In the evening, Ruan Jiading went to Rong Jiansheng in person to talk to him. Rong Jiansheng was a trustworthy man. Although many people had proposed marriage to him in recent days, even people from his own family had proposed marriage to him, he was waiting because he had promised the Ruan family first.

"Brother Rong, I have something good to tell you. The queen in the palace has agreed, and Miss Jiang has already left the palace. If you agree, get married as soon as possible, so that you will have someone to take care of you when you are exiled. Miss Jiang is also a very reasonable person. She doesn't want to go through the six rituals, and she wants to keep everything simple." Ruan Jiading said with a smile.

Supervisor Rong was overjoyed.

The matter was settled. Since Rong Jiansheng had to go to work and had no house in Beijing, he had to borrow a relative's house to arrange the marriage.

Second Madam Ding was very particular and even hired a hairdresser. She herself gave Qingfen a set of headgear. Qingfen didn't have much money accumulated over the years. The Empress had no real power, and not many people flattered her. Many of them were saved from her monthly salary when she first entered the palace. When she left the palace, a fellow villager who was a eunuch beside the emperor gave her two hundred taels of silver. All in all, it was no more than five hundred taels of silver.

This is too ridiculous. The eunuch who is not even allowed to serve the emperor can easily take out two hundred taels of silver, and the aunt who is beside the empress has no more than three hundred taels of silver saved until now.

"Sister Jiang, my mother said that your dowry would be too expensive if you buy it off the shelf, so she asked me to give you some bedding and blankets. Since you are going to other places, I will buy some simple things that you can take with you. I will also buy you a room full of servants and two maids." Mi Niang really felt sorry for Qingfen.

Rather than calling her Aunt Fen, Mi Niang preferred to call her by her own surname, Jiang.

Qingfen was so moved that she said, "I don't know what to say." She had originally thought that the Empress would give her some money, or at least let her arrange some things, for the sake of their long-term relationship as master and servant. At first, she had served the Empress with all her heart, but the Empress treated her like a drowned dog.

On the contrary, the Ruan family, who were just using each other, felt that they had settled it so properly.

Mi Niang shook her head: "Then don't say it. If you think so, it's not easy for the queen to let you out. Some palace maids may never get out for their entire lives and have to stay in the palace. It's good enough that the queen can let you out."

"But some palace maids even became the emperor's concubines." Qingfen knew that there were two best paths for women in the palace: either become the emperor's concubine or be sent out to other places. The worst was to be a slave for the rest of her life, with no hope at all.

After she finished speaking, she felt that she had said something wrong, and could not help but say: "This is not my turn. I still know my own limitations. Miss Fan is living an awkward life in the palace."

Fan Yuzhen? Mi Niang probably guessed her situation, but Fan Yuzhen was not someone who could be bullied. She just couldn't see through the empress and thought she was a good person. When she realized what was going on, she would not be bullied and would not allow such a situation to happen again.

In just ten days, Qingfen got married from the Ruan family. She was dressed in a red wedding dress and was sent to the Rong family in a sedan chair. After the veil was lifted, the two were very satisfied with each other.

Although Rong Jiansheng is only 36 years old, he does not look old. Instead, he has the temperament unique to scholars and clear eyes. Qingfen was born very beautiful and has been a maid for many years. She has a calm and dignified temperament and is also good at managing the household.

Both were very satisfied. Three days later, it was the Ruan family that she returned to, and she kowtowed earnestly to Mrs. Ding.

The man gave her all his money, respected her very much, and did not mind her being a slave. Once she was sent out to work, she became an official's wife, which was much freer than being in the palace.

Mrs. Ding smiled and said, "You don't have to be so polite. It's just the beginning. You will have to live your life on your own. But don't worry, I suggested this marriage. If he bullies you in the future, just tell me and I will make the decision for you."

Qingfen smiled shyly.

Soon the Rong couple were about to set off. Before leaving, Qingfen gave a jade Buddha to Mi Niang, saying that it was a gift from a nobleman when she first entered the palace, and that it was thanks to this nobleman that it was later given to the Empress. Qingfen regarded this jade Buddha as a symbol of good fortune. She had nothing, and had already troubled Mi Niang and the others enough, and this was the only jade Buddha she was given.

Seeing that she couldn't refuse, Mi Niang accepted it.

