Chapter 154 Chapter 154 Two Chapters Combined
After Jinniang finished making the snow-gray long coat, the weather began to get colder. Jiang Xian invited famous scholars to go out for gatherings, and Jinniang also had corresponding gatherings, such as the birthday banquet of Princess Kangshan and the flower banquet of Princess Qingping, and she had to attend them all.
"Luoyang is such a great place." Aying couldn't help but praise it.
The people I interact with are all wealthy, elegant and refined, and they seem to be different from the people I have come into contact with in Wu County and Daming Prefecture before. To put it bluntly, everyone is rich and respectable, so naturally they are all nice to each other.
However, the Fan family had some conflicts of interest with her. Because they did not choose her daughter but Miss Lu, the Fan family was unilaterally cold to her. She did not care much about these.
Originally, marriage was supposed to be about attraction between both parties, but she didn't make any promises and was still blamed in the end.
During the New Year, Ning'er moved here from the magistrate's office to live temporarily. Jinniang happened to ask her son to inspect the rents of the nearby farms and shops. The silk and velvet shop earned nine thousand taels this year, the rent from Luoyang was nine hundred strings of coins, the rent from the farm in Bianjing, and the rent from the shop at Jinliang Bridge in Bianjing. There was simply no place to put the money.
Because of this, Jiang Xian distributed the remaining money in the Transport Commissioner's Office to his subordinates, and everyone had a good New Year.
The New Year gifts sent to Bian Jing this year were also very generous. Yun Jie'er only received various foods from Jin Niang in August, but she didn't expect that the gifts during the New Year would be even more generous. First, a jar of yellow sparrow pickle was served, followed by "Longchan fruits" such as lychee nectar cakes, Longchan peach strips, and crispy walnuts.
In addition to food, there was also scented tea. There were six kinds of tea cakes, including jasmine, rose, rose, orchid, gardenia, and costus root. There was also a jar each of fruit wine, such as green plum wine and lychee wine, and a jar each of medicinal wine, such as viper wine and wolfberry wine.
Not to mention that Jinniang designed the patterns and asked outside embroiderers to make several sets of clothes for her grandson and granddaughter.
Not to mention the two pieces of green onion-white Song brocade and one piece of Chengxintang paper given to Sister Yun.
The viper wine was given to Jiang Xian by Ning Ge'er, there were two jars in total, and it is very good for rheumatic joints. Jinniang sent a jar to the Wei family, and asked Yunjie to keep it. It can dispel wind and dampness, remove toxins and calm nerves, and even relieve leprosy. She just wanted her to give a corner of it to her grandfather.
After Sister Yun received it, Wei Qilang took a look and couldn't help but said, "This is a good thing. I heard that it also contains viper ginseng."
"Yes, I heard that Ning Ge helped a snake catcher solve a case, and he gave it to me as a gift. Ning Ge has a child at home, so I didn't know what to do with it. Later, I heard that ginseng can be used to make wine, so I made two jars." said Yun Jie'er.
However, she said, "My mother said that this wine cannot be drunk every day, it is easy to be poisoned. It is good to drink it when you are not feeling well. And this wolfberry wine can replenish weakness, grow muscles, improve essence and energy, dispel cold wind, and strengthen yang. These are all medicinal wines. We can't drink them casually, right?"
Wei Qillang insisted on drinking. He had been a lover since he was a child. The more Yun Jie'er tried to stop him, the more he wanted to drink. Sister Yun told Madam Wei: "These are medicinal wines, nothing like his. Please tell me about him."
This is also because the relationship between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law is harmonious, so Sister Yun dares to say so.
Mrs. Wei was reluctant to say anything about her beloved son and only pretended to say a few words. Wei Qilang was not afraid.
After Yun Jie'er paid her respects to her mother-in-law, she went back and asked the Hu Tou couple, who had come to deliver the New Year gifts, to also load a cart of the New Year gifts she had prepared and send them to her parents.
Even though her mother asked her not to send it, she had to send it anyway to show her gratitude.
Jiang Xian received knee pads and waist guards made by Yun Jie'er, Jin Niang received two pairs of shoes made by her daughter, a robe was made for her younger brother Ning Ge'er, and a hood was made for her younger brother Ding Ge'er, in addition to all the other gifts, there were also silks and food.
"We children are really filial." Jinniang's eyes were red.
