Chapter 134 Chapter 134 Two Chapters in One
When the Zhou family first heard the news, it was like a bolt from the blue. Unexpectedly, the person who remained the calmest in the end was Zhang. She was talking to her mother-in-law Jiang: "The journey to Lingnan is long, and the children are still too young. I would like to ask you to help take care of them. It is good for the children to grow up and learn to read. A girl's family is just a dowry. We still have a few acres of land."
Jiang and Zhang had always been at odds, but seeing her words were reasonable, even Lu Xiaoniang said, "Madam, why don't you agree?"
The Zhou family still has Master Zhou Er, and they have their ancestral home in Hangzhou. Jiang nodded and said, "My son, you are so thoughtful."
Zhang wanted to take the opportunity to dismiss the concubines: "Xiangming, Guo Xiaoniang and others are young and young, do they want to follow us to the place of exile? If they want to go, I won't stop them. If they don't want to go, I will allow them to take their boxes and cages away and remarry."
Zhou Cunzhi was very reluctant to leave Guo Xiaoniang, but he also thought about his youngest son being too young, so he said to Guo Xiaoniang: "Although I have offended the ruling party today, I will definitely be able to make a comeback once I am reinstated in the future. You have always been weak, so why don't you follow Madam to Hangzhou and take good care of your son."
"Yes." Guo Xiaoniang agreed. She had been wandering for several years and rarely met Zhou Cunzhi, who treated her like a treasure. They were separated suddenly. She didn't know what to do except crying.
Jiang Fang ran around for Zhou Cunzhi's sake, but with little success.
"Shen Shangzheng values talent and has a broad mind, but Lu Fangzhi is a narrow-minded villain. I will slowly make plans for him in the future."
Zhou Cunzhi seemed to have come to terms with it at this point: "There's no need to be like this. In fact, ever since Prime Minister Jixian stepped down, I've felt something, but it's just luck."
Sun Shichen, who was standing by, said, "It would be better if Jiang Shushi was here. He has a good relationship with Lu Fangzhi and Cheng Daizhi."
Sun Shichen was promoted to the position of Censor-in-Chief by these two people, but when Zhou Cunzhi really got into trouble, he turned a blind eye. Jiang Fang couldn't stand people like him, and when he heard him mention Jiang Xian, he asked, "Brother Yanran, since you are in the Censorate, why are you so indifferent this time?"
"This... I'm new here and I dare not speak." After being confronted, Sun Shichen thought to himself that something was wrong.
The three of them parted unhappily. When Sun Shichen came back, he said to Mrs. Zhou Si: "I don't know how long I will stay in this position. While I am still in office, I should quickly arrange the marriages for the eldest and second wives."
After all, the Sun family still has land in their hometown, and Zhou Si's wife also has land, which is enough for the family to live on.
"How can we arrange a good marriage in such a hasty manner?" Mrs. Zhou Si shook her head.
Sun Shichen said, "Last time I said I would marry Auntie to her third aunt's son, but you disagreed."
They are relatives. How can relatives get married? Isn’t that □□? Ancient people didn't understand this truth, so how could she, a modern person, not understand it?
Mrs. Zhou Si said, "It's not a big deal. We never know when our second brother will come back."
"Come back? How can it be that easy? Forget it, forget it." Sun Shichen sighed.
Xiang Ming was also hesitant. She had a daughter, but what would happen after she got married? Obviously, Zhang thought that Zhou Cunzhi would come back sooner or later, so she dismissed her concubines and waited for Zhou Cunzhi to return, and they would be his wife through thick and thin.
No, she couldn't stay in this house any longer.
She is not Guo Xiaoniang. After all, she gave birth to a son, and he is taken care of by other ladies, and she has money. After her daughter gets married, she can only live a secluded life.
For the first time, she asked someone to deliver a letter to the Jiang family in Jinliangqiao.
Jinniang pretended to be sick at home and avoided being involved, but when she saw Xiangming's letter, she called Yunjie to discuss things together.
"Xiang Ming has been with me since she was little. We have a sisterly relationship, and I can't just sit there and watch her help me. Mother is using this matter to test you, so how do you think I can help?"
Yun Jie'er only found out about her mother's life story after she grew up, and she was very clear about all this. After listening to it, she thought for a while and said, "Since Madam Zhou Er intends to dismiss the concubines, let's find a family, preferably one that they don't recognize, to act as her family member and take her out first."
