "Third Sister sent a letter just the other day, saying that she had just met up with Xingyun and his group and is probably on her way to Yunjiang City. Please wait a little longer, Madam."

On the night the imperial edict for the selection of concubines was delivered to the Marquis of Dingbei's residence, Xingyun took Pei Lin's warrant and rushed to Lin'an overnight.

They traveled at breakneck speed, day and night, for several days before finally meeting up with Third Sister, who had been waiting there early in the morning.

The carriage came to a smooth stop in front of the mansion. As soon as Wen Lingzheng got off the carriage, she saw the maidservants from Rongshou Hall hurrying over with respectful expressions.

“Madam, some relatives from the south have come to visit. The old lady said that if you have time now, please come over.”

Wen Lingzheng nodded and walked into the mansion. After thinking for a moment, she frowned slightly and asked, "Which family's relative?"

The little girl looked somewhat bewildered. Wen Lingzheng smiled and didn't press her for more details.

Three days ago, Pei Ning and other newly appointed imperial concubines were summoned to the palace.

In this selection process, a total of six people were chosen as good candidates.

Among the noble ladies of Shengjing, in addition to Pei Ning and Xiao Shanghua, Wang Juanru, the eldest daughter of the current Minister of Works, was also selected. The other three were beauties recommended from the local areas.

It was probably because of Princess He Ning, and also to appease the Dowager Consort Wang, that Wang Juanru was given the rank of a fourth-grade beauty as soon as she entered the palace.

Pei Ning and Xiao Shanghua were both granted the title of Fifth-Rank Talented Woman, while the other three were granted the title of County Lady.

Relatives came at this crucial moment?

It always gives the impression that there's something else going on.

Wen Lingzheng took a deep breath, only to sigh that Pei Lin had protected her too well in her previous life, and she rarely got involved in these kinds of social interactions, so now she truly realized that being the lady of a powerful family was really not easy.

"Good sister-in-law, you've finally arrived."

As soon as Wen Lingzheng turned the corner and entered Rongshou Hall, Song Miaoyu came to greet her.

He was usually a very straightforward and generous person, and was always in high spirits. But today, he looked like he had survived a disaster, which was both funny and sad.

Wen Lingzheng: "What happened?"

Pointing to the room, Song Miaoyu smiled and replied, "Just came out for some fresh air."

Glancing inside, Wen Lingzheng slowed her pace. "Do you know which family's relative they are?"

Wen Lingzheng has been married into the Dingbei Marquis's family for some time now. During festivals, there are always many exchanges of greetings among close relatives, but she has never heard of any relatives from the Marquis's main family in the south.

"They said they were relatives from the south. Their ancestor and our deceased grandfather were distant cousins. They used to make a living by farming, but now their family has suffered a disaster, so they came to seek refuge with us."

Song Miaoyu walked to Wen Lingzheng's side, "It's no wonder Second Sister-in-law doesn't know. Even though I entered the manor a few years earlier, this is the first time I've ever seen her like this!"

Wen Lingzheng: "Who are the people who are coming? Tell me first so I can be prepared and avoid calling the wrong person and making a fool of myself."

Song Miaoyu: "Sister-in-law is wise. You are really overthinking this. Besides, there are only two of them in this group. They are Pei Jishi, the wife of our old master's cousin, and his most beloved granddaughter."

"My little granddaughter?" Wen Lingzheng sensed the hidden meaning in Song Miaoyu's words and asked in return, "How old is she?"

Song Miaoyu smiled and said, "You're only fifteen or sixteen years old, like a flower bud! Your padded jacket is made of the most fashionable fabric. You don't look like someone who's come to seek refuge. Otherwise, you wouldn't need to come out and hide."

Wen Lingzheng became interested: "Oh? Which family's young master is he?"

Song Miaoyu: "Who else could it be? It's Zhao Bolin, the eldest grandson of the Zhao family of the Ningguo Duke's Mansion! They say he met him by chance when he was young and has never forgotten him since."

The family of the Duke of Ningguo's heir was stationed on the southwestern border year-round. Zhao Bolin also grew up in the south, so it's not surprising that they met once by chance.

However, the south is so vast, and Zhao Bolin entered the capital at the age of fourteen. The time he could move freely in the south, away from his elders' sight, was only about four or five years.

