Wei Dong put Erniu and Sanniu down and said with a smile, "Go ahead. Go meet the old lady with your mother first. Grandpa Wei will take you two out to play later."
Ah Man hesitated for a moment. Her grandma didn't like her, and she didn't like her grandma either. But she still took Erniu and Sanniu by the hand and whispered, "Let's go see my grandma and then sneak out."
"What are you whispering about?" Jian Ning waved at the three of them, "Come here."
Ding Youtian looked back at Jian Ning and gave her a wink. Jian Ning nodded, took Sanniu's hand, and followed Yunniang and her maid to the inner courtyard.
The Taifu Mansion was a mansion bestowed by the Emperor, slightly larger than Huo Jincheng's house. Walking along, Jian Ning discovered that the maids and servants here were just like those at Huo Jincheng's, each with their own duties. They all looked diligent and hardworking, with none of them slacking off.
I have to say that both Madam Huo and Yunniang are talented managers. It is not easy to keep such a large house in order and to make the servants obey.
In fact, women from wealthy families in ancient times would learn to manage household chores before marriage. The Grand Tutor's wife, born into an official family, naturally learned this as well. When Huo Jincheng's maternal grandfather was alive, he served as the Junior Secretary of the Honglu Temple, a fourth-rank official, equivalent to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The reason why Madam Huo married into the subordinate of the Grand Tutor was that her father saw in the Grand Tutor a potential talent. Later, the Grand Tutor was appreciated by the Prime Minister Nan and was chosen as the first number one scholar in the Dayan Dynasty after its founding.
This shows how sharp the Foreign Minister’s vision is!
Madam Huo, who was born into an official family, was a person who attached great importance to rules. She had a strong personality and a very clear sense of hierarchy. Even though the Grand Tutor was crowned the top scholar in his youth and even after he became the Grand Tutor, he was suppressed by her for a long time.
Originally, Madam Huo hadn't wanted to meet Jian Ning. She had no interest in hosting a country girl, a wine merchant. Later, the Grand Tutor calmly suggested that she meet him. Their relationship had been rather cold over the years, maintaining only a semblance of respectability. To smooth things over, she reluctantly decided to meet him.
Yunniang knew that the old lady had a strong sense of hierarchy and always looked down on ordinary people. She was mentally prepared to see Jian Ning being humiliated and treated poorly, but she pretended to comfort Jian Ning, "The old lady is a bit strict and doesn't like to joke around. She is like this with most people. Don't think too much later, I'm here."
"Thank you in advance." Jane Ning secretly laughed in her heart. As long as she was not rude and did not break the rules and make people laugh at her, it would be fine, because she represented not herself, but the face of their entire family.
As for whether the old lady is strict or not, does it have anything to do with her?
When they arrived outside the flower hall, a maid standing in the corridor reported through the door curtain. Jian Ning and Yunniang waited outside for a while before someone opened the door curtain from the inside.
"Let's go." Yunniang lifted her skirt and stepped over the threshold. Jian Ning followed her. After entering and turning around a screen for ladies, she saw a graceful and elegant middle-aged beautiful woman sitting on a Huanghuali armchair. She was leaning sideways and adding spices into a small tripod with a small silver spoon.
"Yunniang greets the old lady." Yunniang bowed respectfully.
"My humble wife greets Madam Huo." Jian Ning stepped forward gracefully, slightly turned sideways and knelt down to bow. Her manners were graceful and her etiquette was very standard.
Yunniang was secretly surprised. She deliberately did not teach Jian Ning, thinking that Jian Ning would make a fool of himself when he met the old lady and saluted. But she was disappointed. Jian Ning had already thought that he would come to pay a visit to the Grand Tutor and his wife when he came to the capital, so he specially asked Mei Niang for advice.
Ah Man took Erniu and Sanniu forward to greet them, and then took them to stand aside.
Old Madam Huo glanced at Ah Man and the other three, then glanced at Jian Ning nonchalantly, said "Please take a seat", and turned around to continue adding spices. Before her eyes fell on the blue porcelain jar of spices on the table, she was stunned for a moment, then turned her head to look at Jian Ning.
"Come, come closer." She waved at Jian Ning, her voice unexpectedly soft and a little anxious.
Jian Ning smiled slightly and took a few steps forward.
Old Madam Huo stared at her intently, examining her carefully, and then suddenly stood up, startling Yunniang and all the maids and servants in the room.
"Xin Ning? Are you Xin Ning?" Old Madam Huo immediately realized why the Grand Tutor had told her that it would be best if she could meet Jian Ning.
She took two steps at a time and walked towards Jian Ning, holding her hand. "Ning'er, where have you been all these years? Do you know that your mother...she's been so worried that she's gone crazy!"
Mrs. Huo wanted to embrace Jian Ning in her arms, but Jian Ning took a step back and bowed to her again, "Madam, you have recognized the wrong person. My surname is Jian, and my name is Xiu Gu."
"No, your last name isn't Jian, it's Duan! Ning'er, your last name is Duan, Duan! Prince Pingnan is your father, and Princess Pingnan is your mother. Your mother's name is Xi Yuexi. Think about it, think about it carefully, there's no mistake. You look exactly like your mother when she was young!"
Yunniang's face was full of excitement at the moment. She couldn't stand it when Ah Man called Jian Ning "mother". Now, Jian Ning suddenly became Duan Xinning, the legitimate daughter of Prince Pingnan. She felt that she was about to collapse. In fact, this news was like a bolt from the blue to her.
Over the years, Yunniang has been taking care of the miscellaneous affairs of the Huo family as a concubine. Over time, she has regarded herself as the mistress of the Huo family and has long forgotten that she is just a concubine, and a concubine who was promoted from a maid.
Huo Jincheng and Duan Xinning, the legitimate daughter of Prince Pingnan, were engaged as children. Yunniang knew about this. When Huo Jincheng wanted to marry a girl from the Hua family, a girl from a different ethnic group, as his principal wife, it caused quite a stir in the Taifu Mansion, which led to a rift between father and son. Later, Prince Pingnan personally visited the mansion to lobby for him, and the father and son gradually resumed their relationship.
Although Jian Ning was married and had a child, Huo Jincheng had never been a person who followed the rules of etiquette. When he got stubborn, who knew what unorthodox things he would do. Yunniang felt dizzy and she stared at Jian Ning, almost tearing the handkerchief in her hand.
"Old Madam, I'm really not the person you're talking about, but I know a little bit about medicine. If Princess Pingnan is in a trance or feeling unwell, I can try to treat her."
Jian Ning and Ding Youtian had long suspected that the Huo and Duan families had arranged a marriage for their children, and that Madam Huo must have met the Princess of Pingnan. Jian Ning had recently been injured and accidentally recovered a wisp of Duan Xinning's childhood spirit. While that memory was incomplete, she could still roughly grasp the Princess of Pingnan's appearance. Duan Xinning indeed bore a striking resemblance to her.
The two had agreed before they came that if Madam Huo recognized her, she would just firmly deny it and no one would be able to do anything to her. However, she could use the excuse of being a female doctor to ask Madam Huo to take her to the palace to see if there would be any unexpected gains in finding the person who impersonated General Geng.
"Are you really not Ning'er?"
"no."
"I don't believe it. How could there be two people in this world who look so similar? Come with me."
Old Madam Huo pulled her into the inner room.
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