Jinniang praised: "Okay, you are right. So how about taking it out?"
Yun Jieer added, "After we pick her up, we can't let her go. I think it's better to send her to Daming Prefecture and let Aunt Ruyan arrange for her to marry into a good family, so that I can take care of her in the future."
Daming Prefecture?
"My daughter is better than her father, you are right. Ruyan is a smart person. She knows that only with our family can we have the protection of Zhen and Wei at the same time in Daming Prefecture. Xiangming, also known as Si'er, is also a smart person. She will definitely live a good life in the future." Jinniang praised.
Receiving her mother's praise, Yun Jieer smiled and said, "Thank you for your compliment, my daughter."
In the past, these clerks seldom let her know, but now they often ask her about them, partly because they trust her and partly because they are testing her. But somehow, she is becoming more and more organized in her approach to things now.
A few days later, at the Bian Jing ferry, a luxurious carriage stopped not far away.
Xiangming, no, Si'er smiled and held Jinniang's hand and said, "Thank you for arranging everything for me. My daughter has been taken care of by the eldest lady, and after I remarry, she will also be her support in the future."
"Well, it's a good thing that you have the courage to come out. These are the four boxes I give you. They will all be your dowry. Don't think it's too little." Jinniang said with a smile.
Si Er said gratefully, "Sister, you arranged for someone to pick me up and take me to Daming Mansion, and you even asked someone to take me there. You even entrusted my marriage to someone else. I don't know how to thank you."
Jinniang shook her head: "Many things may not be so good, but they will not be too bad. The person you marry in the future may not be as rich as the Zhou family, but the days in this world that you can see the end of at a glance, although there are no ups and downs, are not necessarily bad."
Si'er nodded.
Only after Fan Si said that the ship was about to set sail did Jinniang say goodbye to her.
Si'er was accompanied by a maid, who was also bought by Jinniang and given to her. After she got on the boat, she opened the four boxes that Jinniang had given her. One box contained cloth, including coarse silk, fine silk, soft satin and crepe; one box contained a sewing box, a dressing box, a mandarin duck pillow, and a dragon and phoenix quilt; one box contained a copper basin, a vase, two sets of famous porcelain, and a silver kettle, all packed tightly; and when the last box was opened, there was a lot of copper coins at the bottom, about fifty strings of coins, and a layer of tea leaves was placed on top of the copper coins, then there was a set of twenty-eight silver jewelry, a pair of gold hairpins, a crown of apricot silk flower, and last but not least a red veil.
"Sister Jinniang really treats me like her own sister." Si'er gave half of the money he had saved over the years to his daughter. He actually didn't have much money left, but the dowry given by Jinniang was at least two hundred strings of cash, which was completely a dowry prepared by a small wealthy family in Tokyo.
Daming Prefecture is not as good as Tokyo, and this dowry is definitely rich even in Daming Prefecture.
Not to mention that Si'er had another wonderful encounter on his way to Daming Prefecture, Jinniang had just seen Si'er off and was about to get on the carriage, but unexpectedly a strong wind blew up the veil of her veil, revealing her face, which was seen by a young and handsome man opposite. Jinniang hurriedly got on the carriage and asked someone to drive it back.
The handsome young man looked at the lantern hanging on her carriage with the word "Jiang" written on it. Surrounded by servants, he couldn't help but ask about it. The person next to him said, "This is Jiang Shaopeng's wife, the daughter of the Wei family, a wealthy family in Hebei. Brother Zhongfeng, do you recognize her?"
Du Qing shook his head: "I don't know him."
He thought that since the woman was already married, he shouldn't bring it up again.
The people around him said, "Brother Zhongfeng has lost his wife for several years, and he is not yet thirty years old. Your father is a county lord, so it would be great for him to marry another wife."
Du Qing said, "I originally went to Beijing to study at the Imperial College, and my old friends, the Zhou family, were there. Unfortunately, something happened to the Zhou family, and there are so many disputes in Beijing. How can I have the time to spare?"
The people around him thought that the young master of the Du family was a handsome man, and a student of the Imperial Academy, but he was lazy and had no interest in poetry and books. However, he came from a family of officials and was very sensitive to the current situation, so they stopped trying to persuade him.
**
Si'er had been gone for more than a month, and Jinniang was just finishing embroidering the jasmine gauze curtain. Yunjie'er had fumigated it with jasmine scented pills before putting it in the storeroom.
