Chapter 150 Chapter 150 Two Chapters in One
"You mean Ning Ge'er took the initiative to tell you to let me accompany you to Luoyang, and then he will take the imperial examination in Beijing. If he fails the provincial examination, he will also go to Luoyang, right?" Jinniang thought she had heard it wrong.
Jiang Xian nodded: "That's what he said. I think he can't bear our excessive attention to him. He is only seventeen years old. Some people deliberately praise him. He is under a lot of pressure. If you still stay here for him, he will be under even greater pressure. Anyway, I have promised him that if he fails the exam this time, he will go to Luoyang to study."
Jinniang looked at her husband suspiciously and said, "I'd better ask Ning Ge'er first."
Seeing Jiang Xian's expression that said "go ask him", Jinniang still went to find Ning Ge'er. Ning Ge'er really said the same thing, "I am just trying my hand at this. It is rare for a 17-year-old to pass the imperial examination. My son is not yet educated enough. You and Daddy go to Luoyang first, and I will go to see you and Daddy at the beginning of next year."
"After all, you are still a child?" Jinniang was worried.
Ning Ge'er patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, no one dares to bully me. I'm not afraid at all on my own."
In this case, Jinniang had no choice but to say, "In that case, your father and I will go to Luoyang to wait for you."
Even he would not think that his son could achieve success overnight. Besides, Luoyang was 400 miles away from Kaifeng, and it would only take four or five days to get there. It was not far. If his son really had something wrong, it would be convenient for her to come back.
When Jiang Xian was appointed, Jinniang asked her daughter and son-in-law to come back first and told them about the matter. She then said, "I'll leave Ning'er in your care."
I wouldn't feel reassured if I asked Zhang Pingjun, Dou Yuan, Wei Xiong or Luo Yu'e to do it. Luo Yu'e and Wei Xiong are old, and we can take care of their daily lives, but we can't take care of the children's psychological well-being or their studies. Zhang Pingjun and Dou Yuan both have their own families, so it would be hard to bother them.
Her daughter usually helps her manage the household when she is at home. She is quite familiar with the ways of the world, and her daughter and son-in-law are also at ease.
Sister Yun said, "Mother, don't worry, I will definitely take good care of my brother here. Ask your son-in-law to come back and visit from time to time, and I will come back when I am free."
"You don't have to come back so often. I've talked to your grandparents. They live here and can help take care of your daily life. Just before the imperial examination, Qilang has to take part in the provincial exam. As his sister, you can help him check the exam basket. Then I'll feel relieved." Jinniang said with a smile.
Now that there is silver stored in the cellar of the house, as long as there is someone to look after the house, she can feel at ease leaving the money at home, without having to carry her belongings with her wherever she goes like before.
Anyway, the underground mechanisms may not be known to ordinary people.
Sister Yun watched her mother start to arrange people, and felt that when something happened to her mother, she would only panic for a moment, and then start to accept it and manage everything in an orderly manner.
When the couple returned to the Wei family, they also told Mrs. Wei about it. Mrs. Wei said, "Why not let Ning Ge'er come over? He can't be anyone else."
"It would be good if he was alone. Brother Ning has a friend who also lives at home." Sister Yun said with a smile.
Wei Qillang explained that he was Ning Ge'er's classmate at the Imperial College, a boy from a poor family, who was staying at his home. Mrs. Wei thought that the Jiang family was very trustworthy in giving up the opportunity to live in the Wei family for the sake of an unknown poor young man.
Besides, Jiang Xian is considered a capable person. If the Shen Party does not liquidate him, the Prime Minister can at most expel him from the court.
Of course, he accepted it very quickly. He is a man who can take it or leave it. He didn't even ask for help from the Wei family. At most, he asked his daughter-in-law to take care of his son who stayed in Beijing.
Madam Wei said, "Qi Lang, you are my brother-in-law, you should take care of Ning Ge'er. Qi Lang's wife, your father is in Luoyang, so he can attack or defend. If you need any help from our family, just ask."
This is the role of in-laws, to support each other.
Sister Yun said gratefully: "Thank you so much, mother. I don't know what to say."
Mrs. Wei had taught her daughter-in-law a lesson before, but Qilang's wife seemed to have forgotten the grudge. Now her granddaughter is so cute and her grandson is so fat and strong. She also let Qilang study hard and be filial to her, so she felt much better.
