Chapter 137 Chapter 137 Two Chapters in One

Jiang Xian is now also a close minister to the emperor. Jinniang originally thought that he was under a lot of pressure, but unexpectedly, he seemed to be able to handle things with ease and looked very relaxed. He is really born to be an official. He gets along well with others and handles things very efficiently. He can be considered an efficient official.

But, back home...

It's another look again.

Today is Jinniang's birthday. After the banquet was over, he unbuttoned his clothes and lay on the beauty couch with his legs crossed. In this way, Jinniang was reluctant to let anyone in.

"Look at you..." Just as Jinniang finished her words, she saw Jiang Xian throwing a purse over. She opened it and saw that there were four silver coins inside. Each coin was worth twenty-five taels, or one hundred taels.

Jiang Xian smiled and said, "I just wrote an epitaph for someone, just to try my hand at it."

Even though Jiang Xian said it nonchalantly, he actually practiced it for hundreds of times in his study every day and had put in a lot of effort.

When Jinniang received the money, she immediately knelt down in front of him and said, "Then I will be disrespectful to refuse it."

"My lady, I have already requested a title for you, but it will take a long time to go through the formalities at the Ministry of Rites." Jiang Xian originally wanted to give Jinniang a surprise before her birthday, but he didn't expect it to take so long.

Jinniang asked, "Why is that? Zheng is my stepmother after all, won't people gossip about her?"

Jiang Xian laughed and said, "What nonsense! I originally wanted to wait a few years until I became a higher-ranking official, so that I could be conferred the title together. But I don't want my wife to be wronged. Besides, although Zheng is my stepmother, she didn't raise me. My wife has been my wife through thick and thin, and she has been with me through thick and thin. Why should I give her to someone else? I am not the only son in our family."

"Okay." Jinniang knew that there were hidden worries, but she couldn't brush them off because of Jiang Xian's enthusiasm towards her.

After Jinniang's birthday, Madam Li invited her and Madam Meng to go boating on the lake with their daughters. Jinniang thought it would be boring to stay at home all day, so she readily agreed.

After giving birth to a prince, Concubine Qiao in the palace was named Zhaoyi. Madam Meng was also very proud. She was a person who didn't have many thoughts and her joy and anger were written on her face.

Everyone knows her temper and doesn't really bother with her.

Anyway, after observing Jinniang, Mrs. Meng at most favors her own children more and only shows some favoritism to her illegitimate children, but that's already pretty good.

Jinniang had to say that Mrs. Zhou Si had some vision. The Meng family was well-off, so even if they split up in the future, the remainder would not be too small. Besides, Meng Sanlang was a man and was studious, so he might have a bright future. Furthermore, Mrs. Meng’s eldest daughter-in-law, Lin, is a very virtuous woman and is indeed an excellent daughter-in-law. There will be no conflicts between them in the future.

Madam Li was picking up a green plum and putting it in her mouth: "This tastes good."

Seeing that Lin had been standing in front of Madam Meng and looked tired, Jinniang couldn't help but sympathetically said, "Why don't you come and sit down? There is a bridge ahead. Be careful not to get unstable later."

In front of everyone, Mrs. Meng said to Lin: "You sit down too."

Speaking of the green plums, Madam Meng said they were made by the maid who came with the dowry. Jinniang flattered them a little, saying, "Next time my farm sends me some plums, I'll ask your family to help pickle them. Your green plums are better than those made by the shops over there."

Madam Meng agreed readily. Of course she wanted to be on good terms with Jinniang. You know, Jiang Xian was promoted very quickly. Now he was a fourth-rank official, and his position was higher than her husband's.

Willow trees swayed on both sides of the river, and a breeze blew as the pleasure boat moved, making the air suddenly much cooler.

Sister Yun was playing chess with Miss Li. Miss Meng looked at the scenery outside and sighed, "We can still go out and play now, but if we get married in the future, I'm afraid we won't have such a blessing. My sister's mother-in-law is usually smiling, but the rules are very strict. She stuffs beautiful maids into my brother-in-law's mouth, and asks him to serve her when he eats. She keeps talking about the family rules. I feel really distressed."

But Sister Yun looked ahead and saw that Lin had just sat down. She couldn't help but think to herself that your sister-in-law was standing and serving your mother-in-law just now, so why don't you seem to be distressed? My mother is very considerate.