"Well, my mother died early and my father treated me so-so. But my wife and children are very good to me." Jiang Xian truly felt like he was soaking in a honey pot.
At the end of this year, his wife generously gave him three hundred taels of silver to buy calligraphy and paintings and antiques. Somehow, he loved his wife even more.
Naturally, Jinniang's in-laws, the Lu family, also gave a very nice return gift, and even gave Dingge'er a new book. Ding Ge'er shouted, "Son, don't read during the New Year. Go out and play."
"You are twelve or thirteen years old now, don't always think about playing." Jinniang glanced at her son.
Ding Ge'er laughed, "Hehe".
Ning Geer took a look at his younger brother and couldn't help but say to Jin Niang, "Mother, my second brother is so handsome. He should study with the old master. When he grows up, you can send him to the academy or the Imperial College to study."
Good-looking girls are bullied, and the same goes for boys. It was okay when Ning Ge'er was in school, but he often heard about such things in school, and he also saw such people fall into depravity, and even forced to go astray.
Of course, after becoming a magistrate, he felt that anything could happen in this world, and he was so well protected by his family.
Look at my younger brother again. He is so handsome. He should stay at home.
Jinniang immediately understood what her son meant. She had two sons. The elder one was outstanding, but the younger one was not as hard-working as his elder brother. As long as he had upright character and would be favored by their parents in the future, it would be fine for him to stay with them.
She has three children. The eldest daughter is straightforward, the eldest son is strong-willed, but the youngest son looks like a girl, so everyone protects him very much.
But Jinniang thought that she should at least be like her son-in-law Wei Qilang, and make the decision whether to be an official or not first. She was very knowledgeable about the ways of the world.
"Ning'er is right. Our Erlang should study hard." Jinniang said with a smile.
Ding Ge'er patted his chest and said, "My son will definitely study hard."
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, Jinniang and Jiang Xian took their youngest son out to visit the lantern festival. He was similar to Wei Qilang back then. Because he was handsome, people always looked at him.
Even Jiang Xian sighed, "I was born well when I was young, which was good, but also troublesome. Especially at that time, you know, my father failed the exams many times, and the family was in financial difficulty, so I was forced to go out and socialize. Although no one dared to do anything to me, there were some ignorant people who always wanted to provoke me and bully me."
"Everything is over. Look how happy we are together now. Our home is indestructible." Jinniang smiled.
Jiang Xian nodded seriously and added, "Our son will be getting married at the beginning of next year, which happens to be the end of my term of office next year."
Speaking of marriage, Miss Sun's younger sister was sent to Beijing by her parents to get married.
Zhou Si's wife originally lived in her hometown. When her husband first returned, he was highly respected by others because he was a Jinshi and had served as an official for many years. But later on, people saw him as just an ordinary person who had been dismissed from office, so they didn't show him any special respect or treatment. There were many people who wanted to be his friend, but none of them were satisfactory.
Fortunately, my daughter told me about the son of a Doctor of Taichang. The Doctor of Taichang was an eighth-rank official, not a high position, but his family tradition was quite upright. If Mr. Meng and that man were not colleagues, Mrs. Meng would mostly entertain high-ranking officials, and those wives of minor officials who were unwilling to entertain would ask Miss Sun for help.
Miss Sun was extremely kind and warm to others, had a very good reputation, and never flattered the powerful and looked down on the weak. She helped her sister find a home for Doctor Taichang purely out of respect for her.
Therefore, she also said to Mrs. Zhou Si: "I know that the families that my sister had proposed marriage to before were all those of high-ranking officials, or at least those of middle-level officials. But now the times have changed, and my sister is old, so let's not talk about looking for those families that are icing on the cake. Although this family is poor, the people are very nice."
Mrs. Zhou Si knew that her eldest daughter meant well, but she couldn't help but ask, "But that family doesn't even have a house in Beijing, it's just a rented house?"
"Mother, you are about to get married, why are you still talking nonsense. There are very few people who can buy a house in Bianjing. Most officials rent houses. My father-in-law said that this person is highly educated and has good character. I think the lady of that family is also a kind person. In fact, a good person is more important than anything else. If some snobbish families hear what my sister is like, I'm afraid they won't marry her." Miss Sun didn't want to make things clear, but she felt that her mother was still like this?
It has always been said that a married man must have a house and property and so on. There used to be such families, but they couldn't choose one themselves. Now, can others be willing? They are making trouble again.
