After Pei Weixuan finished speaking, Elder Xu, Mrs. Cui, and Brother Li sat down.
Xu Qinyu served food to everyone in the family.
She inherited her original body's memory and knew what everyone in the family liked to eat. When Li Ge'er was a child, he preferred sweets, Xue's taste was a little heavier, and the second old master Xu's taste was the lightest. Xu Qinyu picked up some food for the three of them, "Dad, Mom, and Li Ge'er, come and taste the food I made."
As she spoke, she served her fourth brother a bowl of sour bamboo shoots and duck soup. She had already skimmed off the fat in the soup. The soup was rich and appetizing. After drinking a bowl of it, his appetite was greatly whetted.
Pei Weixuan hadn't eaten properly these days. When he ate the food made by Yu Niang, his appetite gradually improved.
When the Xu family tasted the food made by Xu Qinyu, they were all stunned. Mrs. Xue and the second old master Xu had never thought that Yu Niang was such a good cook. They thought that the recipes she gave to Xue Liang were already amazing, relying on the freshness of the ingredients. However, these dishes were common dishes in restaurants outside, and were also often cooked in ordinary mansions, except for the squirrel mandarin fish, which was not seen. The rest of the dishes were more homely, but the taste was even better than what they had eaten in restaurants outside.
Xie Ge'er said directly: "Sister, the food you cook is really delicious."
It's really delicious.
After tasting it, Mr. Xu looked at his daughter and said, "Yuniang, you've worked hard." But his voice trembled a little. He felt sorry for his daughter. In the past seven years, he had honed her cooking skills to such a good level. Therefore, Yuniang had to work hard to cook for others in the border town for the past seven years.
Xue's eyes were also red, and she naturally felt sorry for her daughter.
Xu Qinyu actually knew that they felt sorry for her, but she was still happy cooking. She also earned a lot of money, built a big house for herself, and lived a leisurely life. She never felt hardship in the past seven years in the border town. Even if she stayed in the capital and became the empress, she still wanted to continue running a restaurant. She would discuss it with her fourth brother then. She knew that his fourth brother would agree to her. It seemed that his fourth brother would never refuse anything she asked.
Fortunately, everyone's mood soon improved because Pei Weixuan picked some food for Yu Niang.
After being together for another seven years, even though he didn't go home often, he already knew Yu Niang's tastes, preferences, and habits.
Mrs. Xue, Mr. Xu, and Brother Li couldn't help but look at the emperor helping Yu Niang to pick up dishes and serve her rice and soup very naturally.
…
After dinner, Pei Weixuan also stayed in the second room to sleep.
He and Yu Niang were husband and wife, so Xue naturally let them live in the maiden's room before she got married.
The courtyard where the second wife lived was the smallest in the Dechang Marquis's Mansion. Xu Qinyu's room was not big either. However, although the room was small, it was fully furnished with all the necessary furniture.
This was also the first time Xu Qinyu slept here. This was where her original body had lived for fifteen years.
At night, after they fell asleep, Xu Qinyu nestled in her fourth brother's chest, feeling him lower his head and kiss her forehead, and told her, "Tomorrow I will start to ask the Ministry of Rites to prepare for the ceremony of crowning the queen. There is less than a month left, and Yu Niang can stay here during this period to accompany her father-in-law and mother-in-law."
Xu Qinyu couldn't help hugging Fourth Brother's waist tightly, and heard Fourth Brother say, "After the ceremony of crowning the queen, if Yu Niang still wants to open a wine shop or restaurant, she can do what she wants, and she doesn't need to stay in the harem all day."
He knew that she would not be able to stay in the palace, so no matter what she wanted to do, even if the court officials opposed it, he would support Yu Niang.
Xu Qinyu said softly, "Fourth brother, you are so kind."
Even in later generations, women may not have such freedom to do whatever they want after getting married.