Liusu in the palace was still furious: "I used to think Qingfen was a smart person, but now she has been fooled by someone. I heard that the man even borrowed someone else's house to get married. How can she have a good life in the future? It's a pity that she doesn't believe you. She originally wanted to marry into a rich family, but it's a pity that the emperor doesn't like her. It would be great if she could be like Dou Niang, who is honest and obedient."

The Emperor wanted to take Zheng Dou Niang as his concubine, but she refused, saying that she was unwilling to do so and would let the Empress down.

Although the emperor was not a good person, he was not the kind of person who would force a woman. And with Queen Ruan coming to rescue her, Zheng Dou Niang had now returned to the Queen's Kunning Palace and had replaced Qingfen as the eldest aunt.

Queen Ruan said calmly: "She chose all the paths herself."

"Your Majesty is really sentimental. She is willing to risk her life for a man, and you have never made things difficult for her." Liusu was still dissatisfied.

Fan Yuzhen, who was listening in, was speechless. She knew Qingfen. She served Empress Ruan very attentively and was kind to the people in the palace. The Empress was not used to wearing underwear made by the palace servants. Liusu was treated like a little girl spoiled by the Empress. All the personal work of the Empress was done by Qingfen, who worked day and night.

The bonus was small, because the empress was frugal, set an example, and did not hold power. Qingfen and her friends also received little bonus, far less than the maids around Concubine Cui, who received red envelopes until their hands were full. In this way, after Zheng Dou Niang came, she had no place to stand. The empress kept saying that she would find a very good marriage for Zheng Dou Niang, but ignored Qingfen.

Now someone suggested a marriage for Qingfen, and Qingfen herself agreed, but the empress disagreed. Qingfen made a scene, but was beaten out like a drowned dog. It was said that only a young eunuch from her former hometown knew that she was leaving, and gave her two hundred taels of silver. Fan Yuzhen wanted to give her some silver, but he was jealous of the empress, so he didn't give her any.

Sometimes she wondered what kind of people the Queen and those around her liked. They liked people who were completely dependent on her, without any complaints or desires.

But no matter whether you are a big shot or a small shot, you always have your own desires.

At this point, Qingfen left the capital with her husband. Later, Fang Weiyan's third brother Fang Weiting got married, so Mi Niang said, "My daughter can't go. Why bother you to go there?"

"Of course, our two families are related by marriage, so I have to go anyway. But when I heard that this Mr. Fang San had snatched your wedding room, I got angry. How could there be such a brother in the world? He showed off his power to you before you even entered the house. So what if she is a royal family member? Xiangjun is just the great-great-granddaughter of a prince. She is not that high in status." Second Madam Ding was very angry.

Mi Niang advised, "Forget it. I heard that their aunt has returned. As for the fight between the aunt and the sister-in-law, we outsiders don't know the reason. As long as they live a good life, I don't think it's a big deal even if they live in a remote place. If the couple doesn't have a good relationship, they may not be in love even if they live in a golden house or a silver house."

"That being said, if you can live in a better yard, why not live there?" Some things don't need to be argued about, but some things still need to be argued about.

Mi Niang said, "Don't you see who the old lady of the Marquis of Dong'an is? She is Madam Jian's sister."

Second Madam Ding sneered: "If I had known earlier, I would have given up on this marriage."

"You were praising Fang Wei Yan the other day." Mi Niang tried to hold back her laughter.

Mrs. Ding was speechless now. All in all, she was very satisfied with Fang Weiyan.

The Dong'an Marquis' Mansion is very lively today, but this liveliness is not in the eyes of Xu. This is just a bastard, not her biological son, and he relied on the old lady's power to seize her son's yard. How can she be happy?

Mrs. Ding was a difficult person, and each of her three sons was more difficult than the last.

The Crown Prince's wife, Lady Shen, was only a few years younger than Lady Xu. She was about twenty years old and behaved very virtuous. The old lady personally took the Crown Prince to the Shen family to propose marriage because she valued the good family background of Lady Shen because of her many brothers. Lady Shen was merely pretty in appearance and usually didn't like to talk much, but Lady Xu didn't dare to underestimate her.

The fact that after she returned home for some time, Shen's housekeeper managed the business very well, without any mistakes or faults could be found was enough to prove her ability.

That's why Xu was very scared.

"Madam, the guests are almost all here. The old lady sent someone to ask you to come over and talk to the guests."

Seeing her respectful look, Xu smiled amiably and asked, "Who is here?"

Shen said respectfully, "The wife of the Duke of Hanhai, the wife of the Earl of Nanping, the wife of the Marquis of Jinxiang, the wife of the Earl of Xichuan, the wife of the Lady Jian, and all the relatives from all over the country are here."

