Thanks to Madam Wen's nagging, the atmosphere in the room became much better.
Just then, Bin Ju brought in goat milk for Shiyi Niang. Madam Wen looked at her and laughed, "You're about to be a bride, why don't you take a break for a few days? Could it be that you're leaving and you can't bear to let her go, so you want to serve Madam a few more times?"
Bin Ju blushed with shame and just lowered her head without saying a word.
Eleventh Lady looked at Binju with a very happy expression.
Madam Wen saw it clearly and asked with a smile, "Has the date been set?"
Binju said "hmm" in a mosquito-like voice.
Eleventh Lady said, "It will be scheduled for the 26th of this month."
Daxian was getting old, and the Wan family didn't want to cause any more trouble, so they asked Liu Yuanrui's family to go four or five times to set the wedding date. Seeing that Daxian was sincere, she agreed.
"It will be a great occasion." Madam Wen was delighted when she heard this, as if she was marrying her sister. "Are all the things ready? Is there anything that is inconvenient to buy? I remember that a full set of descendants' barrels must be made when a woman gets married. The Wen family has a shop in Yanjing that specializes in wooden articles. Do you want me to help you get a set of pine wood barrels?"
Bin Ju blushed and whispered, "Madam has helped to buy everything. Madam Wen is so sorry for the trouble."
After hearing this, Madam Wen ordered Qiuhong beside her, "Go, bring me thirty taels of silver. I'll give it to Miss Binju to buy flowers to wear."
Bin Ju hurriedly declined.
Eleventh Lady smiled slightly.
Silver was never a problem for Madam Wen. She didn't pay fifty taels, nor twenty taels, but thirty taels. It seemed that everyone knew that the Madam gave Binju forty taels of silver as a box-filling fee.
"It's given by Madam Wen, so just accept it!" she said, "Just remember to kowtow to Madam Wen when the time comes."
When Bin Ju saw that Shiyi Niang had spoken, she murmured as she stepped forward, knelt down and bowed to Madam Wen to express her gratitude.
Aunt Qin also said, "Then I will give thirty taels too!" Then she told Cui'er beside her to get the silver. Then she smiled and said to Binju, "It's a pity that I am not like Aunt Wen whose family runs a shop and is rich. This is just a small token of my appreciation. I hope Miss Binju will not despise it."
"Aunt Qin, you are so polite." Bin Ju stepped forward to thank her.
Madam Wen laughed and said, "The thirty taels of silver you took out is just a 'small token of your appreciation'. Isn't that enough to show that you are wealthy?" She was teasing Madam Qin.
Aunt Qin became anxious after hearing this: "I am not as rich as Aunt Wen. I am very reluctant to take these thirty taels of silver - before the New Year, I gave fifty taels of silver to Ciyuan Temple as incense money, and two days ago I asked Jining nun to help with the offering of scriptures and paid twenty taels of silver for incense and candles, and I gave another fifty taels of silver to ask Jining nun to help the second young master recite the 'Purifying Heart Mantra'... I don't have more income than you. I am very tight on money."
When Madam Wen heard her talking about this, she couldn't help but smile and glanced at Shiyi Niang. Seeing that Shiyi Niang was just listening with a smile, she felt relieved and was about to change the subject when there was a noise from the bathroom. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Xu Lingyi walking in wearing a royal blue silk gown.
The two concubines simultaneously stopped smiling and knelt down to salute him.
He glanced coldly at Aunt Qin and asked, "What kind of spell are you chanting?" It was obvious that he had only heard a word.
Aunt Qin was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she said hastily, "No, no. I didn't chant any spells!" Then, as if afraid that Xu Lingyi would not believe her, she emphasized, "I really didn't chant any spells!" She looked at Eleventh Lady for help.
How much knowledge could Qin Shi, a concubine who was born as a maid, have? Moreover, she had "role models" like the Taifu and Wufu around her, so it was natural for her to believe in these things.
"We were just talking about Binju!" Eleventh Lady smiled and helped her smooth things over. "The two concubines each took thirty taels of silver to add boxes for Binju."
