Chapter 11 Recognition of Relatives
The next day.
When the sky was just getting light, Liu Yan and Mrs. Xu quietly left Lingshuiju from the corner gate and followed the secluded path beside Wangzhu Lake out of the mansion.
The doorman on duty today is Old Man Bao. He has always been a loner and eccentric and doesn't socialize much with others.
Liu Yan smiled sheepishly: "I'm sorry to bother you so early in the morning."
He opened the corner door for Liu Yan and the other girl without saying a word, not wanting to communicate with them.
The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's mansion had hurriedly held a wedding, and everyone in the mansion was tired. It was still early, and not many people were up, so no one noticed the little episode in the corner of the gate.
On this day, according to custom, relatives need to be recognized.
Madam Lu used the excuse that she was sick last night and not in good spirits and so would not come today.
The population of the Lu family is not complicated.
Old Master Lu came from a humble background. He studied hard for ten years and passed the palace examination when he was over thirty. He was then sent to work in a remote area. Until his death, his official title was still a county magistrate, and he did not have many concubines.
Old Madam Lu gave birth to the eldest son Lu Song, the second son Lu Bai, and the youngest son Lu Yang, who was born out of wedlock. She also had a legitimate daughter and a illegitimate daughter, all of whom were married.
Lu Songzi did not follow in his father's footsteps and instead of studying literature, he took up martial arts. He was very courageous and had even better luck.
At a young age, he met the emperor, who was still a prince, on the battlefield and made military achievements. From then on, he was appreciated by the emperor and led the Lu family into the circle of power and nobility.
Yuan Wanru got up early, dressed, and led Nanny Pang towards the door of Lingshuiju.
But I saw someone was already waiting there.
Lu Jiangnian was wearing a dark red silk shirt with dark gold patterns, black hair and a jade crown. He stood in front of the door facing the morning glow.
The light golden morning light shone through his body, dazzling.
As if he had noticed the movement behind him, the man turned sideways and looked over, his eyes slightly turning as he faced her from a distance.
The woman had eyebrows like distant mountains, and her face was fair and rosy. She wore a red silk shirt with peony and crabapple branches. Under the morning sun, she looked like a flower slowly blooming with dewdrops, so beautiful and charming.
He glanced at her imperceptibly and said, "Let's go."
-
It's a cool early morning in late summer.
Yuan Wanru walked briskly, following Lu Jiangnian, and they entered Wangchun Hall one after the other.
Lu Song and Wang Min were sitting in the room. When they saw them come in, Wang Min smiled without saying anything.
She wore her hair in a high bun today and wore a crimson silk dress, which made her look even more dignified and noble.
"The time is just right, come quickly."
According to the custom of recognizing relatives, the bride needs to give some needlework to express her love.
Fortunately, the original owner loved needlework and was very caring towards Lu Song and his wife. The clothes she gave them were ready-made and did not need to be made in a hurry.
As soon as Yuan Wanru bowed, Wang Min pulled her up affectionately and said, "I am happy that you are getting married. I only hope that you will be happy and harmonious, and I will be satisfied."
She placed a pair of topaz bracelets on the tray. They were crystal clear, without any impurities, and warm to the touch. They were rare and precious items.
Lu Song said seriously, "In the future, you need to respect each other and support each other. This is the way for husband and wife."
Yuan Wanru knelt down and saluted: "My daughter-in-law will follow your instructions."
Lu Jiangnian paused for a moment and responded softly, "Yeah."
The second master Lu Bai has a somewhat romantic look, but his eyes are clear and he respects Lu Song very much.
"Time is running out, and Second Uncle couldn't find anything good to give you for a while, so I had someone make a pair of white jade pendants the day before yesterday, and I'm giving them to you today to add some color."
Second Madam Zhou Fang laughed exaggeratedly: "Oh, isn't this good?"
She turned her head and smiled at Wang Min, "Ever since he heard that Jiang Nian was going to get married, he has been rummaging through boxes and cabinets, vowing to find a good item to give to Jiang Nian."