"Okay, let's go together. I'm really grateful to you for preparing this wedding." Xu looked at Shen slowly and said.

She was resentful of the old lady for giving her son's wedding house to the third son, and was resentful in her heart, so she was not willing to help. So she handed it over to Shen, who managed it in an orderly manner. It was said that the old lady praised her several times.

It's rare that she can remain calm and not impatient, and never shows any sign of wanting to take over in front of me.

Shen smiled and said she dared not.

When Xu came in, she was talking to everyone with a smile on her face. Just at this moment, Second Mistress Ding came over, and the two in-laws had endless things to talk about when they met.

Xu asked why Mi Niang didn't come.

Mrs. Ding said, "She is old enough. A girl should be chaste and quiet. How can I let her go out? It would be bad if she disturbed others."

"That's true. Yaqing is also doing needlework at home."

Naturally, Mrs. Xu had to give face to her in-laws. Knowing the grudge between Second Madam Ding and the Jian family, she specially sat them separately. After being reminded by Mi Niang, Second Madam Ding not only did not have the slightest admiration for Madam Jian, but was instead afraid of her like a tiger.

Seeing her demeanor, others naturally had other thoughts.

Others said that Second Madam Ding did not want to acknowledge Madam Jian, but now it seems that there might be another hidden story. It is said that Miss Sun of the Jian family is very domineering and makes Second Madam Ding's daughter live in unrest. People are afraid of them, so they don't want to deal with them.

The old lady of the Marquis of Dong'an did not let go of the second wife, and said, "Madam Ruan, why don't you come sit with me so that we can talk. After all, Wei Ting's wedding is over, and next year will be Wei Yan's wedding."

Obviously, in the eyes of the old lady of Dong'an Marquis, she is older, of higher seniority and in a higher position, so if she can facilitate the reconciliation between Madam Jian and her daughter, it will be a merit for her.

Some people are always like this, using other people's affairs to do their own favors. The old lady of Dong'an Marquis is thinking about her role in it and how proud she will be at that time.

Mrs. Ding declined politely: "Thank you for your concern. It's best for me to sit here. Besides, I have something else to do today and I have to go back soon to avoid causing a big commotion."

Naturally, Second Madam Ding was not one to give in easily. The last time she took her daughter out to visit relatives and friends, she discovered that her daughter was actually quite attractive and did not necessarily have to live in the Marquis's Mansion. Especially after the wedding room was robbed, Second Madam Ding was still very angry. If the old lady of the Marquis of Dong'an used this incident to pressure her daughter in the future, that was not what she wanted to see.

Most people would have stopped at this point, but the old lady of the Marquis of Dong'an wanted to persuade them again, but it was Xu who intervened and said, "Madam, the opera troupe is here, let's go over there first."

The old lady finally calmed down.

Mrs. Jane was also very upset. She was not the kind of person who would force others to do things, but she was hated by her own daughter. Although she did not care on the surface, she felt unspeakable grievance in her heart.

The wedding was quite lively. Fang Weiyan was standing next to several brothers welcoming the bride with a smile on his face. They seemed very close to each other and there was no sense of distance between them.

He Tinglan, the son of the Nanping Earl, also came. He smiled and patted Fang Weiting on the shoulder and said, "Good boy, you must get drunk with your brothers today."

Fang Weiting laughed loudly, pointing at Fang Weiyan and said, "I will only respect you if you can get Weiyan drunk at his wedding next year, cousin."

Although He Tinglan has been in contact with Fang Weiyan recently, it is obviously not as good as before. Fang Weiyan knows this very well. The two of them are just being polite, so he just smiled when he heard what Fang Weiting said.

In fact, Fang Weiting and Fang Weiyan's private relationship was not hostile, but rather good. Fang Weiting was three years older than Fang Weiyan. His marriage was actually quite bumpy. His marriage with this country lady was arranged when he was very young. Unfortunately, this country lady's grandmother passed away first and then her stepmother passed away, and she had to observe mourning for several years before she could marry into the family.

The great-great-granddaughter of a prince, the title sounds nice, but in reality it has no effect.

After Emperor Yonglong took power, the princes and vassal states were raised almost like pigs. In the past, the royal family had military power, but now it was all in the hands of officials. The only voices of the royal family that can be heard now are those that seize profits from the people, causing misery for the people and being impeached by officials.