It is also said that Jinniang was explaining to Chen Xiaolang: "I have asked Luo Da to go to Suzhou to collect rent and check accounts this year, and the house will be handed over to you and your wife. No one is allowed to come to our main house casually on weekdays. I have left 1,000 taels of silver in the outer account for next year's expenses. If the eldest son passes the exam, I will arrange for him. If he fails, I will ask him to come to Luoyang with the money."
Chen Xiaolang has also practiced it over the years, and immediately said: "Don't worry, my lady, I will definitely do what you ask me to do."
Jinniang nodded: "That's great."
After Chen Xiaolang went down, Ah Ying came in and said, "Madam, we hired twelve carriages and twenty fast horses, which cost thirty strings of silver and four cents in total."
"Well, Qingrong, I'll call you Sister Aying." Jinniang handed her a pair of cards.
Apart from the travel expenses, there are post stations on the road from Kaifeng to Luoyang where you can stay, and there is no other expense. The annual income from the official fields of the Transport Commissioner was 600 dan, not to mention other things. This income alone was 360 guan a year.
Moreover, the Transport Commissioner was in charge of the finances and supervision of the route and was the highest-level official in the northwest of Beijing. He was in charge of salt and iron, so his salary must have been considerable.
While they were counting the bills, they also asked people to bring clothes and jewelry for all seasons, and pack silk gauze and satin into boxes. Then they asked people from various places to help them carry them, including Zhang Jiulang and his wife, Wei Yang and his wife, Yun Jie'er and her husband, and the clan members of the old house, etc. However, Jiang Xian and Jinniang were too busy and could only apologize.
Fortunately, everyone knew that they were leaving in a hurry, so they all sent gifts. Jinniang asked Aying to accept them, take away the useful things, and leave the useless things at home.
Mrs. Meng next door also prepared a gift and sent it over. She was still a little reluctant to let Jinniang go.
Jinniang smiled and said, "Luoyang's peonies are the best in the world. Maybe I can bring you a few pots of peonies in the future."
"That's settled then." Mrs. Meng said.
After Mrs. Meng came back from the Jiang family, her daughters-in-law all came to serve her. She was a mother-in-law who loved to put on airs. Miss Sun had known this for a long time. Now that she had no one to rely on, she became more and more humble.
Lin, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Meng family, was originally a member of the Shen Party, but her father was an official in the local area, so she was not affected for the time being, but she was also very worried. Fortunately, the Lin family is not a poor family, and her uncle is hanging out with Jixian. This is why aristocratic families always bet on both sides. The same is true for the Jiang family next door. The eldest son is a supporter of the Prime Minister, and the second son is a supporter of Prime Minister Shen. As for Governor Jiang, although he has now been transferred to another place as a transport envoy, this man is able to get along with both sides and is considered a very talented person in the court.
Lin personally brought over the tea and said, "Mom, are the Jiang family leaving so soon?"
"That's right. They are all packing their bags now and don't even have time to talk to me." Madam Meng took a sip of tea, shook her head, and pretended to be mysterious: "The Jiang family is really a noble family. Several brothers have passed the imperial examinations, which is amazing."
Miss Sun thought that she was marrying a royal relative, which was very stable. If her daughter could marry into a prominent family like the Jiang family or the Wei family in the future, her status would be truly secure.
Originally, my father and Mr. Jiang, who lived next door, were both successful candidates in the same imperial examination. But later on, my father had to rely on his relatives. Later, when his relatives fell from power, his own family also fell into decline.
Regarding Jiang Xian's appointment to a foreign post, except for the Wei and Meng families who reacted normally or felt that it had nothing to do with their families, Zhang Pingjun was very worried. She said to Madam Zhang, "Yesterday I went to her house and talked to my aunt. If they were not in Bianjing, would there be any problems with my husband's position? But she said that she was too far away to do anything."
Madam Zhang asked, "Did she say it was beyond her reach?"
"Yes. However, fortunately, my daughter has also been to the Wei family. By then, maybe I can ask Sister Yun to say a few words in front of Madam Wei, so that my husband's official position will not be affected." Zhang Pingjun thought so.