After going through what happened with Si'er, the mother and daughter relied on each other and their life at home became more enjoyable. Ding'er is about to turn three years old. Jinniang is already teaching him to read poetry and books. Yunjie'er also teaches her younger brother to read when Jinniang is busy. The child just came in carrying a little wooden bird made by his uncle.
"Mom, I'm here." Ding Ge'er first showed half of his face, then jumped in.
Jinniang quickly patted the beauty couch beside her and said, "Come and play here, mother."
Ding Ge'er came over with a smile on his face. Unlike Ning Ge'er, he had a gentler personality and was very cute. He came over immediately and stuck to Jinniang. Jinniang could no longer embroider and had to play with him.
Yun Jie'er, who was standing by, said, "Mom, when will Dad come back? If he doesn't come back soon, I'm afraid Ding Ge'er will forget about him."
"I don't know about that. To be honest, your father just left a few days ago, and I missed him a little. But there have been a lot of things going on in the past six months, so I don't think about him that much." Jinniang actually still missed her husband a little, but it was difficult to say it in front of her daughter.
Just as Yun Jie'er was about to say something, someone outside said that Madam Zhang had arrived. Jin Niang asked Yun Jie'er to take Ding Ge'er out and invited someone else in.
Madam Zhang said, "I don't know what's wrong with my aunt. She refused to follow her brother-in-law before, but now she is being demoted to Lingnan and insists on following him, without even taking a concubine with her."
Jinniang thought that it was precisely because someone had taken advantage of her and robbed her house before that she had to follow him now. She must have believed that Zhou Cunzhi could still be reinstated. But ancient times were not like modern times. It was easy to get sick if one traveled long distances or was not adapted to the climate. Zhou Cunzhi should have been in his forties, and Zhang was not young either, so he was also suffering a lot.
But she couldn't say this in front of Mrs. Zhang, so she just said, "We all admire her noble character."
Mrs. Zhang was now full of complaints. She had not been able to say anything before when Zhang was in Beijing, but now she poured it all out: "What noble righteousness? We don't know whether we will live or die after this trip, but we have to pay for the trip."
"What do you mean?" Jinniang frowned.
Even though the Zhou family doesn't have as much money as before, they are certainly not poor, because that's the money accumulated by three generations. An official like Jiang Xian, who had been in office for four generations, could get a shop and a hundred acres of land when his family was divided.
Several generations of the Zhou family have been officials. Even though they spent a lot of money to marry off four daughters, the business over the past twenty years would not have reached this point.
Seeing Jinniang say this, Madam Zhang hurriedly said, "You are not an outsider, so I will speak frankly. My aunt tried to learn how to do business a few years ago, but lost all her money. The situation of the Zhou family is not easy to say. The Zhou family's brother-in-law was originally a successful official at a young age, but later he observed mourning for several years. The eldest master of the Zhou family has never been reinstated, and he himself has also had several setbacks in his official career. It costs a lot of money to manage the family, not to mention that the Zhou family has to maintain the pomp. Madam Zhou often eats expensive supplements and wears exquisite clothes, all of which are paid for by the family. The eldest master of the Zhou family likes to play with gold and stone. It looks glorious on the outside, but it is not so good on the inside."
Jinniang suddenly realized that the reason why Jiang Xian's family could share these properties was because Master Jiang Liu was the only son and inherited almost all the property. Madam Jiang Liu was also good at managing the house. Not only did she expand the house she got, but she also raised several children and took care of Master Jiang Liu's fine life on a daily basis.
However, Jinniang was puzzled: "Even if it doesn't work out, it won't get to this point?"
Madam Zhang said, "My aunt gave almost all her savings to my nephew, hoping that he could study and become an official, so that he could surpass the one raised by the young woman. But she herself has nothing. You know my husband, he cares about family affection the most, and people call him a poor Mengchang. At least he brought two hundred taels, but my little daughter is going to get married, and I am worried."
It is no wonder that an official like the Zhang family would look for a Jinshi. Now that Zhou Cunzhi has left, fortunately the Zhang family has a marriage relationship with the Wei family, so Zhang Jiulang's official position has not been abolished. However, it is difficult to get an assignment. Without an assignment, there is no salary, and one can only rely on the family's influence.
But Jinniang knew that Zhang Jiulang was definitely not a poor Mengchang. Although his family did not have a million strings of coins, they might have hundreds of thousands of strings of coins.