Fourth brother still has this status. She knows that if she opens a wine shop and a restaurant in the future, there will be a lot of gossip among the court officials, but she and Fourth brother will overcome this together.
Pei Weixuan kissed Yu Niang's forehead again, "Go to bed early."
As long as she stayed by his side, he would even give up the throne.
The two went to sleep. The next morning, Xu Qinyu was still asleep, but Pei Weixuan had already woken up. He moved lightly, got dressed, and left.
The sky was still dark, and he needed to go back to the palace to change into court clothes and attend court.
After returning to the palace, he asked Qin Tianjian and the Ministry of Rites to start preparing for the ceremony of crowning the empress. He would also marry Yu Niang on that day. The Ministry of Rites had to prepare not only the ceremony of crowning the empress, but also various other matters. In addition to the edict, the imperial edict, etc., even the empress's phoenix clothes had to be prepared. In addition to these, there was also the phoenix crown and the bridal robe.
All the court officials knew that seven years ago, the third daughter of Marquis Dechang's mansion regretted her engagement and had the second daughter, who was now the empress, sent to Prince Shu's mansion in a small sedan chair. The two did not even have a proper wedding. Now the emperor must want to make up for the regret of that year, so the Ministry of Rites had to prepare the empress's crown and bridal robe.
No one in the court objected. They just thought that after the ceremony of enthroning the queen, they would slowly persuade the emperor to take in concubines and give birth to more royal heirs.
Pei Weixuan was busy with state affairs.
Now the most important thing for the people of the Dasheng Dynasty is to have enough food, so he collected all the potatoes and sweet potatoes in the southwest and on the islands, and then asked the officials to distribute these two crops to the people of the Dasheng Dynasty according to the fields and the people. In this way, the problem of food and fullness can be solved within two years.
Not only that, he also planned to set up a special agricultural science department to study various grains and see how to increase the yield of all crops and so on.
Even the Ministry of Works was only responsible for civil engineering and weapons manufacturing, but no one paid attention to food, which was the most needed thing for the people. Food was the foundation of a country.
Pei Weixuan had just ascended the throne and was busy with only these things.
At dusk, he went to the Dechang Marquis's mansion to have dinner with Yu Niang.
After resting for a few days, Xu Qinyu finally recovered.
It was already mid-January, and in half a month she would be marrying her fourth brother.
…
In the southwest, after twenty days or so until the end of the year, the entire southwest knew what happened in the capital and knew about the evil deeds done by Emperor Shengyuan and Empress Dowager Fu.
I also heard that the husband of the owner of Xuji Restaurant and Xuji Wine House was actually His Royal Highness Prince Shu, now Emperor Shengwu.
When this incident spread, it shocked almost the entire southwest.
Those diners who used to eat at Xu Ji's restaurant were so excited that they had eaten food made by the queen for several years.
Therefore, Xu's Restaurant in Raozhou City was almost packed with people. Even though the hotel was already full, there were still many people wandering outside the restaurant, wanting to see what the restaurant opened by the Empress looked like.
As a result, the prefect even sent more officers and soldiers to patrol near Xu Ji outside the city, fearing that something might happen.
Therefore, Xu's business alone now makes a profit of nearly 100,000 taels every month.
Even Xu's Restaurant in Raozhou City was packed every day. Some diners from the southwest, after discovering that the restaurant was packed with guests, ran to Xu's Restaurant in Raozhou City to dine, resulting in long queues at Xu's Restaurant every day.
Not only that, but because there were too many diners, there were only so many seats in Xu's Restaurant, and these diners could not queue up. They had to not eat, so they went to other restaurants and hotels. Some even stayed in Yuanbao Town at night, and all the inns in Yuanbao Town were full.
After dinner, these diners would go to Guihua Lane and Laixi Lane to see where the Empress and Emperor Shengwu lived.
These two courtyards are currently vacant.
When Xu Qinyu left, she left two letters to Yang Zhizhi and Xu Yunlan.