Of course, this title sounds good, and he was also named a guest of honor.

On the surface, his marriage was better than Fang Weiyan's, but one should not only judge by appearance but also by substance. He and Fang Weiyan were the only ones in the family who had made progress in the imperial examinations, but Fang Weiyan married the daughter of a newly-minted Jinshi. His father-in-law had passed the imperial examination at the age of 30 and had a bright future. Moreover, his son was still very young and would rely on promotion to enter the officialdom in the future. As long as he had connections, he would introduce them to his son-in-law Fang Weiyan first.

It is said that the Ruan family is a minor official, but they were able to pass the imperial examination and have a close relationship with Li Tan, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel. This is much more promising than any son of a noble family. Dayong relies on civil officials to suppress the military. Not to mention that military generals have to obey the orders of civil officials, even the people of the noble families are mostly rich and idle people, and they cannot compare with the real power of civil officials.

Of course, these potential factors are not visible to ordinary people. People only look at whether the dowry is thick, the girl's family background, and whether she is fertile.

"As expected of a prince, this dowry is so heavy that even my hands can't fit in. It weighs a total of eighty-eight pieces, which is really a lot."

People around were talking about it, and Fang Weiting smiled a little, which was rare.

Second Madam Ding left early. Xu knew that she was afraid of trouble if she stayed, so she complained to Fang Weiyan in private: "Family affairs like this are unavoidable, but your grandmother is so stubborn that she wants to force a cow to drink water."

She was very worried. Now that the situation was like this, if Mi Niang came in, the old lady would reject her, and then Wei Yan would be excluded as well.

But it was said that Second Madam Ding came back early, sweating all over. As soon as she came back, she lay down on the beauty couch, and the little maid helped her massage her legs. After a while, when Mi Niang came over, her mother finally opened her eyes.

"You guys go down first."

Mi Niang sat beside her mother and couldn't help asking, "Why did you come back so soon?"

Grandma Ding Er looked at her daughter and smiled: "I came back early because I felt a little unwell."

"I forgot to tell you. Today the Duke's Mansion sent an invitation saying that the third young lady's marriage has been decided and she will be getting married next month." Mi Niang handed the wedding invitation to the second wife.

Speaking of marriage, Second Madam Ding had a headache. She said, "I think the old lady of the Marquis's Mansion is a difficult one. Today, she actually wanted me to reconcile with Madam Jian. I don't mind if it's said in private, but she did it in front of so many people. This old woman is old but not old at heart. Mi Niang, I'm afraid that because of my affairs, it will be difficult for you. It's all my business that has dragged you down."

Mi Niang said quickly, "Mom, please don't say that. In my heart, you and Dad are much more important than any stinky man. Without you, how could Mi Niang be where she is today? You think I am not gold or silver, how can I make everyone like me? In this world, it is normal for the husband's family to dislike the daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law. Moreover, even gold and silver are considered vulgar by some people. If you think so, I have become a puppet of the Fang family before I even get married."

At this point, she comforted her mother again: "Fortunately, the old lady is not an easy person to get along with, and the Marquis's wife Xu doesn't have a good relationship with her either. Otherwise, if they had a good relationship, I'm afraid my life would be difficult."

This made Mrs. Ding laugh. She stroked her daughter's hair and said, "You only know how to comfort me in various ways. People say it's good to have a son, but I have a daughter like you. I don't know how good it is."

The mother and daughter are always like this. Rather than being mother and daughter, they are more like the best of friends.

From then on, Mi Niang kept making embroidery at home. This time, the embroidery was not a simple purse handkerchief, but a wedding dress in particular. She heard that if the bride could wear the wedding dress she embroidered, her life would be safe and smooth, so she did not dare to be careless at all.

It was said that she would get married in more than a year, which seemed like a long time, but she had to prepare her dowry and make embroidery, but even with such a salary, it still felt like it was not enough. During these days, Mi Niang did not have to do anything. She just took care of herself and rested except for doing embroidery.

The third daughter got married a few months later. She married her brother-in-law Shen Muqian. It was said that the Ruan family gave her all the dowry of the second daughter and also prepared another dowry of two thousand taels. Mi Niang didn't want to go at first, but she was dizzy from embroidering her dowry. If she didn't use this excuse, she couldn't go out.

In order to go out and get some fresh air, Mi Niang followed Mrs. Ding and Zhou to the Hanhai Mansion.

