Chapter 039 Chapter 39

After Yao Niang's birthday, the weather became hotter and hotter. The mountain was still very quiet and peaceful. It was even cold to rest at night and had to cover with a blanket.

Guan has been here for three months. She used to complain and resent, but later she gradually longed for Yan Jingzhao to come up the mountain to see her and give her a step down. Maybe then everything would be back to normal.

Unfortunately, no. For more than two months, only the servants of the Yan family brought things to her, and Yan Jingzhao did not bring her any words, as if he had forgotten her.

Xi Que came in with a food box and saw a pretty girl standing at the door opening the curtain. She couldn't help but laugh and said, "Looking at your appearance before, I thought you were only seven or eight years old, but I didn't expect you to be thirteen years old. After these two months of care, you have grown taller and prettier."

"Sister Magpie, thank you for bringing me in."

"Silly girl, it's just that grandma is kind. With you, grandma seems to be much happier. We all think it's the right thing to let you come in as a maid." Xi Que also wished for the grandma to be well. She was grandma's maid. Although she had a bad face, if grandma was here, she would have someone to support her.

Xi Que brought the food in and asked four people to serve it, but Guan Shi had no appetite.

Xi Que couldn't help but say, "Why don't you let Shan'er accompany you for dinner? I think you'll feel better every time she says something."

"That's fine." Guan was bored.

Shan'er was the maid bought by Guan. She saw that Guan was always unhappy and heard that it was because she was sick. After her husband sent her here, he ignored her and became a little angry.

"Grandma, you'd better take good care of yourself. Only by taking good care of yourself can you look forward to the future." Shan'er advised.

Guan said to her, "Do you know that you and my little girl were born on the same day, month and year? You are so sensible, but she doesn't advise me like this."

Shan'er said, "Ms. Yan is a rich lady, how can I be compared to her?"

"More than that, you told me yesterday that I was very frugal, but in the Yan family, I was laughed at for being stingy. My sister-in-law usually changes her new mat after a few days in this kind of summer, and she spends a lot on clothes and jewelry." Guan felt sad when she mentioned it now, because Yao Niang used the money of the third room, and all this money should belong to them in the future.

Shan'er couldn't even have enough to eat, and she was already doing well with Guan. She had no idea that life could be like this.

Guan urgently needed to find someone to tell about her grievances. Shan'er was different from Xi Que. Xi Que was Yan Jingzhao's concubine. There was actually no problem between her and Yan Jingzhao.

Shan'er didn't care about all that. She considered Guan her benefactor, so she naturally helped her.

Guan had been waiting, thinking that Mid-Autumn Festival would be coming soon, a day for family reunion, and her family would definitely take her back. But this did not happen, and she was immediately in despair.

"Grandma, Sister Xi Que asked me to bring it over." Shan'er came in and said.

Guan looked at Shan'er and said, "Put it down. You should eat with me."

"Yes." Shan'er sat down with ease.

Guan was too lazy to complain now. She also obviously noticed that the servants who followed her were getting impatient. She put on a soft face but still suppressed them with the fan. How would others view her as an abandoned woman who was not favored?

After dinner, the setting sun shone on one end of the wall. Guan felt more and more desolate. She already had a plan in her mind.

"Shan'er, this letter is for you. I have an aunt who is currently serving in Kaifeng Prefecture with her husband. She has everything going for her except that she has no children. Although she is an official's wife, her family is poor. She used to treat me like her own daughter. If you are willing to acknowledge my aunt as your godmother, she will take care of your lifelong affairs in the future. Look at me, it's impossible for me to go out again." Guan curled her lips.

Shan'er tried to refuse in every possible way and refused.

Guan seemed to understand her thoughts: "Good girl, you have always wanted to avenge your sister, but your brother-in-law is also an official of Daxing County. If you don't have some skills, how can you take revenge?"

Shan'er still said: "Grandma treats me like my own sister."

…

Xi Que, standing outside the curtain, thought that she had always been loyal to Guan, but Guan, on the other hand, gave all the benefits to Shan'er, a girl she had just met. Shan'er was vindictive and might have even had an intention to enter this courtyard, otherwise why would she come here specifically to cry and shout?

