The news that Wang from Duke Mao's Mansion and Master Qian were coming to propose marriage spread quickly throughout the mansion like wings.
Shiyi Niang saw Ziwei and Ziyuan coming in and out, talking to Shanhu and delivering food to Hang Mama, very active. However, Shi Niang's room door was closed, and the two maids Jinlian and Yinping were nowhere to be seen.
She couldn't help but shake her head slightly and asked Amber: "Did the Master really say that?"
Amber nodded: "Really. They say Mr. Qian is too flexible, but I'm afraid he is too ambitious and incompetent. His career won't be smooth!"
"What did the eldest lady say?" Dongqing, who was usually taciturn, couldn't help but ask.
Amber showed some awkward expressions.
No need to ask, the master must have had a great meal.
"Do you know who was promised to whom?" Eleventh Lady pondered.
Amber shook her head: "The eldest wife said that we need to match the horoscopes. Let's talk about it after we match them."
Eleventh Lady looked at the west wing and fell into deep thought.
The eldest wife let Shi Niang go just like that...
After lunch, Shanhu came over and asked Shiyi Niang to help her make two square silk ribbons.
"We'll have to trouble our young lady for this." Having become familiar with Coral, Binju spoke quickly and said, "I'll help you tie it." As she said that, she was about to reach out to grab the silk thread in Coral's hand.
Shanhu dodged and said with a smile, "Who can't play Fang Sheng's sword? But to play well, Miss Eleven must come forward."
"Who are you making it for? And you asked our lady to make it for you." Binju just laughed at her and brought a small stool for Shanhu to sit on while talking.
Shanhu sat beside Shiyi Niang's kang and said with a smile, "I did the needlework for the eldest lady."
"Then use our young lady as a favor!"
After everyone chatted and laughed for a while, Shiyi Niang sat cross-legged on the kang and made a necklace for Shanhu.
Coral just kept talking to Shiyi Niang.
"I heard that the eldest and second aunts are missing too!" she suddenly said in a low voice.
Amber and the others immediately realized what Coral was here for. Holly immediately said, "I'll take out the few crabapple flowers in the house to dry them in the sun. If they are left in the house every day, they will probably wilt." Binju also went to help.
"How did you get this news?" Eleventh Lady's subordinates asked Shanhu in a low voice without any hesitation.
"Wu Xiaoquan is here," Shanhu said. "He's answering questions from the master in the back room. He should be in the main room soon to pay his respects to the first lady."
Eleventh Lady paused: "Is Wu Xiaoquan here?"
"Yeah!" Shanhu whispered, "Xinglin, who is next to the grandmother, said that the first and second concubines wanted to attend the temple fair, and the fourth master agreed. Wu Xiaoquan said he couldn't stop them. So he prepared a car and let them go. Who knew that in the afternoon, the fourth concubine hanged herself. The fourth master asked someone to ask the tenth lady to come and see the fourth concubine, and then they found that the tenth lady was also missing. Everyone panicked and looked for the tenth lady everywhere. The fourth master even went to the government to report the case. If Wu Xiaoquan hadn't stopped them, I'm afraid this matter would have become a big deal. When it was time to light the lights, the two concubines still hadn't returned, so the fourth master sent people to look for them... Wu Xiaoquan rushed over overnight."
"The Fourth Aunt hanged herself!" Not to mention Eleventh Aunt, even Amber who was standing by was stunned when she heard it.
Coral sighed softly.
For a moment, everyone felt sad.
In the silence, Eleventh Lady said softly: "Tenth Sister...I wonder if she knows?"
The answer to this question can only be asked to Shi Niang.
But at this moment, in this situation, who has the right to ask anything!
After a long while, Eleventh Lady said, "Do you know what the master said?"
Shanhu shook her head: "I heard someone was sent to find the master!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Dong Qing hurriedly lifted the curtain and came in: "Miss, the eldest lady sent someone to invite the tenth lady."
Shiyi Niang couldn't help but exchange glances with Shanhu, and they both saw worry in each other's eyes.
"Wait outside until Miss Ten comes back and see how she looks."
Eleventh Lady ordered Dongqing.
Dong Qing nodded and left, but soon came back: "Mother Xu took people to Miss Ten's residence."
"Come in quickly, all of you." Eleventh Lady's face changed slightly.
Dongqing hurriedly called Binju and Qiuju in.
Shanhu also became a little uneasy: "I don't know what happened? The Tenth Miss just left, why did Madam Xu bring people to the Tenth Miss's residence?"
Eleventh Lady thought that she often helped her for Amber's sake, and that she was a kind person. She bluntly expressed her guess: "... Miss Ten came to Beijing, but she asked the escort agency to be her guarantor, which is what the escort agency often calls a live target. This kind of business is the most expensive. I think Miss Ten must have spent a lot of money."
Shanhu was very smart and understood immediately: "You mean, money was lost at home. So Mrs. Xu brought people to search Miss Ten's room? But Miss Ten didn't bring anything when she came?"
Eleventh Lady said nothing.
But I was thinking that if I exchanged gold and silver for bills of exchange, rolled them up and sewed them into my clothes or into hollow hairpins or bracelets, they would be very safe.
The thought flashed through his mind, and he thought of the red gold pomegranate bracelet that Shi Niang had been wearing these days...
I hope the first wife doesn’t think about it that way!
I started to worry about my two aunts again.