In the letter, she did not hide the secret from her two good friends, so they were the first to know about the developments in the capital, and the first to know that Yu Niang's husband, who was always missing and going out to do business, was actually His Royal Highness Prince Shu, and that he went out to do business only to plan for a bigger career.
The two were shocked, but then they began to worry about Yu Niang.
They have been good friends with Yu Niang for several years and understand her personality. She cannot be confined in the palace. In fact, it is more suitable for her to stay in the southwest and continue to run wine shops and restaurants. They are also worried that Yu Niang will go back to be the empress. By then, there will be countless concubines in the harem, and Yu Niang has no scheming. How can she survive in the harem?
Just look at Empress Dowager Fu and you will know how terrible the harem is.
So since Xu Qinyu returned to the capital, the two of them did not think that Xu Qinyu was too lucky like others did. She was just a substitute bride at first, but now she has become the empress. They were only worried about how their friend would live in the palace in the future and whether she would be happy or not.
Yang Zhizhi and Xu Yunlan got married two years ago. The man was from the town, with an average family background, but a good character. So they both just hoped that their friend could find a man who would accompany her for life, love her and protect her.
The entire Yuanbao Town already knew about this, not to mention the Wen family.
When Old Lady Wen learned that Prince Shu had actually conquered the capital and ascended the throne to become emperor, she simply couldn't believe it and asked the people around her several times, "Is it really Prince Shu who ascended the throne?"
Everyone else said yes.
Mrs. Wen's face turned pale. Wouldn't the daughter born by Concubine Gui become the Empress Dowager?
So even now, she is still inferior to Concubine Gui. Concubine Gui has even returned to Beijing to enjoy a good life, while she can only stay in the border town and continue to suffer.
Old Madam Wen was so angry that her chest hurt and she fell ill.
But she heard that the old lady had not given up. She felt that after all, she was the Empress Dowager's biological mother, so she should go back to the capital with her.
So when Mrs. Wen heard this, she clamored to return to the capital. Not only that, she also made other plans. When she returned to the capital, she wanted to send her two unmarried granddaughters to the palace to be concubines. After all, they were cousins, and Emperor Shengwu should definitely choose a cousin.
The old lady loved Wen Pingling the most. In fact, she wanted Wen Pingling to enter the palace. However, Wen Pingling was already in her early twenties. Two years ago, she chose a man to be her husband and lived outside with her husband. She never came back, which almost made the old lady angry to death.
The man was an orphan without a father or a mother. He was a hunter from a nearby village and was two years older than Wen Lingling.
Wen Pingling closed the wine shop and turned it into a rice shop. As a rice shop, he not only sells rice and grains, but also all kinds of game collected from farmers, eggs, vegetables and even more. His business is quite good.
Wen Ling first recognized this man when he came to deliver the game she had hunted.
The man was tall and burly, taciturn and untalkative. He never uttered a word when settling the bill. Once, a customer happened to cause trouble in the rice shop, and Wen Pingling was extremely upset. It was the man who dragged the customer out of the rice shop. After that, Wen Pingling asked him directly if he was willing to marry her. If he was willing, she would marry him, and he would stay in the rice shop to help him in the future.
The man actually agreed.
But the old lady was very angry. In fact, even Wen Pingling's parents were not very willing to this marriage, but Wen Pingling insisted. Mr. Wen and his wife thought that their daughter was already twenty years old and it was time to get married, so they finally agreed.
But the old lady disagreed, and Wen Lingling didn't care. After getting married, she lived outside with her husband, and the couple lived a prosperous life.
The old lady was lying on her sickbed, thinking deeply, when the little maid came in and reported that Wen Lingling had returned.
The old lady felt somewhat resentful towards Wen Ling, thinking that she had spoiled her for so many years, but she disobeyed her for the sake of a hunter.
After Wen Lingling came in, she greeted the old lady first and asked her to take good care of herself.