But Miss Li looked at Miss Yun and Miss Meng Er and couldn't help saying, "You two are both married to familiar relatives, which is better than me."

Little did they know that the three girls also had their own troubles. Miss Meng's cousin was an honest gentleman, but he liked talented women. However, she was not a talented girl. Her mother praised her for her knowledge at her aunt's house, but she was afraid that the truth would be exposed if she got married in the future.

Yun Jie'er thought that wherever Wei Qilang went, there were women vying for him, and Madam Wei doted on this youngest son so much that Wei Qilang was not very able to endure hardship. Who knew what his future would be like?

Everyone had different thoughts in their minds, but the adults were all enjoying the breeze, which was a rare moment of relaxation.

When she returned home, someone from the Ministry of Rites came to convey her an imperial decree, telling her that she had been conferred the title of fourth-rank master. At this time, Jiang Xian had not returned from the yamen. Jinniang asked Luo Da to look at the reward and kowtowed in front of the incense table. After everyone left, she was so excited that she couldn't help but touch her chest.

Yun Jieer smiled and said, "My daughter congratulates you on receiving the imperial decree. Mother, how about inviting all your relatives and friends to come and have a gathering?"

Of course Jinniang was willing to accept such a happy event, but after thinking about it, she shook her head and said, "I am really happy that your father asked for a title for me. I am now a fourth-rank official. Why should I make a big fuss about such a benefit? Don't forget that Zheng Shi of the old house is eagerly waiting for it."

Sister Yun said, "It's such a pleasant thing, but mother is so cautious."

"Actually, I am very happy that your father has been promoted repeatedly. I don't have to be bullied by my superior's wife like before. Now I have received an imperial edict, and this imperial edict is neither high nor low. Those who are lower than me will definitely think that I am showing off. Those who are higher than me will think that I am a villain who has suddenly become rich." Jinniang knew that there were too many jealous people in this world.

Moreover, she was vaguely worried that this matter would be known by her political enemies and would expose that Jiang Xian was disrespectful to his stepmother.

But they didn't have to invite outsiders, as family members still had to celebrate, so Jinniang took out five strings of cash from her own pocket and gave each person a portion of pork loin baked bun, a portion of vegetable bun, a pair of spicy pork and lamb trotters, and a portion of pickled papaya.

Last time I ordered roast chicken from a nearby restaurant, but it was too expensive and had too much oil. This time I ordered it directly from the foot shop, and it was of good quality and low price.

When Jiang Xian came back, he sniffed and found that Jinniang had kept it for him this time.

The couple looked at each other, and everything was said without words.

"I originally wanted to give my wife a surprise on her birthday, but I didn't expect the process to be so slow." Jiang Xian felt a little regretful.

Jinniang shook her head: "Good things are worth waiting for. Last time you conferred the title on your mother-in-law quickly because it was reported to the emperor. Now it will be slower to go through the procedures of the Ministry of Rites."

There is a difference between handling special matters specially and following procedures.

Mrs. Zheng from the old house had recovered her legs and feet, and she was even fatter, but she was still unhappy, especially when the granddaughter of the second branch of the Jiang family got engaged a few days later, and they specially invited Jinniang to come over to be the bride. The second branch said, "Mrs. Wei from the sixth branch is now a royal concubine, with both parents and sons and daughters. If we invite her over, our daughter will definitely have a happy marriage in the future."

Zheng then realized that Jinniang was already an imperial decree, and she made a scene at home. Master Jiang Liu was so annoyed by her that he said, "I'll talk to Shiliulang next time."

"I don't want that imperial edict, and I'm not competing with my dead sister. I'm also a human being, and I'm like a lonely ghost..." Zheng still felt aggrieved.

Master Jiang Liu had no choice but to discuss it with Jiang Xian, who sneered in his heart.

When he mentioned it to Jinniang in bed at night, he was indignant: "My father listens to whoever he marries."

"She wants it but we won't give it to her. When you get promoted in the future, just resign. We can live comfortably here and make her die of rage," said Jinniang.

Jiang Xian smiled and said, "That's fine. Anyway, our Ning brother is studious, so we can enjoy ourselves when the time comes."

The lady knew how to comfort him, and Jiang Xian's anger subsided.

Zheng was not a stupid person. She had really wanted the imperial edict so much that she was obsessed with it. But the amount of the Mid-Autumn Festival gifts this time was about the same, but the materials were much worse than before. She was originally hot-headed, but she slowly came to her senses in the end. She was not the man's biological mother, and she had never raised him, so she should beg others. Why was she forcing him?