**

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is said that Xie's teahouse is packed with people because there are many varieties of tea and you can try everything. The most important thing is that the taste is very good, all made by Su Yang's old master.

Xie also secretly took Yan Jingzhao and Yao Niang to inspect the store, and she was able to calculate the account book, gross profit, and market price clearly.

Although Yan Jingzhao was not very good at doing business, she said to Xie: "Mom, these days I have specially selected mooncakes from our teahouse to give away. When I am free, I will come here with my colleagues to sit and attract business for you."

Xie smiled and said, "I am planning to invite a storyteller to come here in the future. This will also attract a lot of people."

"The better." Yao Niang clapped her hands.

Xie thought of Yan Ningxin's marriage again, and couldn't help but say to Yan Jingzhao, "You and Aunt Shen are of the same generation. What do you think of him?"

Shen Linfeng thought for a moment and said, "From what I can see, he is not as cheerful as he appears to be. He is usually quiet and reserved in the Hanlin Academy. He doesn't like to interact with others. You can even say he is cold and indifferent. When a woman gives him a gift, he directly refuses it and never accepts it."

"He is truly a perfect son-in-law chosen by your father. Your elder sister will get married next month. The three of us will go to Fanlou for dinner later, and then we will pick out a gift for her." Xie nodded upon hearing this.

The pick-up gift was not a big deal, but being able to go out and play, even with a veil, was something Yao Niang found very novel.

Yan Jingzhao was glancing at the passers-by around him. He was very busy, having to take care of his mother and sister so that they would not be seen, and at the same time observe the situation.

Finally, Xie chose a set of filigree enamel teacups with the pattern of three gentlemen as a gift for Yan Ningxin, and naturally gave two more to the third wife's dowager.

Yao Niang and the others also went to watch the excitement. When Yan Rubei got married, she sent along a toilet bucket, which was already jaw-dropping. But Yan Ningxin even sent along a coffin.

Not to mention furniture, clothes and even embroidered shoes, eighty pairs of which were prepared at once, all made by the best embroiderers in Jiangnan.

Even Yao Niang was a little jealous: "Big sister is really full of red makeup, so enviable."

There are very few girls who would not be moved by these things. Yan Ningxin was treated like a star today, surrounded by servants. Hearing what Yao Niang said, she felt a little happy in her heart, because Yao Niang said that Shen Linfeng's private life was very clean and there was no problem. Now Yan Ningxin also felt a sense of honor as a daughter of the Yan family.

Even if she doesn't like Shen Linfeng, it doesn't prevent Shen Linfeng from being a good husband.

The bride has to be accompanied by ten unmarried women when she has meals at home, which means perfection. The Yan family has three girls, and there are also relatives of the Yan family who have come to Beijing to attend the wedding. Even Grandpa Jie, who has come to Beijing to report on his work, has come. It is of course easy to choose a few more girls.

Yao Niang sat below Qian Niang, who asked, "I heard your grandpa is here?"

"What a coincidence! He happened to be going to Beijing to report on his work and brought a lot of gifts for me and my brother. When the eldest sister's matter is settled, you and fourth sister can come to me to choose." Yao Niang was very generous in this regard.

Qianniang looked at Yaoniang and said, "Your third uncle has been promoted to the governor of the river, and your grandfather has come to the capital to report on his work. I'm afraid he will be promoted again. You two can be considered to be very happy."

"Second sister, please stop slandering me. I'm not the official. I'm just jealous of how cute Rong'an's nephew is." Yao Niang was not flattered by anyone.

Yingniang felt annoyed when she heard this: "Second sister, third sister, stop complimenting each other. The food is here, let's eat."

The first dish was called Family Meal, which contained many dishes, such as egg dumplings, pork skin, yellow sprouts, meatballs, salted meat, salted chicken, mushrooms, herring pieces, prawns and quail eggs.

Yan Ningxin comfortably picked up a quail egg and put it in her mouth. She heard that the Shen family had a small family, so she wouldn't have to fight with her sisters as often as she did at home.

After all, she didn't dare to eat too much at this meal and only ate some food that didn't taste very good.