Old Madam Wen sneered and said, "How can I recover? If you didn't fancy that poor guy, now that your cousin has ascended the throne, you could have returned to Beijing to be a concubine and enjoy wealth and honor. But now you can only live with that poor guy. Are you willing to accept that?"
Wen Lingling said calmly, "Grandmother, please don't say that about Jiang Ge. I married him willingly and I have never regretted it. Even if my cousin becomes the emperor, I will not regret it."
The man she married was called He Jiang. If she had been told seven years ago that she would marry such a man, she would have definitely scolded him. But now, she married He Jiang. Maybe she had no feelings for him at first, but just felt that she was old enough and it was time for her to choose a husband and get married. After two years of living together, He Jiang still didn't talk much, but he treated her very well, almost holding her in the palm of his hand.
She had no regrets about marrying He Jiang, and she has even less regrets now.
And her grandmother was really fanciful. She actually wanted her to marry Pei Weixuan. Now that she was married, her grandmother would definitely have ideas about her two younger sisters. She went back to the Wen family just to remind the old lady.
When she was in the capital before, she knew that Pei Weixuan had a very strange personality and had no feelings for anyone. She was the only one who had seen how Pei Weixuan treated Xu Qinyu, and the way he looked at Xu Qinyu...
Wen Ling still feels a little scared when she thinks about it now.
I don’t know whether it is a good thing or a bad thing to be loved by such a man.
Based on his eccentric personality, even if he became the emperor, there would most likely be only Xu Qinyu in the harem. He might even do something even more shocking, such as letting the empress show up in public or continuing to open wine shops and restaurants in the capital. My grandmother actually dared to have other ideas, not afraid of bringing trouble to the Wen family.
Wen Lingling continued, "Grandmother, don't have any other ideas, such as returning to the capital or sending my sister back to the capital to be a concubine or something like that. This will only bring disaster to the Wen family."
If it had been left in the past few years, she might have been resentful and jealous.
Now she has no idea at all. She just wants to live a good life with He Jiang and hopes that the Wen family will be well.
Old Madam Wen was so angry that she threw the big pillow behind her at her granddaughter, "You stinky girl, you are cursing our Wen family, right? Now that you can't enter the palace to enjoy the glory and wealth, don't you want your sister to go?"
Wen Lingling sighed, "Grandma, I'm just thinking about the Wen family. You don't know what kind of person Emperor Shengwu is. If you really have any ideas, why not wait for two months and see what happens in the capital before making any plans."
Now people in the southwest only know that Prince Shu ascended the throne, and that it is the Empress who opened Xu's wine shop and restaurant. No news of Xu Qinyu's return to Beijing has reached the southwest yet. When the news of the queen's coronation ceremony comes, there will definitely be some other things that will be reported as well.
For example, Emperor Shengwu once said to the outside world that he would only have one empress in his life.
She thought Pei Weixuan could do it.
The old lady was so angry at Wen Pingling's words that her heart ached. Finally, Wen Pingling was afraid that the old lady would be angry to the point of getting hurt, so she asked her to have a good rest while she went to look for her father, mother, and eldest brother.
Wen Lingling also told her thoughts to Master Wen. She said, "Dad, if you really have the same idea as grandma, I advise you to give it up. You must have remembered how the Wen family treated the Queen Mother and Concubine Gui. Grandma has been wasting Concubine Gui's life. Do you really think that if you return to the capital, your sister will be able to enter the palace as a concubine? The Wen family will be able to prosper and restore the title of the Duke's Mansion? Don't let the entire Wen family be confiscated."
When Mr. Xu heard this, he remained silent.
He actually had the same idea as the old lady. He wanted to return to Beijing and let his niece from the third room enter the palace as a concubine.
But now, after hearing what his daughter said, he broke out in a cold sweat. The Wen family had wasted Concubine Gui into such a state, and now she wanted to return to Beijing.
