Miss Qiao looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, with fair skin, bright eyes, rosy lips and a serene smile. She sat there quietly, as soft and delicate as a flower about to bloom.
Feeling Eleventh Lady's gaze, she turned her face slightly and smiled sweetly.
Eleventh Lady nodded slightly towards her in a friendly manner.
Everyone listened to Mrs. Qiao's chatter for a long while, and then chatted for a while. The old lady invited everyone to dinner, but the eldest lady declined: "I just arrived, and things are messy at home. I also have to visit my two uncles. It's a rare trip to Yanjing, and I won't leave for a while. I'll come to see you after I've sorted things out in a few days."
The lady thought that her in-laws and daughter-in-law had not seen each other for more than ten years, so naturally she had some intimate things to say, so she did not keep her today. She said, "Today is the fourteenth, sixteenth, come to my house, and I will treat you to a meal."
"Okay!" Mrs. Qiao spoke before the eldest wife said anything, "Everyone who sees it will have a share. When the time comes, I will also come to join in the fun." As she said this, she pulled the old lady's sleeve and said, "Sister, you can't refuse."
The old lady glanced at the eldest lady and smiled at Mrs. Qiao, "I can't thank you enough for coming to help me accompany my in-laws. How can I refuse?"
Mrs. Qiao smiled like a flower: "Then it's settled."
The lady-in-waiting saw off the first lady, the fifth lady and the eleventh lady, but Mrs. Qiao and Miss Qiao stayed behind.
The eldest wife looked at Mrs. Qiao's back and said with a smile to Aunt Wen who was accompanying them back to Yuanniang to say goodbye, "This Mrs. Qiao is really enthusiastic."
Madam Wen turned her eyes and said with a smile, "The people in their mansion are good at speaking, and they are famous throughout Yanjing. Otherwise, why would they be nicknamed 'tumbler'?"
The eldest wife raised her eyebrows.
Madam Wen smiled and said, "Our mansion has been in trouble before, but the Chengguo Mansion has been smooth sailing and has survived six dynasties. Especially this generation of the Duke, since the 41st year of Jianwu, he has served as the general of Gansu, Ningxia, Baoding, Xuanfu, and Datong, and has a deep foundation in the Northwest Army. Not to mention our Marquis, even the emperor thinks highly of him."
The eldest wife seemed thoughtful.
Aunt Wen smiled and helped the eldest wife into the car: "I'm afraid Madam is also worried about what happened here. Let's go back and talk to Madam about it and let Sister relieve her boredom."
The first wife nodded and got into the car with Madam Wen, but the fifth wife stared at the door of the lady's house in a daze.
When they arrived at Yuanniang's place, the eldest wife immediately asked about Mrs. Qiao: "...are you familiar with her?"
Yuanniang smiled and nodded, but then asked Zhun Ge: "Where did the Madam stay?"
"Well." The eldest wife said absentmindedly, "I saw that he was having fun with those little maids, and the lady wanted to keep him, so she didn't bring him back."
Maybe there are some things that cannot be said in front of Brother Zhun!
Yuanniang smiled slightly.
Madam Wen smiled and said, "Sister, guess which young ladies from the Qiao family we met at the Madam's place?"
Yuanniang laughed teasingly and said, "Your family and the Gong family are sworn enemies. Gong has a daughter who married into the Jiang family. Who else knows more about the Qiao family's affairs than you?"
Madam Wen covered her mouth and laughed.
The eldest wives and their companions were completely confused.
Aunt Wen smiled and explained, "In my grandfather's generation, the Gong family of Bantang in Yangzhou was on par with our family. They both started out in the salt industry. People in the same industry were jealous of each other and became enemies. Our two families have been fighting for so many years that we know each other well. The Gong family had a daughter who married into the Jiang family of Jian'an, and the Jiang family of Jian'an was Mrs. Qiao's maiden family. That's why my sister said that.
The eldest wife was moved: "Jian'an Jiang family? Is it the Jian'an Jiang family with 'four Jinshi in one family, two cabinet ministers in the family'?"
Madam Wen nodded, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes: "It is the Jian'an Jiang family that gave birth to the two ministers Jiang Rong and Jiang Yu."
The eldest wife was slightly startled.
"For an official family, no matter how glorious their ancestors are, if there is no Jinshi among their descendants, they will soon fall into decline." Yuan Niang glanced at Madam Wen and smiled, "Speaking of which, the Jiang family has not produced a Jinshi for two generations. They are not as good as our family."
The eldest wife's smile spread from her face to her eyes: "Your brother is a very capable person."
"Who says it's not?" Madam Wen smiled proudly, "There are not many 22-year-old candidates in the whole Zhou Dynasty. When the exam is over next year and you are listed in the imperial list, you will be a young Jinshi. Madam, you are a blessed person!"
"I appreciate your good words," the eldest wife could not hide her happiness, "I hope Brother Xing can bring honor to our family."
"Of course I will!" Madam Wen flattered with a smile, but Yuanniang suddenly asked her, "Which branch of the Qiao family is the sixth daughter from?"
Madam Wen's body trembled slightly, and the smile on her face seemed a little forced.
I didn't mention which young lady came from the Qiao family, but Yuanniang could tell that the one coming from the Qiao family was the sixth young lady...
She didn't dare to think too deeply, and hurriedly smiled and said, "She is the eldest daughter of the third house. However, the third house only has this one daughter. Her father and the Duke are brothers from the same mother."
Yuanniang nodded slightly.
Madam Wen showed hesitation on her face.