"It's a pity that our second branch is poor and we can't find anything that can catch the second master's eye."
"Guess what?"
Although Zhou Fang was smiling, her eyes were flashing with rage, almost burning Yuan Wanru who was standing opposite her.
"He asked me for 1,000 taels of silver, and then pawned his beloved zither, just to raise 3,000 taels to make this pair of jade pendants."
"Sister-in-law, I have been married to him for so many years, and he has never given me anything decent. I thought he was just a rough man who didn't understand these things. Now it seems that I am just not worthy of him."
"Jiang Nian, you are the apple of your uncle's eye. Even if you are his legitimate son, your brother Jiang Xun, cannot compare to you."
This weird look almost pissed Lu Bai off to death.
He was neither good at literature nor martial arts, and he was able to hold an idle position of the sixth rank in the court, all thanks to his elder brother.
Doesn’t he know how deep the officialdom in Beijing is?
If it weren't for his brother, the Loyal and Brave Marquis Lu Song, he would have been secretly killed countless times.
What's wrong with him giving Jiang Nian something?
That shabby piano was bought with money from his brother when he was young. Now he has no leisure time, so what's the point of pawning it?
"What nonsense! Why am I asking you for money? That's my salary. I can't spend it."
Zhou Fang sneered: "Your salary?"
"What good can your meager salary do?"
"That's the money my parents give me. If we relied on your money to support our family, we would have been left with nothing."
How could Lu Bai tolerate such words? Doesn't this mean that he is a gigolo?
If he really ate it, then it's up to her to say it.
The problem is, he has never even had half a bowl of free food from the Zhou family!
Seeing that Lu Bai's eyes were almost bulging out, Lu Song immediately coughed heavily and said, "It's a good day, why are you quarreling? After we disperse, go back to your rooms and quarrel by yourselves. We don't like to hear it."
Zhou Fang snorted lightly, but didn't dare to be presumptuous. She turned her head away and closed her mouth.
Lu and Yang were sent to work in other places, and now no one from the third branch is in Beijing.
In Lu Jiangnian's generation, except for his married elder sister Lu Wei, the rest were his brothers and sisters. Yuan Wanru treated them all equally, giving fan cases to boys and purses to girls.
On the eldest wife's side, there are the second daughter Lu Yun, the third son Lu Jiangsui and the sixth son Lu Jiangchen, all of whom were born out of wedlock.
The second wife has more children.
Except for the legitimate son Lu Jiangxiun, the others, including the fourth son Lu Jiangmu, the fifth son Lu Jiangshi, the third daughter Lu Miao, the fourth daughter Lu Rong, and the sixth daughter Lu Sha, were also born out of wedlock.
Ignoring Zhou Fang's complaints, the recognition process went smoothly.
-
As Yuan Wanru had expected, nothing could be found out about the wedding dress.
Wang Min was not a soft-hearted person. She immediately sent Wang Xiaocao to the authorities and asked them to give him a heavy sentence.
Wang Xiaocao was a house-born child. Her parents and brothers all worked in the mansion. Wang Min investigated for a day and, considering that no one in the Wang family knew anything about it, she did not sell them out but just kicked them out.
As for Manager Zhao, after a thorough investigation, it was found that he was guilty of more than just adultery, and all other crimes were also handed over to the authorities.
When dealing with these matters, she always brought Yuan Wanru with her.
"Although family disgrace should not be made public, it is better to leave many matters to the government than to dirty your own hands."
"We are upright and honest, so why should we be afraid of being sent to the authorities?"
Such an open-minded temperament is very much to Yuan Wanru's liking.
As they were talking, someone from Rongshou Hall came over and said, "Madam, the old lady wants you to come over. She has something urgent to tell you."
Wang Min left in a hurry, Yuan Wanru sneered, it seemed that a good show was about to begin.
Wait a minute, it might be her turn to appear on stage.
She ate a small plate of snacks leisurely, but she didn't intend to sing with them on an empty stomach.
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