Mrs. Zhou Si also knew that her daughters had a hard time. Looking at her second daughter, it was obvious that she was already at the age where she was eager to get married, and her temperament was becoming more and more strange. She always blamed them for not settling down early, and now she could only marry into a small official's family.
So, she could only sigh.
But Miss Sun pulled her sister into her room and said, "This party dispute is good today and bad tomorrow. You don't know yet, Jiang Song has married someone from another place."
"Out of town?" Miss Sun Er was surprised.
Miss Sun sneered: "The Ke family was the secretary of the junior supervisor at that time, what a noble official. Jiang Song married with a dowry of tens of thousands of strings of cash. After the marriage, the Ke family coveted the dowry and wanted to eat Jiang Song up. Fortunately, Jiang Song's mother, Madam Song, was very capable. Later, they divorced. Even the divorce was very painful. I don't know how much money was spent to settle it. But do you think the divorce is good? The Ke family rose step by step, but Lord Jiang was framed. At this time, Madam Song married her daughter to a senior official as his second wife. Although the official was also handsome and about 40 years old, he was not considered old. But it was hard to accept..."
Miss Sun Er felt sympathetic when she heard this: "I really didn't expect that..."
"When I married your brother-in-law, many people were not optimistic about my marriage. But you see, the Meng family cannot be compared with the first-class official families, but they are royal relatives after all, and they can never be affected. Your brother-in-law is also a concubine's son, so I guess it would be difficult for the mother-in-law to stand on his side. I came into the family, gave birth to children, stood firm on my feet, and pleased the mother-in-law, so that I could live a happy life." Miss Sun also sighed with emotion.
After that, she looked at her sister and said, "I see that your father-in-law is diligent in his official duties and often supports poor children. His students are all over the world. Your mother-in-law even prepares meals herself. She is a very simple person. When you get married, don't act like a spoiled brat. Use your sincerity to gain respect from others. No matter what party you belong to in the future, you will be able to live a good life."
Miss Sun Er nodded slowly.
On the day of the Flower Festival, Miss Sun Er got married. On the other hand, Miss Fan Si from Luoyang also got married. She got married from Luoyang to the capital. The man she married into was of high status, a ruling family. The Fan family also prepared a lot of dowry, stretching for ten miles.
Jinniang's silk shop made a lot of money because many people got married in spring, of course. However, she received a letter from her daughter saying that Wei Qilang had been appointed as the Minister of Dali Temple.
"It's good this way. With the favor of the emperor, I can also take the imperial examination. It's better than getting nothing." Jinniang said.
Once the imperial decree comes down, we will grant you the favor first.
Jiang Xian said, "That's what I said too. For someone like Ning Ge'er who is one in a million, it's hard for our Ding Ge'er to compare with his brother."
"It doesn't matter. I heard that the prime minister can grant favors to his retainers. You are a person with the talent to be a prime minister. Even if my son-in-law doesn't have a father in the future, I will still have you. However, after all, you passed the exam yourself, so that can be considered a legitimate status." Jinniang said.
It's okay if you have tried your best. If you are smart enough, you should try harder.
But Mrs. Wei obviously would not force her son. In this respect, Jinniang was different from Mrs. Wei. She also loved her younger son, but she did not allow him to be careless in his studies.
Three months later, a big change happened in the court. Prime Minister Jixian passed away...
In the past two years, Prime Minister Jixian has come to power and naturally changed his ways, but the emperor still misses the Shen Party. However, Shen Ziqi was too tough, so he summoned Jiang Fang back. Jiang Fang was a vengeful person.
Although the whole capital was in mourning, Sun Shichen was extremely happy. He had previously become an official thanks to the help of his brother-in-law.
Now he is using this incident as his political capital.
Jiang Fang used to be relatively stable, probably because he had not had a good life during those years of demotlement, and the Shen Party was purged. When he came to power as the Vice-Chancellor, he first ordered that people like Jiang Yan be demoted. Even his own brother Jiang Yan was demoted from the Privy Council to the prefect of Jiangning Prefecture.
Jiang Yan went without hesitation. He even said to Xu: "I may not be able to come back for many years. You can marry Zheng Jie'er at home and take care of my parents for me. I leave everything to you."
"What is going on..." But Xu felt that the world was unfair. Her good days had only lasted less than three years and her husband was leaving again.