For some things, the harder you force them, the more disgusting they become.

Therefore, during the Double Ninth Festival, the family climbed up a mountain, and she paid a thorough tribute at the grave of Mrs. Jiang Liu, and bowed at the grave several times. Jinniang thought that Zheng knew how to bend over better than Xu. Regardless of whether she was sincere or not, even if she was not granted an imperial decree, she would never say a single bad word about Jiang Xian in public.

Mrs. Xu was very dissatisfied with Madam Jiang Liu in her heart, but she was crying bitterly, and even Mrs. Wu, who had never seen Madam Jiang Liu, started crying too.

After returning from the climb, Jinniang and Jiang Xian both lay on the bed, too lazy to move. One of the couple sat at a desk reading all year round, so he had lumbar muscle strain; the other often sat to do needlework, and had worked very hard recently, so his waist hurt. He only felt comfortable when lying down.

"My wife, it's so nice that you are always with me no matter what I do." Jiang Xian hugged Jinniang.

Jinniang smiled and said, "Of course I will accompany you. In the future, our children will all get married and have their own families. Only we will be together until old age."

They are actually both in their prime, but they have experienced too many things since childhood and have a sense of having gone through a lot.

Jinniang also brought her snack plate to the bed. You took a dessert and I took a green plum, and we ate very happily. After taking a short rest for less than an hour, good news came that Jiang Yan's wife Zeng was pregnant, and Jinniang quickly sent someone to deliver supplements.

Lord Li from next door has been sent away, and Jinniang still has to prepare for the ceremony.

In any case, Madam Li had done business with her and introduced a business to her, and Jinniang's gift was also generous. The Li family had to leave as soon as they received the appointment. They took away everything they could, and gave everything they couldn't take away to Jinniang and Madam Meng.

Jinniang got a very heavy mahogany couch and a square table, which were moved to the guest room.

The house next door is vacant again, and I don’t know who the next tenant will be?

However, Jiang Fang was highly valued by Shen Shangzheng, and was not only appointed as the Tianzhang Pavilion attendant, but also sent as a third-rank pacification envoy. It can be said that his promotion was as fast as riding a rocket.

Jiang Xian was extremely envious. He was a person who was keen on fame and fortune. However, Jinniang advised him, "Reforms in past dynasties, such as those by Shang Yang and Wu Qi, did not necessarily end well. If you really carry it out to the end, and do it without fear of what will happen after your death, then just do it. If you join the Shen Party just because you envy them, you may end up being indecisive in the future."

"Ma'am, I just feel—"

Jinniang smiled and said, "I know what you mean. You think that opportunities are rare. However, going to extremes is not good. If you really think that Shen's political views are good and you want to follow me and support you, but if you just want to get ahead, forget it. Since ancient times, ministers who have made reforms, such as Shang Yang and Wu Qi, are all admirable, but they must be willing to sacrifice their lives, otherwise they will be easily indecisive and will be in two minds."

After such persuasion, Jiang Xian finally stopped thinking about it.

This time when Jiang was sent away for military service, Zhou San's wife did not go with him. After all, her sons were all grown up, some might get engaged, and some needed to go to school, so the family could not be without a mistress.

Jinniang went to see Cheng Yi off, and Yunjie came with her, and they happened to meet the Sun family. Jinniang and Zhou Siniang have always kept their distance from each other and just exchanged a few polite words to each other.

Sister Yun and the two girls from the Sun family were talking excitedly. Now they have grown up and are no longer like they were when they were little. Miss Sun was also in a good mood. Although her uncle had been promoted and her parents were sighing and thinking that they could take advantage of the opportunity to arrange a better marriage, she felt that since the marriage had already been decided, why should it be changed? It's just destined.

Mrs. Zhou seemed to think that her eldest daughter was too reckless, so when it came to her second daughter's marriage, she wanted to take advantage of her brother-in-law's promotion and find a good family.

So I wandered around.

Miss Sun was talking to Sister Yun: "Your needlework is getting better and better. The double-sided embroidery on this handkerchief is really unique."

"Stop saying that! My mother says I'm lazy." Yun Jie'er started to pick up a needle at the age of three and has to do needlework every year, but her mother doesn't allow her to stay up late. But no matter what, her skills combine the strengths of Sichuan embroidery and Su embroidery, and she has also learned cutting, so she can easily embroider ordinary screens.