Seeing that Shiyi Niang had changed the subject, Xu Lingyi glanced at Aunt Qin and did not ask any more questions. He followed Shiyi Niang's words and said, "Binju is the first one in your family to get married after all."
Madam Wen listened and agreed, "Yes, yes! We haven't had a wedding in our house for several years - I'm going to help out!"
Xu Lingyi said nothing.
Madam Wen's eyes turned and she smiled, "Madam, Wan Daxian's parents are both at the farm. They are new here, don't know many people, and the place is remote, so it's inconvenient for them to come and go. I think Madam, why don't you make two rooms for them in the group house where the housekeepers live, and hold the wedding in the mansion. It will be so lively with music and dance!"
Seeing that everyone was discussing her marriage, Bin Ju quietly retreated.
"I think we should follow the Wan family's wishes and marry her to the manor!" Eleventh Lady said with a smile, "The Wan family has set up a household god on the manor, so it's not a good idea to hold the wedding in our house. Besides, Bin Ju is going to marry someone else, not to worship a Bodhisattva at home - this is not good before everything has even started. In the future, there will be eight or nine chances that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law will have rifts because of these things."
"Oh!" Madam Wen smiled even more brightly after hearing this, "Madam is still virtuous. I only thought about how to help Miss Binju gain face, but I didn't think about this matter." As she spoke, she glanced at Xu Lingyi quickly. Seeing him looking at Shiyi Niang with a smile in his eyes, she nodded slightly. For some reason, she felt cold in her heart and spoke absent-mindedly, "...Anyway, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future...Now there is no need to be unhappy with my mother-in-law because of these things..."
So on February 25, the day of laying out the dowry, she went to Goldfish Lane after paying her respects to Shiyi Niang. According to the rules, maids would return to their own homes before getting married, and could not get married in the master's yard. For Binju, who had no parents around, she could either marry in the godmother's home or rent a house outside as a temporary bridal chamber. Shiyi Niang did not adopt either option, and arranged for Binju to get married in Goldfish Lane.
Goldfish Lane was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. Liu Yuanrui, wearing a brand new royal blue silk dress, was at the door to receive guests. When he saw Madam Wen's carriage, he personally came forward to greet her, bowed, and lowered the threshold to let the carriage in.
The inner courtyard is presided over by Liu Yuanrui's family.
She wore a bright red silk jacket and a gilded hairpin with a double happiness character on her head, looking extremely happy.
"Madam, you are such a rare guest!" Liu Yuanrui's wife stepped forward to greet Madam Wen and took a half step forward to lead the way for her. "Madam Du, Madam Tian, Madam Wan and Miss Zhu Xiang are all drinking tea in the east wing..."
Aunt Wen paused: "Mother Du is here!"
Liu Yuanrui's face was full of smiles: "Here they are, here they are. They arrived at dawn today. Madam Tian and Madam Wan came with their elders. But Miss Zhu Xiang was a step late. She said that the Madam had something for her to deliver to Miss Binju, so she was late." As he spoke, he led Madam Wen to the east wing.
* * * * * *
Qiao Lianfang pushed the small bowl in Xiu Li's hand away sullenly: "Put it aside for now, I'll drink it later!"
"Miss!" Xiu Li begged, "You just said you would drink later... You have to get better soon!"
"Get well!" Qiao Lianfang's big eyes were filled with tears. "What's the use of getting well? The Marquis doesn't want to see me at all." Tears ran across her pale face and fell on her moon-white jacket, leaving a faint sweat mark. "He also asked Eleventh Lady to detain me in this yard and not allow me to leave even a step..."
Xiu Li's eyes darkened when she heard this, and she withdrew the medicine bowl weakly.
"He must still be blaming me. Blaming me for losing the baby!" Qiao Lianfang said, crying on the pillow, "How should I know that I shouldn't take too much of that medicine..."
Xiu Cheng also shed tears.