Yesterday, Mrs. Quanfu Liu went to make the bed. People say that although she is young, she is very capable. Yao Niang looked around and felt that it was really grand, with flowers blooming and oil boiling on the fire.

There were copper crane lanterns in the garden, ready to be lit at night. Yao Niang suddenly felt like a tourist.

At dusk, Shen Linfeng came to the house in a red dress. Yao Niang and her sisters were in the bridal chamber with the bride. Listening to the makeup-inducing poems being sung outside, they couldn't help but look at Yan Ningxin.

From time to time, someone would come in and recite the makeup-urging poems written by the groom and his best men outside. One of the poems was: She was too shy to leave the dressing table, and the maids were holding nine pins. I send a message to those who are tired of makeup, saying, "I'm lazy to apply rouge and powder lightly." [1]

"This song is very good." Yao Niang praised.

The person who replied said, "Third Miss, the master asked Miss Shen to write three more poems before he was allowed to enter the house, and asked you to guard the door as well."

Yao Niang, Qian Niang and Ying Niang discussed: "Who will come first?"

Who would have known that Yingniang suddenly became a little nervous? Her knowledge seemed quite good, but only she knew that it was all for show. She was the first to back out. Qianniang usually participated in poetry societies everywhere, so of course she was bolder.

Before the three sisters had finished discussing, they heard a sudden clatter of voices coming from outside. It turned out to be the groom coming with his bridesmaids.

Yao Niang thought quickly and grabbed the bolt. She smiled and said to the outsider, "Wait, who is coming? What do you want?"

Shen Linfeng was accompanied by his cousin Han Jiayi, his cousin Shen Bangyan, his classmate Wen Yuqing and others today. They were all talented people. When they heard a clear female voice, like a yellow oriole singing in a valley, they stopped and knew that the other party must be Miss Yan's sisters.

Shen Linfeng smiled and said, "I am the groom, and I am here to take Miss Yan to marry me."

Qianniang and Yingniang beside Yaoniang both signaled her to speak quickly, so she said to the door: "If you want to marry my sister, you must pass this test of ours. In this way, if I give you six couplets and everyone can answer them, then we will open the door willingly."

Shen Linfeng raised his eyebrows: "I wonder which aunt you are? What you said is true."

"I am the third daughter of the Yan family. If I can say it, I must do it. Let me give you my first couplet." After saying this, Yao Niang thought for a while and said, "I got it. Twin flowers bloom and the lovebirds are warm."

Before Shen Linfeng opened his mouth, Han Jiayi blurted out: "The couple is in love."

Yao Niang raised her eyebrows. This person answered quite quickly. She added, "The flowers are in full bloom and the moon is full, and we are so jealous of each other."

This time it was Shen Linfeng who answered: "Forever and ever."

…

"The jade mirror is passed on to the world."

"Two stars crossing the Milky Way."

Yao Niang couldn't help laughing and said, "The horizontal critique is a perfect match. I never thought that the Shen family's brother-in-law is so quick-witted. Let's open the door now." [2]

Yingniang, who was behind her just now, now wanted to step forward, as if to show that she was the one who just wrote the couplet. Yaoniang was not so easy to bully. She elbowed Yingniang aside and asked her to open the bolt quickly.

When Shen Linfeng and his group saw that the person who opened the door was a girl of thirteen or fourteen, a line from the poem "Spiritual Journey" came to their minds: "There is no more beautiful woman in the world, and she is so beautiful that she can seduce a country or a city, and she astonishes the world."

Such beauty was definitely something they had never seen before, and the girl only showed up for a moment and then walked away gracefully. Seeing this, Yingniang remembered her own signature and hurried to the front.

But at this time the bride was about to be sent out, and the scene was in chaos, so no one noticed her?

Yan Ningxin covered her face with a fan and was supported by someone as she walked out. Her heart was pounding. Was she really going to get married? Looking at the red shadows in front of her, Yan Ningxin felt something was unreal.

Shen Linfeng was sitting on his horse accepting congratulations from the onlookers. His age was relatively late for the sons of aristocratic families, but now he was getting married and having children, just like his parents.