The household registration system in the Zhou Dynasty was very strict. You need a pass to travel through mountains and rivers. There was a clan temple in the village, and a stranger who suddenly came would be discovered quickly. If you were unlucky, you might even meet some ruffians and gangs, who would secretly capture you and sell you to traffickers. Fortunately, the two concubines were old and would not be sold to brothels. There was a neighborhood chief in the city, who was responsible for assisting the government in managing the security of the neighborhood. If two women of unknown origin suddenly appeared, you could imagine what would happen...
Unless... the two concubines, like Shi Niang, entrust themselves to the escort agency as bailiffs!
She was shocked by her own thoughts.
After further reflection, I felt that it was very likely.
However, when Shi Niang came to Yanjing, who did the two concubines turn to?
As she held her breath and concentrated, she heard a sound coming from Shi Niang's residence.
Everyone hid behind the window frames to watch.
Mother Xu's face turned pale. She and Mother An walked out of Shi Niang's residence empty-handed, and then hurried to the main house.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Half an incense stick of time passed before Shi Niang came back.
Eleventh Lady noticed the bracelet on her wrist at a glance.
* * * * * *
While Shiyi Niang was worried about Shiniang, Wu Niang also sat on the big kang near the window, but her curtains were drawn tight.
"...Have you asked clearly?" Ziyuan looked at Wuniang's expression and asked Ziwei on her behalf, "Don't lose the watermelon and only the sesame seeds!"
Ziwei assured me again and again: "Don't worry, it's correct. This is what Mother Hang told me herself."
Wu Niang couldn't help but reveal a pensive expression.
Ziwei exchanged glances with Ziyuan.
"Is the Duke Mao's Mansion really as Mama Hang said, so destitute that it has to rely on the Jiang family for support?" Wu Niang said in a low voice after a long moment.
This also involves one's own future.
"That's what Madam Hang said," Ziwei said hurriedly, "and she also said that because of this, Mr. Wang's marriage has been delayed. His family wanted to find someone of equal status, but the people of equal status thought that the Wang family was just an empty shell. At the beginning of this year, the Wang family relented and wanted to find someone with a clean background. However, although they said so, their family also looked at several families, and they also hinted that they thought the woman's family was too poor and the dowry was too small."
Wu Niang's eyes lit up when she heard this.
Ziyuan then continued the conversation: "So, if this marriage goes through, the dowry will definitely be quite a lot?"
Ziwei smiled and said, "That should be the case! Otherwise, why would the eldest lady always ask Madam Xu to settle accounts these days?"
Dowry is the woman's property. The man is not allowed to use it. If the man wants to use it, he must get the woman's consent.
Wu Niang thought of the first wife.
The reason why the master is so insecure in front of the mistress is simply because of money.
She couldn't help but ponder, "If their family is really that short of money... this would be easy!"
Ziwei and Ziyuan nodded repeatedly.
"That Mr. Qian..." Wu Niang said hesitantly.
"Mother Hang said that Master Qian was very smart and passed the imperial examination at the age of fifteen. Unfortunately, his family was poor and he could not even afford the money to go to the government office to take part in the provincial examination. He did not pass the imperial examination until he was twenty-two years old. He was able to study at the Imperial Academy with the help of the Jiangxi teacher. He failed the imperial examination three years ago and is preparing for this year's joint examination."
Wu Niang said nothing.
Ziwei hesitated and said, "Miss... at the Yongping Marquis' Mansion, shouldn't we..."
Wu Niang listened and glanced at her coldly.
"Sister, you are wrong." Ziyuan said hurriedly, "Three years ago, people said that the eldest aunt was on the verge of death, but now you see, she is still alive and well. Miss Ten and Miss Eleven can wait, but our young lady can't. Besides, who would give up a good wife to become a concubine? Look at the style of the Xu family. I am afraid that even if we give all our Luo family to the young lady as a dowry, they will not be interested. In this case, it is better for her to marry into the mansion of Duke Mao. They are also a family of meritorious service!"
Ziwei saw Wu Niang lowering her head to drink tea, and knew that Ziyuan had hit the nail on the head. She nodded quickly, "Sister, what you said makes sense. I was confused."
"Look at what my sister said." Ziyuan certainly wouldn't just beat Ziwei down like that. Sometimes, she also needed Ziwei to help her like this. "If you can't wait, it would be great to marry into the Yongping Marquis's Mansion. If nothing else, at least you can drink the sister tea served by Miss Qiao herself!" As she said that, she covered her mouth and laughed, "Oh, now I can't call you Miss Qiao anymore, I have to call you Aunt Qiao."
When Wu Niang heard this, a smile appeared on her lips, but soon the smile disappeared.
"Big sister's methods are really powerful." She looked a little solemn, "This matter can make people happy for 60 years. Aunt Qiao will never be able to hold her head high in her life."
"Maybe people will say that this is the Marquis' fault." Ziyuan looked at Wu Niang happily and tried to flatter her, pretending to be unaware of the strangeness and smiled.
"What do you know!" Wu Niang really scolded them, "Didn't you hear what Miss Tang said at the banquet? If it weren't for those girls from the Duke's Mansion and the Marquis' Mansion, this matter could have been suppressed. I'm afraid that people have been waiting to see the joke. Otherwise, if we don't cut the Gordian knot quickly, and the news spreads, the Qiao family will lose even more face."
"But what happened that day?" Ziyuan was very confused.
Wu Niang smiled coldly: "No matter what happened, it must be shameful to let such a good young lady marry and become a concubine!"
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Hehehe, my debt will be paid off soon!