Jiang Xuan comforted his mother, "I heard that Dad is still fine. Others who were banished to a smoky and humid place may not be able to come back alive in the future. For example, my uncle died in office before."
Xu held his forehead with his hand. But something happened that made her cry out that it was unfair, because the emperor appointed Jiang Xian as a Hanlin scholar and in charge of imperial edicts, saying that the emperor had seen the books Jiang Xian wrote while in office and praised them as brilliant.
Some people also say that this is just a mixture of different opinions. Everyone knows that Jiang Xian and his brother don't get along well. Jiang Fang's policies are very clear. Jiang Xian is the type of person who doesn't oppose anyone. Anyway, he will complete whatever task is assigned to him.
For Jinniang and the others, they had to return to the capital. Ning Ge'er still had one year left in his term. Jiang Xian wanted to open a back door for his son, but Ning Ge'er firmly refused.
"Since there is still one year left, son, why don't you work here until next year?" said Ning Ge'er.
Jinniang smiled and said, "That's good. After we go back, we will help you decorate your new house. When you return to Beijing to report on your work, the Lu family will be there to help you get married."
Ning Ge'er was fine with everything else, but he was reluctant to leave Jin Niang: "Mom, I didn't expect that we would have to separate again after being together for such a short time. Your son can't bear to leave you."
"The future is the most important." Jinniang patted her son on the shoulder.
She also had a lot of things to do. First, she informed the Lu family, then called the silk shop manager Xiao to give him some instructions, asking him to go to the capital twice a year to deliver the dividends. She also called the head of the Luoyang farm to tell him when to send the rent.
These matters were of utmost importance, and only after giving the instructions did Jiang Xian set off with her.
Returning to Bianjing again, Jinniang heaved a sigh of relief. She discussed with Jiang Xian: "Let's talk to Yunjie and the others after we're settled. We still have to clean up the house."
Jiang Xian naturally agreed. The couple went to the cellar to take a look first and were relieved to find that the silver and money were still there.
The two put the boxes and crates in the side room and locked them up. Then they heard that the house next door was for sale. Jinniang made a bold decision: "Why don't we buy the house next door? This side has three courtyards. You can use the second courtyard as a study for receiving guests, and the third courtyard for the two of us to live in. The house next door also has three courtyards, so it can be used as a cross-courtyard. Ning'er and his family can live there after they get married. What do you think?"
When I originally bought this house, I thought it was big enough for me to live in. I even thought that Ning'er would get married when he passed the imperial examination in his twenties, and Ding'er would get married even later.
Now that the new bride is coming home, she has so much dowry and many accompanying people, so the place she lives in will inevitably be cramped. Furthermore, although Jinniang cannot compare with the wealthy families with millions of dollars, the house next door does not hurt her at all.
The house next door has changed hands several times and is now valued at five thousand eight hundred strings of cash. The layout of their house is different from that of Jinniang's. When you enter from the main gate, there is a pond and rockery in the front yard. There are waterside pavilions on both sides of the central gate with hanging flowers. Through the corridor, you can reach the second courtyard. The second courtyard has a hard mountain and curved roof. In front of it are a few small porches, three main rooms, three east and west ear rooms, a small pavilion in front of the ear rooms, and five east and west wing rooms. The third entrance is a row of back rooms, with the kitchen to the west and the woodshed and bell tower to the east.
This house is connected to Jinniang's garden. After the connection was made, the path to the library and the waterside pavilion and rockery next door became one, making it look even bigger.
Of course Jinniang bargained down to five thousand two hundred strings of cash and then asked the porters to come and open up the passage between the house and the garden, and to rebuild the wall in front. She also spent five hundred strings of cash on the renovation.
Because Ning'er was going to live there, the east side of the second courtyard was set aside as a small study, and the west wing was used as Ding'er's bedroom. When he gets married, he will live in the small courtyard for a while, and then move to the Taixue courtyard when the family separates in the future.
Just as she was thinking about it, she saw Madam Meng from the opposite door coming over. Jinniang smiled and said, "I was busy with my eldest son's wedding and forgot to tell you."
After seeing Mrs. Meng for two or three years, Jinniang's temperament has become more calm. She can even buy the house next door and connect the house to the neighboring house at will. This is extraordinary strength.
"Who are we, or is your Dalang's marriage more important? I heard that she is the daughter of the Deputy Privy Councilor Lu?" Mrs. Meng asked.