Today was supposed to be the Third Miss's wedding day, but she still looked like a middle-aged woman, not very happy and still lazy. Mi Niang had never been very familiar with her and had nothing to say to her, but she saw the Fifth Miss when she came out.

The fifth girl recently got engaged, and the girls from the Ruan family were teasing her. Mi Niang also joined in the fun, saying, "How come I didn't hear about it? How come it happened so quickly?"

Someone laughed and said, "Our fifth girl has chosen the young master of the Zhang family."

The son of the Zhang family? Mi Niang looked at Wu Niang. Wu Niang was rarely arrogant and said shyly, "It's the Zhang family, the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple."

As the Queen's younger sister, the Fifth Miss is in very good shape. Could the Zhang family be the family that the Third Miss had planned for her before? If so, it would be a rare coincidence.

"Then I have to congratulate you first." Mi Niang said with a smile.

The fifth girl was a little embarrassed: "It's nothing, it's just a matter of time for all of us."

They all tacitly agreed not to mention one person, Fan Yuzhen.

Mi Niang thought to herself, it has been half a year since Fan Yuzhen entered the palace, I wonder how she is doing?

Little did Fan Yuzhen know that she seemed to be under house arrest. She could pay her respects to the empress every day and accompany the empress to copy Buddhist scriptures, but other than that, she could not go anywhere else. The empress used to take her to the Yu Garden, but now the empress herself was often sick and could not take care of her.

When Fan Yuzhen was with Queen Nguyen in private, he tactfully mentioned his situation, but Queen Nguyen did not say anything.

She just wanted her to teach Zheng Dou Niang how to read and write, which made Fan Yuzhen speechless. The queen's words were very high-sounding, about loving each other and girls helping each other, but she was already sixteen years old, with an uncertain future and no certainty about where she would stay. How could she have the leisure to teach a little palace maid?

Seeing no end to these days, Fan Yuzhen finally decided to take action.

Soon the opportunity came. Liusu fell ill, and Fan Yuzhen volunteered to serve the empress. The emperor was coming today, so the empress dressed up.

"Yuzhen, go down. It's good that there are damselflies here."

Fan Yuzhen raised her head and said, "My Lady..."

"Do you have anything else to do? If not, please go down." Queen Ruan thought to herself, the Dragon Boat Festival will be in a few days, and when my mother enters the palace, I will let her take cousin Fan home.

Otherwise, this kind of life where she was neither a master nor a slave would really make her uncomfortable.

She would give her a large dowry and ask her mother to find a good marriage for her.

However, her dream was beautiful but difficult to realize, because on the day when the emperor came to visit the empress, the sound of a piano suddenly rang out in the west courtyard. The sound was like complaining and crying, but when she was playing to the most interesting part, the sound stopped.

The emperor did not say anything at the time, but later he asked someone to investigate. Later, the emperor conferred the title of fourth-rank beauty on Fan Yuzhen.

After hearing this, the queen went to ask Fan Yuzhen in person: "If I intercede for you on behalf of the emperor, and let you leave the palace and marry another good man, would that be okay?"

Fan Yuzhen is just like listening to a fairy tale. You told me this before and I believed it. Now it's hindsight, who would believe you? Besides, you said you could help me find a good man, but you still asked the wife of the benefactor. That woman doesn't like me, so how could she promise me a good marriage?

I just want to listen to this, otherwise I will end up like Qingfen, wasting a long time.

Qingfen, as the empress's eldest aunt, was always bald when she went out, let alone herself.

Then, Fan Yuzhen cried with tears in her eyes: "My queen, since ancient times, the emperor never jokes. Why do you have to put the emperor in an unjust position?"

Queen Ruan was stunned.

After the news that Fan Yuzhen was conferred the title of Beauty came out, Mi Niang was stunned for a moment. There had never been a concubine named Fan in her previous life, and Fan Yuzhen had never entered the palace in her previous life. In this life, she was sent into the palace by the wife of Duke Cheng'en. If Queen Ruan had promoted her earlier, perhaps Fan Yuzhen would have been grateful. But now that Fan Yuzhen had a rare chance to come forward, she must not be the same kind of person as her.

However, Lady Cheng'en's method was to kill the mother and keep the child, and she was a little worried about Fan Yuzhen. She didn't know if there was any way to warn her.

Just as I was thinking about it, a little girl from the second gate came in and said, "Miss, there is a Miss Guan looking for you. She said she knows you."

Miss Guan? Mi Niang thought, could it be Guan Huiqing? She actually came to Beijing, what did she want to see me for?