Yuan Niang saw this and curled her lips slightly. As if she hadn't noticed Madam Wen's strange behavior, she looked at Wu Niang and Shiyi Niang with a smile: "I can't get up to entertain the guests. The two sisters are at the age of playing, and it will be boring to accompany us to talk. Madam Wen, please accompany Wu Niang and Shiyi Niang to the back garden for me! The Phalaenopsis that the Queen Mother admired before the New Year should be in bloom!"
Wu Niang said hurriedly, "Sister, don't worry about me. I find it very interesting to listen to mother and sister talking. I often chat with mother at home. Besides, I prefer quietness to movement!"
While she was speaking, Eleventh Lady had already stood up. Seeing Fifth Lady sitting there, a look of embarrassment appeared on her face.
Madam Wen could only laugh twice and said attentively: "My two relatives, please think of it as accompanying me to take a look. It is said that the two pots of Phalaenopsis awarded by the Empress were tributes from Fujian. There were only 30 plants alive in total, and there were 10 pots each in the Qianqing Palace, Cining Palace, and Kunning Palace. Our family is lucky. The Emperor awarded one pot to the Marquis, the Empress Dowager awarded one pot to the Madam Dowager, the Empress awarded one pot to the Second Madam, one pot to the Third Madam, two pots to our Madam, and one pot to the Fifth Madam. In total, we have seven pots... They are all kept in the greenhouse in the back garden. I haven't seen them yet!"
Wu Niang suddenly came to her senses.
Yuanniang wanted to get them away so that she could have a private conversation with the eldest wife.
For a moment, her face flushed. She stood up and bowed to Yuanniang and the first wife together with Shiyi Niang, and followed Madam Wen to the greenhouse in the back garden.
The maid who had been beside Yuanniang also made a gesture to the people serving in the room, and then led a group of maids and wives to retreat quietly.
When the eldest wife saw that only the mother and daughter were in the room, her eyes immediately became moist. She pulled her daughter's hand and said, "How is the Marquis treating you!" Her tone was a little cautious.
Yuanniang smiled and nodded: "The Marquis is a man who cherishes the past and treats me very well."
The eldest wife was a little unconvinced: "That, that matter..."
Yuanniang smiled and said, "I am in this state now. If it weren't for his support, how could Madam Wen be so humble in front of me? Mother, the Marquis is a very good person. You don't have to be suspicious. It's just that I am unlucky and can't grow old with him..."
The eldest wife burst into tears after hearing this: "Don't say that. Didn't the Queen help you find a folk remedy? This world is so big, it's full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, and there are many extraordinary and talented people. You are a blessed person, nothing will happen to you. You will surely be able to turn misfortune into blessing and turn danger into safety..." But she didn't notice that her daughter didn't look sad at all when she sighed that she couldn't grow old with her son-in-law.
Yuanniang smiled slightly, her expression very calm: "Just as mother said, I will definitely get better. Don't be sad, mother." I don't know whether she was comforting herself or her mother.
The eldest wife cried a few times, but was afraid of making her daughter sad, so she wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "By the way, what does that Mrs. Qiao mean? I heard from Madam Wen that the Qiao family is not simple. Did the Marquis... reveal anything?"
Yuanniang smiled and said, "Mother, you just don't believe in your daughter, but you also don't believe in grandfather's judgment. The Marquis is not that kind of person. Otherwise, there would be more than just these few people in the family!"
The eldest wife was just too concerned. After hearing her daughter's words, she couldn't help but smile awkwardly: "I feel relieved that he treats you well."
"Mother," Yuanniang changed the subject as if she didn't want to talk about these things anymore, "Why did you bring Eleventh Lady with you? She is too young this year."
The eldest wife then remembered the purpose of her visit.
Her face turned stern, and she said, "You wrote to me and asked me to bring my two sisters to Beijing to see you. Although the words were vague, I understand what you meant. It's just that there are some things that you don't know as well as I do. Among the daughters of marriageable age in our family, there are only Wu Niang and Shi Niang. That Yang is a spoiled woman who can do anything. If she is chosen by the Xu family, she can commit suicide or take poison. By then, we will not only lose a lot of rice, but also make a powerful enemy... Don't forget, what if... she is the legitimate mother of Zhun Ge!"
Yuanniang said nothing, her eyelids drooped and no emotion could be seen.
"Wu Niang is a good choice. Besides, she has a fourth son. In the past few years, I spent a lot of money on him. Before I left, I found a job for him. I think it's almost done. Even if she wants to help in the future, she has to be able to help. In the end, she still has to rely on your brother. Shiyi Niang has no brothers, and Qingtong is timid. Although she is a little young, you can see how delicate her eyebrows are. Besides, being young has its advantages..." As she spoke, the eldest wife's voice lowered, "It is common for children to lose their offspring when their bodies are not fully grown. Once it becomes a habit, it will be even more difficult... After thinking about it, I think Shiyi Niang is better than Wu Niang, so I decided to bring Wu Niang and Shiyi Niang here." As she spoke, the eldest wife smiled, "Of course, you have to make the decision on this matter. Whether the Xu family agrees or not is also a hurdle!"
"Of course I trust mother's judgment." Yuanniang raised her eyelids and smiled, "Besides, I don't know my sisters very well. I'm only to blame for not explaining this matter clearly to mother. However, I'm afraid it's better this way!"
The eldest wife was stunned.
Yuanniang began to talk to her mother in a low voice.
(The power is out again... I don't know when it will come back! I'm at work, so I'll send out the draft first and revise the text when the power comes back. Sisters, you can only make do with it!)