…
On the second day of the twelfth lunar month, Jinniang refused to wake Ning Ge'er up and said to Minzhi, "You have always been very careful. I will leave the household affairs to you and your husband. If you fail, you two will lose face all these years."
Liu Douer and Aying are better than them in every way. If they just stay at home, it won’t be enough. The new couple will have to take over soon.
Minzhi said hurriedly: "Don't worry, I will take good care of the inner house."
After hearing her words of determination, Jinniang nodded slightly.
In the morning, she got on the carriage with her husband. Jiang Xian asked her, "Madam, how much money did you bring this time?"
"Ten thousand strings of cash. We left ten thousand strings of cash and four thousand strings of cash in the cellar. I heard that all the grain shipped from Jiangsu and Zhejiang would be transported through Luoyang. I guess there are many shops and restaurants in Luoyang. We definitely can't build a shop with this little money. But if we can find a shopkeeper to build a shop for us, we can make some money, and maybe even get some shares." Jinniang calculated.
Now that I have money, I can slowly invest more.
Jiang Xian smiled and said, "My lady, you are absolutely right."
But he also said: "Now that I am in charge of the canal transportation, it happens to be cheap."
"Hey, don't abuse your power for personal gain. Just do what needs to be done." Jinniang was unwilling to take the back door.
In the past, I always took a boat to serve as an official in a faraway place, but this time the trip to Luoyang is so close that it is a little unbelievable. Jinniang also told him about Luoyang: "I always heard that Madam Wei went to Luoyang to see the peonies, or transported peonies from Luoyang. So, I always thought Luoyang was a gorgeous place. I didn't expect that thanks to you, I could go there too."
Jiang Xian originally thought that his wife would blame him for making him travel so long, but he didn't expect that Jinniang would be Jinniang. She really didn't expose his little thoughts and was looking forward to Luoyang so much.
He held Jinniang's hands and said, "I will take you to see all the peonies."
Jinniang tapped his nose and said helplessly, "You."
They had been traveling since morning, and when they arrived at the Zhengzhou Posthouse, Liu Doer had already sent someone on express horse to notify the posthouse and arrange rooms for them. Jinniang took Ding'er off the carriage. Ding'er was born in Bian Jing. Unlike his brothers and sisters, he had never left Bian Jing. Now that he came out, he was still a little curious.
He just turned nine years old and is currently studying with his teacher. However, Jiang Xian is currently on a mission outside the capital, and there are many famous scholars in Luoyang anyway, so it would be a good idea to find a great scholar to teach his son when the time comes.
"Erlang, are you hungry?" Jinniang asked with a smile.
Ding Ge'er shook his head: "No."
"You have to eat something even if you don't have any. It's getting late now. Let's eat more to avoid being hungry at night." Jinniang knew that Ding'er was like this. He said he was not hungry at this time. If she really didn't leave any food for him, he would definitely be hungry later.
The appearance of this inn looks like a private residence. Once you enter, you will find it is neatly and luxuriously renovated. The postmen here are also very efficient and soon a table full of dishes is served.
Jinniang asked Liu Dou'er to reward each person one by one, and each person was given a penny of silver as big as a small boat, which was about one hundred coins in total. She knew very well that if she stayed in a hotel, this amount of money would not be enough to get such a good meal.
Even the postman who delivered water outside was happy when he received the reward money. Moreover, the servants of the He and Jiang families always said "thank you" and did not bully others by taking advantage of their power.
The yellow postman delivering water said to the postmaster, "He is the transport commissioner of Jingxi Road, with a higher official position, but he still gave us generous rewards and was very considerate of us. He even bought extra fodder for us. Unlike the lady Sui who came before, not to mention that she had many demands, she also spoke with a pinched voice at her age."
The postmaster hit the postman Huang on the head and said, "You are getting more and more daring. You even dare to talk about your superior's wife. How many heads do you have?"
The yellow postman shrank his head.
After Jinniang and others finished their meal, they asked Zi Teng to arrange for Ding'er to wash up. A child of this age could not be served by young maids. Even Liu Quan did not have to go in to serve him. He could take a bath by himself, and the servants would clean up after him.
Jinniang was also preparing to take a bath, but she saw the little maid guarding the door outside saying, "Madam, Madam Sui who lives opposite has sent someone to deliver cakes and pastries."
"Mrs. Sui? Who is she?" Jinniang thought, since she came at this time of meal, why would she send any pastries?