After much effort, they managed to bribe Doctor Wu to help deliver the letter to the wife. The wife also asked Mrs. Qiao to personally deliver the secret medicine of Taoist Priest Changchun... At that time, they all thought they had a chance to survive. That night, they followed Mrs. Qiao's instructions to move the cabinets and beds to a new place, and tried to take a pill without telling the two mothers, Tian and Wan. As a result, the next morning, they did not vomit, and they ate more happily. They were overjoyed. They were afraid that the two mothers would find the secret medicine, and thought that if it was real, taking more would definitely have a better effect. They took one more pill the next day. After taking it, they felt more energetic. So they took two pills on the third day... Who knew that they started to have a stomachache in the middle of the night, and after just a cup of tea, they saw blood... They were almost dead. Not only did they lose their child, but they also ended up being detained.
But now that things have come to this, what's the use of regretting?
Xiu Li wiped the corners of her eyes and whispered to Qiao Lianfang: "Miss, you are still young and there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. The most urgent thing is to take good care of your body. Only when you take good care of your body can you get pregnant again. Otherwise, even if the Marquis is no longer angry, it will be in vain if your body is broken and you can't get pregnant!" After saying that, she brought the bowl to Qiao Lianfang, "Miss, drink this medicine while it's hot!"
Qiao Lianfang listened to her sobbing and stopped crying. Xiu Cheng helped her drink the medicine and put a piece of candy in her mouth.
"Why didn't I see my two mothers today?" She asked casually as she lay down unhappily.
Abortion is a short period of confinement. Although Tian Mama and Wan Mama are still serving her, Qiao Lianfang feels that they are not as dedicated as before.
Thinking of this, she felt unhappy.
Xiu Yuan knew how the two mothers had changed recently, but she was afraid that Qiao Lianfang would be angry, so she hesitated for a moment before whispering, "I heard that Shiyi Niang's daughter Bin Ju is getting married tomorrow. The two mothers went to send their congratulations."
Qiao Lianfang was furious when she heard this: "It's just to send congratulations, but two people have to go together." She felt that they clearly didn't want to serve her, and couldn't help but speak sarcastically, "They are just maids. If Shiyi Niang's sister got married, wouldn't she have to lick other people's shoes? I valued them so much that I rewarded them with ten taels of silver and a piece of embroidered satin as soon as they came..."
Xiu Li thought that the two mothers were close to the Madam and didn't want to make things awkward with them. She said hurriedly, "The two mothers have been a little tight these days. It's rare to have an excuse to go out. Miss, don't be angry. The two mothers said that they would go out in the morning and come back in the afternoon." As she spoke, she looked at the light in the room and said, "Look at this time, they should be back!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhu Rui's voice came from outside the window: "The two mothers are back!"
"Yes!" Mother Tian laughed loudly, "Oh, it's a pity that you can't see it - Binju's dowry... Tsk tsk tsk! Speaking of which, I have been in the Xu family for more than 40 years. Only when Xiangyi, who was by the side of the old lady, got married did she have such a grand ceremony. However, Xiangyi is different. She served the marquis and kept vigil in his hometown. She was a meritorious person. Binju... This really proves the saying - no matter how good your ability is, it's useless. It depends on who you follow..."
"Keep your voice down!" Mother Wan interrupted Mother Tian's words, "Be careful not to wake up Aunt Qiao!"
"Oh, this guy gets carried away when he gets proud!" Mother Tian said with a smile, "I won't say anything more, I won't say anything more."
Although he said he would stop, his voice did not soften at all.
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I saw some friends in the comment section saying that they didn’t feel the writing was dragging, but rather that it was slow.
wry smile.
There's nothing I can do about it.
I updated twice a week in August and September, and my colleagues helped me do a lot of the work that should have been done by me. Now it's the end of the year, and there are a lot of summaries and meetings. Everyone is busy. I'm really sorry to bother others again. Please understand!
In addition, some friends asked how many chapters to write and when to finish. To be honest, I don't know. I can only say that this is a story, and no matter what difficulties I encounter, I will finish it! Never let it end badly, and never let it end eunuch!
O(∩_∩)O~