Now that my concubine's younger sister has become the empress dowager, I'm afraid they won't get any good results if they return to the capital.
Wen Lingling continued, "In fact, it is best to stay in the border town. With our relationship with the Empress Dowager and Emperor Shengwu, everyone in the southwest will respect us, and it will be convenient for us to do anything we want to do. It is better to stay in the southwest than to return to the capital and be hated by others. If father really wants to return to the capital, it is better to let my brothers, nephews and grandchildren work hard to pass the imperial examinations and pursue a career in officialdom."
She understood clearly in her heart that staying in the southwest, where a skinny camel is bigger than a horse, was better than returning to the capital.
Mr. Xu said, "In this case, I will talk to my grandfather and ask him to persuade my mother."
As long as he and his father did not ask for permission to return to the capital, it would be useless for his mother to make a fuss. He also felt that his daughter was right. He had offended Emperor Shengwu and the Empress Dowager too much in the past, and he was afraid that returning to the capital would not be able to ease the relationship. It would be better to stay in the southwest, where life was not worse than in the capital. If they really wanted to pursue a career in officialdom, they should let the younger generation work hard, take the imperial examinations, and return to the capital with real talent and knowledge, instead of returning to the capital like this, wagging their tails and begging for mercy.
Later, Master Xu explained the reason for their separation to Master Wen, and Master Wen also figured it out. He was already at an age where one foot was almost in the coffin, so why bother with all the trouble? His life was pretty good and leisurely now, so he might as well stay in the southwest and live out the rest of his life.
The first wife and Master Wen did not agree to return to the capital, so naturally they could not go back to the capital.
After Mrs. Wen had been making a fuss for half a month without any success, she finally had no choice but to give up.
…
In the capital, Xu Qinyu's life did not change much. She gave the 300,000 taels of silver notes she brought back to Cui. Cui was shocked and refused to accept them, but Xu Qinyu still forced all the silver notes on Cui and told her to keep them. When she entered the palace in the future, her father's official position would surely be promoted, and maybe the second branch could go out and set up its own residence. All the money could be saved for her parents. She wanted them to live a better life.
Although the second and third rooms are in such a mess, it is still difficult to separate the family property at present.
As long as Marquis Dechang and his wife don't give in, the family cannot be divided and they have to live together.
Marquis Dechang and the old lady certainly don't want to split up the family at this time, but Xu Qinyu doesn't care. They don't dare to provoke her anyway.
She also took out the remaining banknotes from the bank, intending to look for land and wine shops in the capital, in preparation for future wine shops and restaurants.
During this period, Xu Qinyu didn't have to do anything but stay at home to prepare for her wedding, so she had a lot of free time.
When he was in the capital, he didn't have many close friends, so now he naturally didn't have to go out for social events. Even if someone wanted to invite him, he wouldn't dare send an invitation to the Empress. So he lived a very leisurely and comfortable life these days, just staying at home to accompany Cui and Li Ge'er, without having to think about or do anything.
As for the other people in Marquis Dechang's Mansion, Xu Qinyu never went to see them.
The one from the first wife was fine, she had been living her life behind closed doors. Only Xu Qin Yuhui from the third wife had been trying to find a way to see her.
But during the time she lived in the Dechang Marquis Mansion, she never even went out of the second house, and of course she had never seen Xu Qinhui.
Thinking that she would marry her fourth brother in a few days, Xu Qinyu became a little nervous. The closer the day got, the more nervous she became. She felt a little restless staying at home. After breakfast that day, she planned to go out for a walk and visit her uncle.
The next day after returning to Marquis Dechang's Mansion, she went to her uncle's house with Cui. Her uncle's business was doing very well now, and they had no plans to expand the business for the time being. They still planned to take it step by step and had never thought of relying on Xu Qinyu's power.
As soon as she walked out the door, she ran into Xu Qinhui.