Ah Ying smiled and said, "I heard that she is the wife of Lord Sui, the warehouse manager."
"I see." Jinniang shook her head, asked someone to take the cakes, and gave him twenty big coins. He also sent back a can of olives brought from Bian Jing as a return gift.
You will only be with these postmen for one night, and their service is attentive. But you cannot be too generous to Madam Si, as you may meet her in Luoyang in the future, otherwise she will think you are rich.
Because you can gain a reputation by being generous to people you don't know, and if you are generous to people you may know, they will think you are very rich.
After so many years of interacting with people, she can be considered experienced.
She met Mrs. Sui the next day. She looked to be in her thirties or forties, thin, with fair and delicate skin, but the blue veins on her hands gave away her age.
Jiang Xian and Lord Sui both went to Luoyang, the Western Capital, to serve as officials. Although they knew each other, they were not close friends. Lord Sui felt a little sorry for Jiang Xian: "I thought you were so talented that you would become a prime minister sooner or later, but I never thought it would be like this."
Jiang Xian thought to himself that Sui Jun used to be timid when he saw him, but now he is shaking. Does he still need his sympathy? But on the surface, they still looked like we were doing fine.
When going out, although Jinniang did not want to be surrounded by pearls and jade, she still wore a emerald crown and silk flower jewelry in her hair. Because the weather was too cold, she wore a fox fur coat with gold-thread lantern brocade.
After all, she is an official's wife, so there is no need for her to be too shabby. Jiang Xian is not someone who would be stingy.
Mrs. Sui saw Jinniang's emerald crown and stared at it for a few moments. Jinniang acted as if she didn't see it and took Aying's hand and got into the carriage. In an instant, she understood why Jiang Xian was still working tirelessly as an official.
With such a look in her eyes, if she was still the wife of the third-rank prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture, would these people dare to be so unscrupulous? Although the prefect of Kaifeng was of the third rank, he was under the emperor's command; and although the transport commissioner was of the third rank, he was an official in the outer court and was only two levels higher than this Lord Sui, but they checked and supervised each other in their duties.
But then she thought, if she thought like this, it would be easy to become a slave to power. Those who are prone to becoming evil have their own thoughts in their hearts, and something stimulates their thoughts, making them more rational.
But I am not that kind of person. If I stop being an official, I can still be a local squire and stay away from trouble.
After being relieved like this, she smiled and told Jiang Xian about her own mental journey.
After listening to this, Jiang Xian just said, "My lady, the fact that you think this way shows that you are really open-minded and have seen through the warmth and coldness of human nature in the world."
"What about you? What do you think?" Jinniang looked at him.
Jiang Xian smiled and said, "Of course I will follow my wife. I will do whatever my wife does."
Jinniang hugged his arm and just smiled.
In another carriage, Mrs. Sui leaned back and rubbed her waist again: "Actually, I have seen Mrs. Jiang before, it seems that it was when I went to Shen's house. She sat in the front seat and I sat in the back seat. When I saw her today, she seemed to have completely forgotten me."
Nanny Yang, who was by Mrs. Sui's side, was actually the wet nurse who had served the princess. However, because the princess's husband had an affair with her, she was driven out and returned to her hometown. Under the guise of a palace nanny, she went to teach the rules to the soon-to-be-married young lady of the Tongpan family, who is now Madam Sui.
Madam Sui was a second wife. Her father wanted to marry her to a scholar from a poor family, but her mother disagreed, fearing that her daughter would suffer. Later, the man passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, and her family regretted it deeply. Afterwards, he found one of his subordinates, who was a Jinshi and had just lost his wife. The Tongpan immediately married her off.
Nanny Yang said, "Our master is the warehouse manager of Jingxi Road, a fourth-rank official. Lord Jiang is a third-rank transport envoy after all, so we can't offend him."
…
After traveling for four days, they arrived in Luoyang, where people from the Transport Commissioner's Office came to pick them up. This time they stayed in the government office in Luoyang, which was magnificent and luxurious. Jinniang thought that she didn't need to worry about renting a house.
Liu Doer asked people to unload the goods and move the boxes in, while Qingrong took people to clean up the room. This was a courtyard for the waiter. Their son Dingger lived in the east wing, the west wing was used as a warehouse, and the west ear room was set aside as Jiang Xian's study.
