Chapter 350 Death (Part 2)
"Grandma Liang said that Madam Gan has moved to the back garden. She came here specially to tell you."
Now that the Crown Prince has inherited the title, the former Grand Madam Gan has become Madam Gan, and the former Madam Gan has been honored as Grand Madam Tai.
Eleventh Lady sent Mother Song away, and the next day she took the small red lacquered and gold-painted box to the Gan Mansion.
The Great Zhou law states that the family property is divided equally between legitimate and illegitimate children. The father of the Third Lady was also one of the people who competed with the newly appointed Earl of Zhongqin for the property. Madam Gan did not want to offend Eleventh Lady, so she brought the Xu family in. She smiled respectfully and accompanied Eleventh Lady to Madam Gan's courtyard.
The courtyard is built in the northeast corner of the back garden. There are two small black doors. There is a wall shadow at the entrance. Going around the wall shadow, there are three side rooms on the left and right, and three main rooms with side rooms in the front. Although the courtyard is tidy, it is bare, without even a tree. Only the little pug that Mrs. Gan originally raised was lying lazily on the bluestone steps to bask in the sun. It gives people a sense of loneliness and solitude.
A maid had already gone in to report, and as soon as Eleventh Lady stepped onto the steps, Madam Gan came out in person to greet her.
She was wearing a dark summer cloth dress, and her shiny black hair was tied up neatly in a bun without any hairpins. Although there was a noticeable blue spot under her eyes, she looked better than the last time I saw her.
"You're here!" There was a faint smile in Mrs. Gan's eyes.
Eleventh Lady knelt down to greet her and said, "I heard from Lanting that you moved here, so I came to see you specially."
Mrs. Gan said a few polite words to her and welcomed her and Mrs. Gan in.
The room was filled with black lacquer furniture. A landscape painting hung in the central hall, and a blue-and-white porcelain plum vase with a faint smell of raw lacquer was placed on the long table.
The two of them sat down as host and guest, and the maid brought tea and snacks, and talked about some homely things in a neutral tone. A maid came in and said, "Madam, the master wants you to go to the main room, saying that he has something to discuss with you!"
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Gan could no longer sit still. She smiled and exchanged a few words with Eleventh Lady, then warmly invited her to have dinner with her, and then went to the main room.
As soon as she left, Madam Gan pulled her into the inner room.
The two of them sat down on the kang by the window in the inner room. After sending away the serving maid, Shiyi Niang took out the box from her arms.
Mrs. Gan's face was full of gratitude: "It's a good thing you sent someone to see me. Otherwise, this box would not be able to be delivered!" Then she placed the box behind the partition carved with the story of Meng Mu's three moves at the head of the bed in front of her, turned around and sat on the kang, "These are the property deeds that my old uncle secretly bought for me a few years ago. I didn't expect he would leave so soon..." As she spoke, her eyes were slightly moist.
Eleventh Lady hurriedly took out a handkerchief and handed it to Madam Gan, but she felt a little disapproving in her heart.
If you really care about Madam Gan, you should find a way to let your concubine give birth to a son and raise him under Madam Gan's name when you are still healthy. What's the point of leaving these properties? Women don't have private property. Madam Gan must be able to get it.
She couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you discuss this with the Minister of Public Administration? There are also rules for transferring property!"
Mrs. Gan took the handkerchief and wiped her eyes, whispering, "My brother knows about this. At the beginning, my uncle gave these properties to my mother's family as dowry. The quarrel between my uncle and my brother was because of these properties."
Eleventh Lady was very surprised to hear this.
Madam Gan said, "Those properties are all in the alleys beside East Street. Not only are they quiet in the midst of the hustle and bustle, but some of the high-end gouache shops and silver shops in Beijing are also located there. They are all old houses that cannot be bought even if you have money. Uncle suspected that the dowry I gave to him was given by my uncle... Now it has been made clear. My eldest brother supports Uncle to take out one-fifth of the family property as sacrificial land, and he will not pursue these properties."
Eleventh Lady took a breath of cool air.
The Gan family's sacrificial land was managed by the successive generations of Zhongqin Earl. One fifth of the family property was used as sacrificial land, which means that one fifth of the public property was already in the hands of the new Zhongqin Earl before it was divided.
How could Madam Gan not know this?
She sighed softly and said uninterestedly, "Stop talking about these messy things of mine." Then she smiled and said, "My cousin's name is Fu Zhen, you can just call me Fu Zhen!"
Only those who are very close to each other will exchange their nicknames.
Eleventh Lady smiled and called Madam Gan "Sister Fuzhen," and then said, "My nickname is Moyan."
Fu Zhen listened and called her "Sister Moyan" with a smile.
Eleventh Lady’s expression was slightly choked.
To be honest, I'm not used to being called like this!
Mrs. Gan didn't pay attention to these things, and asked her about her affairs with concern: "You should have moved back! How is it? Are you used to it?"
It means that the wife and concubine live together again!
"It's not bad!" Eleventh Lady smiled implicitly, "I can't live in the waterside pavilion forever! Some things can't be avoided!"
Mrs. Gan saw that she looked calm and composed, and her eyes fell on her abdomen.
The two had some private conversations a few days ago.
Eleventh Lady knew what she meant and said, "I haven't moved yet!"
Mrs. Gan was a little worried after hearing this: "Doesn't the Xu family have a separate courtyard in Xishan? If that doesn't work, why don't you live in Xishan for a few days. Women are different. Some get pregnant easily during their childhood, while others get pregnant easily during their childhood. If you live there for a few days, maybe there will be a turn for the better."
"Let it be!" Eleventh Lady's attitude was not enthusiastic.
Xu Lingyi often stayed in her room these days, not because he had no opportunities.