There are many people who can do needlework, but not many who are good at it.

Miss Sun can do it, but she is not very good at it, because her mother said that a real master does not need to do these things. There are people in charge of housekeeping, and there are seamstresses. Girls should study and have good character.

But almost all women who want to study, like Miss Sun, are not allowed to take the imperial examinations? But it’s hard to refute this.

A lot of things my mother said are like castles in the air. It seems to be true, but it is not the case when it comes to actual practice. Just like Jiang Yun, who was good at needlework and was praised by people wherever she went. The key point was that she was well educated and her clothes were really rich and elegant.

"So you live opposite the Meng family?" Miss Sun Er was surprised.

Sister Yun nodded: "Yes, the Meng family also came to Beijing in the past two years, but I heard that they bought the house opposite us 20 or 30 years ago. The house with five entrances and five rooms took two months to renovate, and it is now in great condition."

In Yun Jie'er's opinion, Madam Meng had a bad temper, but she was not the kind of person who would play dirty tricks. Before, the third daughter of the Meng family claimed to be pitiful, but her clothes were fully embroidered, she wore gold gauze in summer, and had all kinds of jewelry on her head. Maybe the second daughter of the Meng family would be more exquisite, but there was still the difference in the length of her ten fingers.

But the difference is not that big. For example, the dowry of Miss Meng Er was 300 acres of dowry land and 3,000 strings of silver, while the dowry of Miss Meng San was 300 acres of dowry land and 2,000 strings of silver.

Of course, Mrs. Meng favored her daughter and bought her a two-story house, but she also used her own dowry house to give it to her daughter.

So, she thought that since Miss Sun was already engaged, she would definitely reveal something to her.

After hearing this, Miss Sun nodded secretly.

After returning from Jiang Fang's house, I had to go to Wei's house again a few days later, but it would not be convenient to bring my daughter with me this time. Mrs. Wei caught a cold in the autumn and winter, and Mrs. Fan's son was one hundred days old. Although Mrs. Wang was busy, she was afraid that Mrs. Fan would not be able to handle it, so she asked Mrs. Jinniang to come and help.

Jinniang went to sit with Madam Wei first. Madam Wei smiled and said, "You rarely come here."

"It would be fine if we don't get married. But after getting married, it would be uncomfortable for us to meet each other." Jinniang told the truth.

Madam Wei laughed: "That's true. It's a pity that Qilang is not here. Otherwise, it would be nice to have him come over to pay his respects more often."

"Qillang is a child that our whole family likes. Last time his uncle was not at home, at such a young age, he was able to handle the situation with ease and act like the head of the family. His sister-in-law taught him very well." Jinniang knew how to compliment people in the way they liked to hear.

Mrs. Wei was indeed very happy and smiled. She asked her again, "What is Yun Jieer doing at home? I haven't seen her recently."

She clearly often took him out to play, but Jinniang still said, "You're already engaged, why are you running around?"

Jinniang felt that many things in ancient times were like scholars taking the imperial examinations, dancing in shackles. The same is true for marriage. One cannot be as individualistic as the girl from the Shen family, nor can one be like Madam Wu who takes dogma as the moral high ground and builds a temple in a snail shell.

Mrs. Wei agreed with this in her heart. Nowadays, there are too many women who do not follow the rules and have lost the upbringing of ladies from noble families.

The two of them had just talked for a while when Madam Wei came over. Compared with Madam Wei, Madam Wei had a much softer temper. Jinniang thought of the three wives of the Zhou family. The first wife had a strong personality, while the second and third wives had gentle tempers. The three sisters-in-law got along very well.

But in the Wei family's eldest branch, Mrs. Fan is also magnanimous, and Mrs. Wang is also relatively stable. Not to mention their own daughter, who will not easily cause trouble. I wonder what will happen to these three sisters-in-law in the future?

From time to time, there were guests coming to the house, and Jinniang knew most of the Wei family's relatives, after all, they had been visiting each other for so many years.

However, there were still a few people who looked unfamiliar, and after asking I found out that they were Madam You. The main reason why the You family had some contact was because Wei Qilang was studying at his home. Madam You was also smiling at first, but when she heard that she was Jiang Xian's wife, her smile gradually faded.