Therefore, Jinniang smiled and said, "That little money is just a drop in the bucket for your family. You, too, can complain a little, but if you say it in front of your husband, it will only make him unhappy."
Mrs. Zhang sighed and said, "What you said is true. I can't say much. They should decide on their own affairs."
"Don't say such angry words. A few days ago, my boss gave me some new tea as a gift. I thought it was the flavor you liked, so I asked someone to bring it to you to try." After saying this, he asked someone to show you the tea again.
After drinking a cup of tea, Madam Zhang calmed down a lot. Seeing Yun Jieer coming to greet her, she pulled her aside and said, "Such a good girl, it's a pity that the Wei family decided on her so early."
Jinniang used to be very modest, but today she said, "It's been almost a year since her father left. I have always been in poor health, so I rely entirely on my daughter to take care of me."
Mrs. Zhang praised her a few more times, and Jinniang invited her to have a meal before she left.
After Mrs. Zhang left, the mother and daughter went for a walk in the garden. Yun Jieer asked, "Mother, what is the purpose of Zhang's visit?"
"Zhang had given me fake materials before, and then the Zhou family went bankrupt. She ridiculed and criticized them in front of me first, which prevented me from adding insult to injury in the future." Jinniang said lightly.
Sister Yun didn't expect there was this purpose.
She thought she could now manage all the interpersonal relationships in the household with ease, but she didn't expect that there would always be new things coming up.
"Mom, Madam Zhang is quite smart. She really should not be underestimated."
Jinniang smiled and said, "Mrs. Zhang was originally the daughter of the Privy Councilor. If she hadn't been a popular girl, she would have been a popular girl. It shows that even if your threshold is higher than others' at the beginning, it may not always be the same."
Sister Yun seemed to be thinking: "What mother said is true, just like our Jiang family."
"For example, your father and younger brother are all well-educated, but when the next generation gets tainted by the habits of wealth and luxury, they might fall into ruin again." Jinniang herself is open-minded. No one can be rich and luxurious for a thousand years. Even an emperor's luck will run out after two or three hundred years.
At this time, between spring and summer, the crabapples in the flower garden are in full bloom, like a waterfall of flowers, and the peach blossoms seem a little thin next to them.
"Mother, you let your daughter study and learn how to be a housekeeper, and you also give her such a dowry, is it foolproof?" Yun Jie'er looked at a petal falling and looked up at her mother.
But Jinniang shook her head: "These are all external factors. If you are not mentally strong enough, it won't work. Look at Si'er. Ordinary people may think that they don't have to worry anymore after having children and relying on a large family to make a living, but she dares to break through the barriers and is not afraid of failure. All these things that your mother has cultivated in you for so many years are auxiliary. The most important thing is that as long as you are alive, you must persist and make continuous breakthroughs. There will always be a turning point."
It would have been fine if Zhang Jiulang had not been assigned any task because he was just holding an official position because he was a hereditary official. However, Sun Shichen almost lost his position. Fortunately, Jiang Fang saved him and everything was fine.
Madam Zhou Si never expected that the officialdom was so dangerous. Although the Song Dynasty did not kill scholars, once a person lost power, the people under him would rush forward and try to squeeze him out.
Even a nobody like Sun Shichen was framed with charges by all means. It was not right to take sides, nor was it right to not take sides.
"It would be great if I were like Jiang Shiliu, with a reliable Yue family and a prominent cousin's family. I'm afraid he will be promoted when he comes back." Sun Shichen just felt that God was unfair.
Lady Zhou Si thought, it is always the case that one has to climb high and then fall hard, it is better to be like them, not to stand out but to last longer, so she smiled and said, "If you ask me, both Prime Minister Jixian and Prime Minister Zhaowen were prominent for a while, but once they lost their power, the people around them were crushed like fish and shrimp. It is better for us to do less and make fewer mistakes."
Although Sun Shichen married Ruoliu and the relationship between the couple became strained for several months, Ruoliu was old after all, about 36 or 37 years old. Sun Shichen disliked her age and asked Zhou Si's wife to send her away. Mrs. Zhou Si had her taken away. She thought that the man who betrayed her did not actually sell her, but instead gave her a contract of sale, which was already a respectable move for her.
After Ruoliu left, Sun Shichen and Zhou Si's relationship improved a lot.
This time, Sun Shichen was able to keep his official position thanks to his relationship with the Zhou family, and Sun Shichen also agreed with it.