The eldest daughter of the Yan family has a cheerful temperament and loves to drink. She is not the kind of person who is petty and jealous. Thinking back to the paintings of the eldest daughter of Yan last time and the poems of the third daughter of Yan today, I think of the upbringing of the Yan family, which cannot be wrong.

But Mrs. Quanfu, Mrs. Liu, was also sitting in the carriage behind them. She was saying to the maid, "I see everyone says that the second daughter of the Yan family is a talented woman, but now it seems that the third daughter of their family is the one with quick wit and intelligence."

"She is truly a person of both talent and beauty."

…

Mrs. Liu originally thought that she would be able to come back after sending the bride to the ceremony. Yan Ningxin was also very tired after many days and was eager to finish the ceremony so that she could take a break and at least change her clothes. The crown almost pierced her scalp.

Just as they were worshipping heaven and earth, Wei Wuji came over.

"Are you really ready to get married? Are you sure you want to marry him? You listened to your father and brother, so have you forgotten your promise to me?"

The words were still fresh in her ears. Yan Ningxin said in her heart that she would naturally marry Shen Linfeng. You have to know that today is a grand event for the entire Yan family. She cannot let down the Yan family for their efforts for her, nor can she let down her cousin.

Yan Ningxin hid behind the fan in astonishment. She didn't want to agree, nor was she willing to agree. But Wei Wuji was holding the ring of his cousin, the Prince of Qi, and he even shook it on purpose.

Yan Ningxin looked at the ring numbly, she was very clear about Wei Wuji's strength in Shandong and his military power in Shandong. If he helped Prince Qi to deal with his cousin the Crown Prince, as the saying goes, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, what would happen if something really happened to the Crown Prince?

She looked at Shen Linfeng with an apologetic look on her face: "I'm sorry, I'll go out and have a good talk with him first."

As long as she made it clear, she would still come back to get married and apologize to everyone. Perhaps because of her firm answer, Wei Wuji pulled his hand and was about to leave.

I only heard Madam Liu say to Shen Linfeng: "Mr. Shen, this won't do. You have to stop it quickly, okay?"

"Let them go. This marriage is over." Shen Linfeng didn't know what he was thinking. Just now he was still thinking about his life after getting married with Yan Ningxin, but now she was the one who gave him the greatest humiliation.

It is also said that Wei Wuji took Yan Ningxin out on horseback. Wei Wuji brought her to the outskirts of Beijing very quickly. He had a proud look on his face: "Fourth Lady, you finally came with me."

"I just want to know what happened to my cousin?" Yan Ningxin said.

Wei Wuji laughed: "I originally thought he was your elder brother, so I would naturally protect him. Unfortunately, he was very stubborn and refused to let me follow you or persuade you. So I just let him fend for himself."

"you……"

Wei Wuji said nothing. He blindfolded her and walked to a separate courtyard. He smiled and said, "I'll make a bet with you. You stay here for two days. If Shen Linfeng still wants you, I lose. If Shen Linfeng doesn't want you, then I will marry you instead."

Sinister, stubborn and arrogant, Yan Ningxin thought that she should have known that Wei Wuji was a lunatic? It didn't matter, as long as she went back and explained it to the Shen and Yan families.

Little did they know that the Yan family and the Shen family had already become a mess. The angriest person was none other than Yan Yingqi. For the first time, his face almost turned the color of pig liver, and he sent someone to call the Zhen and Xie families to discuss the matter together.

Zhen's situation is even worse than Xie's. She was the one who was in charge of everything. Now that the bride has run away, she is the first to bear the brunt. Zhen is now completely helpless.

"Master, what should I do?"

Xie couldn't help but say, "If the eldest daughter runs away like this, people will think she eloped. We still have three daughters waiting to be married? Now the relatives, friends and guests outside don't know about this. How can we explain it? Master, sister-in-law, you have to come up with an idea."

Yan Yingqi held his forehead and said, "Mrs. Liu just said it very clearly. The Shen family has lost face. I'm afraid they already hate our Yan family to the core. Now the plan is to find the eldest girl first, send the guests away, and then discuss with the Shen family. To be honest, I don't know what to do. I have never encountered such a thing in my life."

"Everyone is panicking, but you can't panic, sir. Everyone is waiting for you to make a decision." Xie was anxious.