The Shen family now has a close relationship with the Wei family, so they also came in advance. Jiang Xian has a good relationship with Shen Qijie's father Shen Zijia. When Mrs. Shen Er brought Shen Qiniang over, the two had a long conversation.

Shen Qiniang also asked Yun Jie'er: "Why didn't Li Qing come over?"

"Her younger brother is at home." Jinniang couldn't say that she couldn't go out with her boyfriend after getting engaged, because it's better not to hit someone in the face.

After welcoming the guests, Jinniang went to the bathroom and chatted with You Mama: "How is your family doing lately?"

Then he secretly handed her a gold lock and said, "Give it to your grandson to play with."

Mother You said, "The eldest son hasn't mentioned his extramarital affairs much recently. He has been staying at home to study, but he is not very peaceful at home. He doted on a maid, but was beaten and driven out by the eldest grandmother."

Jinniang nodded secretly, and then heard You Mama sigh: "This eldest grandmother is okay, but the sixth grandmother is terrible. She wants to be a virtuous person, and she has to make people around her look bad. When the sixth prince didn't go, she said that the sixth prince put her in an unvirtuous position. When the sixth prince went, she followed the family rules and severely punished the maid."

"Why is it so?" Jinniang shook her head.

Mother You smiled and said, "Usually the two grandmothers don't care much, but sometimes they intervene when something goes too far."

Jinniang thought that such things happened a lot not only in wealthy families, but even in the Li family that lived next door, Miss Li married down from a lower class and brought two beautiful and talented maids as a dowry.

Needless to say, the Meng family's eldest son, Gao, married the daughter of the Lin family and also had a concubine following him.

But others thought it was normal, but she didn't. She couldn't tolerate Jiang Xian taking a concubine, so when she came back to tell Yun Jie'er, she said, "Qi Lang doesn't have anyone around him right now. After you get married, you can't be so stupid as to give him a girl."

Sister Yun grew up in a family without concubines, and her parents were very loving, so she would never think of having another person between the couple.

But she didn't understand: "Why did Sixth Grandma do this?"

"Of course, she wants to be virtuous, but she can't be. You don't know that her mother, Madam Wu, is truly virtuous, and the same is true for your sister-in-law Xuan. Virtue is like a sword to them, but unless you are heartless and have no love, people have emotions and desires. Who would be willing to share their husband with others?" Jinniang said.

Sister Yun shook her head: "I definitely don't want to, unless I don't want him anymore."

"Mom thinks so too. Anyway, you can't do this for fame." Jinniang warned her daughter.

However, Jinniang also said: "Although knowing yourself and the enemy will lead to victory in every battle, I have not really been in the Wei family for a long time, so I can't affect your judgment. In the future, you can choose what makes you feel comfortable."

What You Mama said was from her perspective as a servant, and she still didn't know what the inside story was.

Sister Yun learned a lot from her mother, such as doing things in a high-profile manner, not showing off when getting benefits, and that in everything, everyone has a different perspective, so you can't just listen to other people's judgment but have to deal with things yourself.

The mother and daughter talked for a while, and then Jiang Xian came back from outside and brought Ding Ge'er back from the front yard.

Jiang Xian also asked Jinniang: "Did you go to the Wei family today?"

"Yes, I went to help when their child was 100 days old." Jinniang said with a smile.

Jiang Xian sat down and asked, "Do you still remember Jiang Zhuangyuan?"

"I remember that when we went to Wu County to take up our posts, his wife, Madam Song, gave me a lot of gifts. But after we returned to Beijing, we heard that they were taking up posts outside the capital," said Jinniang.

Jiang Xian pointed to the next door: "I saw them at the door just now. They are going to be our neighbors. Jiang Zhuangyuan even took the initiative to say hello to me just now."

Jinniang was puzzled: "Everyone used to praise Jiang Zhuangyuan, and he was considered a man of great influence. I don't know what official position he holds now?"

"Compiled by Jiying Palace." Jiang Xian said.

Jinniang calculated: "Isn't this a sixth-rank official? How could this be?"

Jiang Xian said, "He was valued by the Song family at first, but later, everyone in the Song family wanted him to help them. If he didn't help, he would be accused of being ungrateful. How could he advance in his career like this?"

Jinniang thought that in the past they were the ones who supported Madam Song. Now Jiang Zhuangyuan's official position is lower than Jiang Xian, and she herself is also a fourth-rank official. How should the neighbors get along with each other?