She knew that having a child would change her life a lot, but she really didn't want to use the child as a bargaining chip in her life. The elf should be an angel who brings her laughter and is the most beautiful gift in life. Let God decide when to give it to her!
Mrs. Gan sighed softly.
After all, Eleventh Lady is too young. She doesn’t understand the truth that “flowers don’t stay red for a hundred days, and people don’t stay good for a hundred days.” However, this is also the reason why young people are so dazzling: because they are ignorant, they are fearless. Because they are fearless, they are full of hope for everything, and therefore they are full of vigor and vitality, which makes people fascinated.
She stopped trying to persuade Shiyi Niang and changed the subject, talking to her about the Mid-Autumn Festival: "My son-in-law is coming over today to give me a Mid-Autumn Festival gift, right?"
"Yes!" said Eleventh Lady, "It was sent a few days ago. In addition to the usual tea, wine, mooncakes, and sweets, they also sent Cangzhou's specialty, golden silk dates.
As they were talking, Madam Gan came in. She smiled and invited Shiyi Niang to have lunch in the main room. Shiyi Niang got up and said goodbye, saying that she had something else to do at home.
After returning home, thinking about Madam Gan's courtyard, she couldn't fall asleep for some reason. Xu Lingyi hugged her and said, "What's wrong? You can't sleep well!"
"It's okay!" said Eleventh Lady, "Maybe the autumn bugs are a little noisy!"
Xu Lingyi listened carefully, but only heard a few chirping sounds occasionally, and his face looked thoughtful.
The next day at noon, when I came back from the outer courtyard, I saw Mother Song and Ji Ting's wife helping the little maid to get into the carriage at the Chuihua Gate.
When the two saw Xu Lingyi, they hurried forward to pay their respects. Mother Song even said, "Madam asked me to take some of the Cangzhou golden dates that my aunt sent a few days ago to the Gan family's wife in the Zhongqin Marquis's mansion to taste them." She then pointed to Ji Ting's wife and said, "Let her go with me to ask the Gan family's wife what she needs. And also send some flowers and trees."
Xu Lingyi was secretly surprised.
I didn't expect that Eleventh Lady would take such good care of the Gan family's lady.
He nodded calmly and returned to the inner room.
Eleventh Lady was sitting on the kang, holding a card with words on it and telling Xu Si'e how to read.
"See? These three words together form 'Xiang Jiuling'. When I tell you the story of Huang Xiang sleeping, you have to find these three words. Do you understand?" With infinite patience.
Xu Siqi held a small pillow and nodded continuously.
Xu Lingyi seemed to be thinking about something.
Eleventh Lady heard Xu Siqi calling "Daddy".
"The Marquis is back!" Eleventh Lady got off the kang with a smile.
A little maid ran in and said, "Madam, there's a letter from Yuhang."
Shiyi Niang took it and looked at it. The handwriting was beautiful and elegant - it was Master Jian's handwriting.
"It's a letter from Master Jian." She explained to Xu Lingyi with a smile, then opened the letter and sat on the kang to read it. After a moment, she raised her head, her brows full of joy: "It said that she would start from Yuhang in mid-July." As she spoke, her smile gradually faded, "Why did this letter come so late? According to the date, Master Jian and Qiuju will arrive in the next two days!"
When Shiyi Niang sent the first letter, Master Jian replied that he was willing to come to Yanjing to see the world. However, since he was still teaching several students, he could not decide when to come. Shiyi Niang thought that since he had students, he might not be able to leave until the end of this year or after the New Year. Unexpectedly, he actually left in the middle of the year.
I couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Could something have happened?
Xu Lingyi thought that he was worried that Master Jian came suddenly and couldn't find the place. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll send someone to Tongzhou to pick him up!"
Master Jian is a woman, and this is her first time in Yanjing. It would be best if someone could pick her up on the boat.
Eleventh Lady thanked Xu Lingyi. Xu Lingyi arranged for someone to go to Tongzhou to pick her up.
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, the lady first led the women in the family to worship the moon at Biyi Zha, and then went to Qiongling Villa to eat moon cakes, drink osmanthus wine and admire the moon.
Zhe Ge and Xu Siyi carried the Rabbit Master's lantern and chased him in the hall, singing a nursery rhyme: "The lotus flowers have not yet fully bloomed, and the Mid-Autumn Festival has arrived. Every household cuts moon cakes, wax paper horses and Rabbit Master, and plays guessing games while admiring the moon together."
Everyone celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival happily.
Eleventh Lady took Ji Ting's wife to visit Madam Gan and gave her a lot of flowers and trees. Ji Ting's wife instructed the servants there to move some of the flowers and trees to the inner room and plant some in the yard.
Madam Gan complained to her: "I am already half buried in the ground, why do you have to offend her?"
"You haven't been buried yet, have you?" Eleventh Lady said with a smile, "Since I care about you so much, Sister Fuzhen should live a good life."
Mrs. Gan said nothing, looked at her with a faint smile, took her hand and went to the inner room.
The two of them were sitting on the big kang by the window, drinking tea leisurely, when they saw a group of maids and servants escorting Madam Gan in.
She saw the bustling scene in the yard and looked a little surprised.
Madam Gan said calmly, "I asked the wife of the Marquis of Yongping to bring me some flowers and trees suitable for planting in this yard. Madam, have you seen that the tree planted in the corner is said to be a Chinese toon tree. In the spring, you can pick the Chinese toon and make eggs. What do you think? Not bad, right?"
Mrs. Gan glanced at Shiyi Niang awkwardly, and said with a smile, "What mother decides will certainly not be wrong!" Then she said a few words to accompany her, and left in a hurry.