In fact, Yan Jingzhao's brothers and Yao Niang's sisters were sitting outside and talking about it. Yan Jingzhao suddenly stood up and said, "I will personally lead people to look for the person. Whether he is alive or dead, I have to give an explanation to the Shen family."

"Big brother, someone has already gone out to look for her. Let's stay here and listen to Dad's instructions." Yao Niang stepped forward and held her brother.

She was afraid that Yan Jingzhao would have a conflict with others, because her brother was not a cowardly person and he might get hurt, which would be a loss.

Yan Jingzhao shook his head, "Yao Niang, don't pull me. I'll go in and ask Dad for instructions. Second and third brothers, you should come in with me. We will go to look for her separately. This is not just her business. If we raise a daughter who eloped, how can we gain a foothold in the entire Shilin community?"

He always spoke in a very inspiring manner and led by example, while Yan Jingzhang and Yan Jingwen could only listen.

Yan Yingqi had already heard Yan Jingzhao's voice outside, and he said, "Jingzhao, you stay home to maintain the situation first, Jingzhang and Jingwen go out to find someone. Otherwise, how will the guests in front be maintained?"

"Father..." Yan Jingzhao wanted to kick that bastard Wei Wuji a few times right now. He simply couldn't bear it.

Yan Yingqi saw clearly that Yan Jingzhao was notoriously violent. Yan Jingzhao was his most beloved eldest son, so how could he let him go against others? If he was reported to the emperor by Yu Shi, he would be doomed.

The second and third brothers have milder tempers and are not presentable, so it would be better to let them go out and find someone.

Yao Niang stepped forward and advised, "Brother, just listen to Dad."

Yan Jingzhao just said "hmm". Yan Jingzhang and Yan Jingwen rarely dealt with chores on weekdays, so they were confused for a moment and had to ask Yan Jingzhao: "Second brother, take my letter to find Lord Rong of the Wucheng Military Department and tell him that someone kidnapped Yan Ningxin from the Shen family. Third brother, go to the prefect of Shuntian and turn yourself in to accuse the son of the Ziqing Jiedushi of kidnapping brides."

It's really smart! Yao Niang couldn't help but admire it in her heart. First of all, this matter cannot be handled as elopement, but directly accuse others of kidnapping the bride.

Yan Yingqi also had an idea: "Yes, my daughter was getting married at the Shen family, and the Shen family didn't stop Wei Wuji from entering the house, and they didn't stop him directly when he was leaving. Could it be that Shen Linfeng did it on purpose?"

Thinking of this, Yan Yingqi felt a little guilty, because Yan Ningxin was kidnapped and grew up in the market. Could it be because of this? But it was the Shen family who proposed to marry her several times. Now they found that the girl was not what they wanted, so they broke off the engagement?

What is this? If you want to marry, you marry. If you don’t want to marry, you set up a trap?

"Third sister, what should we do?" Yingniang pulled Yaoniang's sleeve in a somewhat solemn manner.

Yao Niang shook her head and said, "Fourth sister, the reputation of our girls has been ruined. I'm afraid we will have to rely on ourselves in the future." As the eldest sister eloped with someone in public, others would definitely doubt the morality of the Yan family's daughter. At this time, we must be strong. After a long time, others may not remember this matter.

When everyone was at a loss, the capital was also in an uproar. Yan Yingqi was forced to stay at home on sick leave, and the same was true for Yan Jingzhao. He and Shen Linfeng were peers, and he felt even more embarrassed.

But he didn't expect that two days later, someone came to Yan Yingqi's house and said, "Oh no, Master, the eldest daughter went to the Shen family to admit her mistakes and said that it was all her fault."

"She admitted her mistake?" For the first time, Yan Yingqi felt like he was going to faint.

Yan Jingzhao couldn't help but curse: "This idiot, didn't she realize that she got away so smoothly? Who let Wei Wuji in? I still suspect that the Shen family did it on purpose."

"It's too late to say anything. Instead of complaining, let's think about how to solve this problem. Let's go to the Shen family first and see what's going on with this evil girl." After all, Yan Yingqi is older now and can keep calm than Yan Jingzhao.