In just a few short years, the probability of a farming family encountering the eldest grandson of the Duke of Ningguo's prestigious family is probably even lower than the probability of a gold ingot falling from the sky.

Concealing her thoughts, Wen Lingzheng smiled and changed the subject, "What? Is our Third Master not handsome enough?"

The Pei family's children are all known to be good-looking.

Pei Zhun's appearance differed from Pei Lin and Pei Ning's; it wasn't the kind of beauty that was aggressive. On the contrary, it was more like a beautiful jade that had been imbued with the fragrance of books.

—He has gentle eyes and eyebrows, fair skin, and a tall but not burly figure, exuding a scholarly air.

"What good is being handsome? Humph... What a waste of that face!"

Song Miaoyu shrugged, half disgusted and half helpless, and said, "When I was young, I liked those handsome and weak scholars in storybooks. Now it seems like they were just blind to reality. They preferred pretty faces and were happy about it!"

Unable to suppress a smile, Wen Lingzheng replied, "Being handsome is always a good thing. Even if you're angry when you argue, seeing that pleasing face when you wake up the next day will eventually make you feel a bit better."

Song Miaoyu smiled helplessly, "That's the only good thing."

Changing the subject, Song Miaoyu added, "But then again, even before I was married, I would never have dared to dream of marrying into a high-ranking family like the Duke of Ningguo's mansion."

"In my opinion, among all the noble ladies in the capital, apart from the princesses and county princesses, only A Ning and Chang Hua are probably worthy of them."

"You can't just say things like that!"

Wen Lingzheng shook her head helplessly and patted Song Miaoyu's hand, "You're a mother now and you're still so unsteady. Those are empresses! Luckily, our Xiaoge'er is mature."

"This Xiao Ge'er is a boy after all. It's better for boys to be more mature! Otherwise, how can he achieve anything? Is he going to be like his father? All looks and no skills?"

Song Miaoyu curled her lips, "If he really dares to imitate his father, I'd rather break his legs than let any other precious girl raised by a wealthy family suffer his rudeness!"

"You're quite capable of putting family aside for the greater good!" Wen Lingzheng took it as just an angry remark and didn't take it to heart, replying, "Just don't regret it later."

Song Miaoyu immediately retorted, "That's impossible!"

The two sisters-in-law chatted amongst themselves, and soon they walked from outside the courtyard into the main hall.

From afar, they could hear Old Madam Pei's hearty laughter, interspersed with a few clever and playful laughs.

Ever since the news of Pei Ning's entry into the palace for the imperial concubine selection reached the Marquis's residence, they had not seen Old Madam Pei so joyful for a long time.

Song Miaoyu glanced at Wen Lingzheng subconsciously, and was about to say something when Wen Lingzheng's gaze silenced her.

Wen Lingzheng: "She's quite a clever girl."

Song Miaoyu nodded, still somewhat worried, "I'm just afraid she'll be too clever!"

The maidservant standing guard by the door saw Wen Lingzheng and Song Miaoyu arrive, lifted the curtain, and hurriedly sent word inside, "Grandma, the eldest daughter-in-law and the third daughter-in-law have arrived."

The chatter inside fell silent for a moment, and the three who had been laughing and talking all looked outside.

"Look, these two who are 'of one mind' have finally arrived."

Grandma Pei pointed to the door and said with a smile, "Little sister, you've already met the third son's wife. You must meet the second son's wife. She's the most intelligent and obedient granddaughter-in-law, the one I like best!"

Wen Lingzheng and Song Miaoyu had just entered the house when they heard these words. Song Miaoyu couldn't help but chime in, "The old lady has such discerning eyes! Second sister-in-law is also my favorite sister-in-law!"

With a helpless smile, Wen Lingzheng greeted the two elderly men sitting above, her gaze immediately drawn to the little girl standing to one side.

He couldn't help but sigh, no wonder the clans in the capital often said that the Pei family's children were good-looking.

Looking back now, this statement is not entirely unbiased. Even though she was not a woman from the same family, at such a young age, she was still unforgettable.

"Greetings, Second Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law."

Even her voice is so beautiful...

Wen Lingzheng snapped out of her daze, smiled and nodded, "We're all family, sister, no need for such formalities."