"We haven't moved for so many years, I almost forgot about the time when we were sent out." Jinniang said with a smile.
Ah Ying said, "Yes, our family has lived in Bianjing for many years. If you count carefully, it has been nine years."
"Almost. No more words to say. Tell people to pack up quickly. Fortunately, our master is now the leader of the group, so we don't have to serve our superiors in Luoyang as often as before." Jinniang felt much more at ease.
Because Juxiang stayed in Bian Jing, the government sent a cook and two kitchen servants. The cook was plump and white, and her surname was also Bai, so she was called Aunt Bai.
Speaking of the surname Bai, Jinniang recalled that when she opened an embroidery shop, there was a lady named Bai who often visited her, and her ending was so sad. But when I saw this Mrs. Bai, I heard that she had never married and her brother was a clerk of the Transport Commissioner. Maybe because he has not married and has been working all the time, his mentality is very young. Seeing Jinniang giving a box of gauze flowers, he was very happy.
"You, Master Lang and Er Langjun just cook according to your own skills. As for my bowl of drink, it can be porridge or soy milk, a boiled egg, and a palm-sized vegetarian bun or small cake." This was Jinniang's request.
No matter where her husband works, he has made outstanding achievements, and her son is growing up without having to restrict his diet. But Jinniang is different. She gains weight very easily when eating pasta, so she tries to restrain herself.
After listening to this, Aunt Bai said, "I'll take note of it."
"Well, our family doesn't have any dietary restrictions. We can talk about it later if there is anything." Jinniang said.
After being in Luoyang for a few days, she felt that Luoyang was actually prosperous and was in no way inferior to Bianliang, but at this time she still had to consider her son's studies first.
Jiang Xian said, "My lady, rest assured. Although there are many great scholars in Luoyang, we still need to look for them carefully. You and your son should rest well at home for the next few days. Leave this matter to me."
She naturally trusted her husband to do things, but she looked at him and said, "Let's clean up two rooms in the front yard to make a study. When you find a teacher, let our Erlang study there. How about that?"
Jiang Xian nodded and said, "Next spring, our family will go out to see the peonies. When we return to Bianjing, we will also bring some back to see."
"Okay." Jinniang knew that Jiang Xian felt very sorry because she had to travel with him because of him. But Jinniang felt that it was her duty. She was willing to do so when they were enjoying good times, and would cry out when they were suffering. What's more, she hadn't suffered any more.
In the past, they were low-ranking officials, so of course they were the ones who socialized with their superiors. But now that Jiang Xian holds a high position and has supervisory duties, he cannot meet with them privately at will.
It was just the right time to spend a quiet and peaceful New Year. A few days later, Jinniang took Aying and a few servants to Jianchunmen Street in the east of Luoyang City, which was extremely prosperous.
Luoyang is surrounded by mountains on all sides, including Chenggao Mountain, Longmen Mountain, Mang Mountain and so on.
Ah Ying said, "Madam, our eldest daughter's farm is over there, do you want to go and take a look?"
"No need for that. Once you give it to her, it's hers." Jinniang was very clear about this.
Luoyang, the Western Capital, has always been the residence of royal families and aristocratic families. If Bianjing is straightforward and lively, Xijing is covered with a veil. You need to go find its beauty, and you will definitely be surprised.
After walking around for a long time, she came back with a lot of bags. Even though there were only three of them in the family, they had to decorate the house warmly.
Years ago, Jiang Xian invited a famous scholar from Luoyang to be Ding Ge'er's teacher. This year was the first year the three of them spent in Luoyang. It was quiet and warm. Jinniang even said to Ding Ge'er, "Your brother will probably be here in February."
Neither she nor Jiang Xian expected Ning'er to pass the imperial examination and were looking forward to his coming over to reunite with them. However, they did not expect that in February a fast horse would arrive from the capital to report that Ning'er had passed the provincial examination.
Jinniang and Jiang Xian looked at each other in bewilderment. They had only thought about their son coming to Luoyang and had even set aside a room specifically for him. Did they ever think that their son would actually win the prize? She usually planned everything out and made preparations in advance, but now, apart from leaving some money behind, she had almost no premonition at all? She said to Jiang Xian, "Oh no, the old horse has stumbled!"
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