It was also said that Jinniang had entered the Dragon Boat Festival. After distributing the Dragon Boat Festival gifts with Yunjie'er, they saw Hutou, who had followed Jiang Xian, coming back. He smiled and said, "Madam, the master has entered the city and will report to the palace first. Let me report back with the good news first."
Jinniang stood up suddenly: "Really?"
Hu Tou nodded heavily.
Jinniang said: "You have worked hard, and your parents miss you. Go back and see your family first, and then do your work." After saying that, she asked Qingrong to see the reward.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Xian came back. Jinniang asked Cuihuan and Yingluo to tidy up the room first, changed the curtains, and lit new incense. He also trimmed the flowers and trees in the garden, swept the courtyard, and personally led people to clean up Jiang Xian's study and laid the newly bought carpet.
Not to mention the kitchen, she ordered Juxiang to make a few dishes that Jiang Xian liked and more snacks.
Yunjie'er thought to herself, Mom doesn't seem to miss Dad that much on normal days, why is she so attentive today? She thought so and asked.
Jinniang smiled and said, "What a child! Your father has come back from a long journey. How can he feel comfortable if the house is messy and the study smells musty? A home should look like a home. It's okay on weekdays, but he hasn't seen us for almost a year. He might still be a little homesick. We have to let your father know how warm home is."
Of course, if Jiang Xian brought a woman back without telling anyone, not only would there be no warmth, but he himself would be kicked out. Who made it so that the house deeds and land deeds are all with her now?
It was already dusk when Jiang Xian came out of the palace. Sitting in the sedan chair, he touched his face. Having been at the border for a long time, eating a lot of meat and riding horses frequently, his face had become much rougher and his waistline seemed to have gained weight. Although it was not obvious to outsiders, he knew it in his heart.
I wonder if my wife will dislike me?
Thinking of this, he hesitated for a long time, and when he got home, it was slightly dark.
He didn't want to return home and find his wife standing at the second gate to greet him, holding a gauze lantern. Everything was misty and dreamy. Jiang Xian took two steps at a time and ran towards Jinniang: "Madam."
Jinniang took his hand and said, "The bathroom has already prepared hot water, and I have made you a new nightgown. Go take a bath first, and I will prepare the meal. I will eat with you then."
"Yeah." Jiang Xian nodded heavily.
Sure enough, there were spare clothes and toiletries in the wooden tub in the bathroom. Facial cleansing, toothpaste and shampoo were all prepared and placed aside. They all smelled very good. He quickly washed his hair, took a shower, put on his clothes and came out feeling refreshed.
The meal was already set in the small hall. When his wife saw him coming, she served him a bowl of mung bean and pork ribs soup: "Clear the heat."
Jiang Xian felt that this day was no different from many previous days. It was still the same, as if he had never left.
After finishing the soup, he held Jinniang's hand tightly and said, "Everything is good outside, but I miss you day and night."
"You have such a smooth talk." Jinniang glared at him.
Jiang Xian couldn't help wanting to hug his wife in his arms, but he saw a maid bringing in food, so he decided not to do so. Therefore, the two only talked about recent events, and it seemed expected that Jiang Xian would mention the Zhou family. However, what he wanted to say was not this, but rather: "The emperor has promoted me to be the secretary of the imperial court."
"Zhongshu Sheren? Is that the rank for promotion? Fifth rank." Jinniang thought this meant he had no real job.
Jiang Xian smiled and said, "Yes."
Jinniang said: "Then I congratulate you."
"Jinniang, the emperor said I did a good job and asked me if I had any wishes. I said I wanted to honor my family." Jiang Xian said. He was also afraid that Jinniang would be angry because he had asked for the title on behalf of his biological mother. In this way, Jinniang would not have the imperial edict. It goes without saying that his mother had been very kind to him, but his wife shared the joys and sorrows with him.
Little did he know that Jinniang, unaware that he was asking for a title for his biological mother, said, "That's good. Without mother-in-law, there would be no family like ours. If you posthumously title mother-in-law, she would be happy for you even in the underworld. It just so happens that when I brought Ning Ge'er to pay homage last time, I saw that the tomb was a little dilapidated. Why don't we take out some money to repair it?"
Jiang Xian bit his lip and said, "My wife, I thought you would feel uncomfortable. When I get promoted to a higher position in the future, I will be able to confer the title on you as well."
Jinniang hadn't thought of herself at all. After hearing what he said, she just smiled and said, "Okay, I'll wait and see."
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