Jinniang nodded: "That's right. Speaking of this marriage, we are marrying up. I have met that girl several times. She is from a very noble family and she is a nice person."
When Mrs. Meng heard Jinniang say that the girl was as beautiful as a fairy, she became more and more expectant. Jinniang looked at Miss Sun again and casually asked about her family situation.
Miss Sun said, "My father and mother are both in Bianjing now, and my father has been appointed as the Shaoqing of the Taichang Temple."
This is indeed a fifth-rank official. Jinniang smiled and said, "That's very good."
In fact, Miss Sun, who didn't watch it, had forgotten that her mother was also a time traveler. It's just that Jinniang sometimes feels that there's nothing special about time travel or not, just like people in modern society are all different, and time travelers are not necessarily smart.
Miss Sun also felt aggrieved. Her sister had just gotten married and her father had been promoted. Although her parents didn't say anything, they blamed her. But she was really wronged, she was really doing it for the girl's good.
Jinniang felt that Jiang Fang's revenge right away would not last long in the future. He was full of resentment when he encountered setbacks and was too hasty in eliminating his followers. In the future, he would only be a knife for the emperor.
But she didn't know what to say. After all, this is just what she thinks in her mind.
What's more, some people want to make knives for others but can't do it.
They came back in April, and in July, within three months, they had merged the two mansions into one, integrating them perfectly. Of course, this was also because Jinniang had a lot of money for decoration, so everything was done quickly.
Therefore, Jinniang specially invited relatives and friends to visit and arranged a banquet.
The Wei family naturally invited everyone as well, and this time everyone was really present. Madam Wei smiled and said, "This way, your house will be much more spacious."
"That's right. The water pavilion at the entrance over there is right next to our garden. It would be good if Ning'er and his family could live over there. Ning'er loves reading, and Miss Lu is also full of talent. It's just right that the environment is quiet." Jinniang smiled.
Mrs. Wei knew that Jinniang was different from other women. She was not a woman who only lived on dowry. She knew how to make money from money and managed the household finances very well. Otherwise, she would not be so generous.
Sister Yun smiled and said, "Mom, you and your daughter-in-law live too far away."
There is a garden between them, so even if you walk over, it will take at least a moment's effort.
Jinniang thought it would be better if she lived far away. As the saying goes, if you are not deaf or dumb, you should not be a grandfather. Chickens and dogs can hear each other. If you say something that makes me unhappy, and I say something that makes you unhappy, it may not be a good thing.
Besides, as a mother-in-law, she has spent a lot of money to buy a new house for her son and daughter-in-law. Any normal person would not go against her mother-in-law. Of course, even if she does, she is not afraid, because Jinniang has plenty of strength and means.
After the banquet, Mrs. Wei seemed to be hesitant to speak, but she still left.
It was after the Mid-Autumn Festival that Jinniang learned that Prime Minister Wei had been dismissed from his post and only retained the title of Grand Secretary. Master Wei then decided to return to Daming Prefecture on the grounds of poor health.
After hearing this, Jinniang said to Jiang Xian, "We were always reluctant to let our daughter marry out before, but now it's a good opportunity to let our daughter and her husband come home, which is great."
After discussing it, the couple went to the Wei family. Although Master Wei and Madam Wei were reluctant to part with Wei Qilang, they also knew that with the dismissal of the master, their son might have no one to support him in the future. Having this marriage was better than anything else.
The eldest son of the Jiang family has passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, but the second son is still too young, so some of the resources must be left for his son at this time.
Mrs. Wei held Jinniang's hand with tears in her eyes and said, "Third Aunt, please help me."
"It's nothing. It's what I should do. Even if Qilang is not my son-in-law, he is still my nephew." Jinniang really thought so. She had benefited a lot from the Wei family and had long wanted to give back.
…
After seeing off the Wei family, Jinniang asked her daughter and son-in-law to live in the small courtyard that had been promised to them. Yun Jie'er came first, and Wei Qilang came to the garden later with his suitcases and met Meng Sanlang at the door.
Meng Sanlang went into the Meng family and said to Miss Sun, "The Wei family has fallen, and Wei Qilang is living with his father-in-law. Madam Jiang is so kind to his nephew and son-in-law. He is really lucky. I heard that Wei's eldest son went to another state to serve as an official, and Wei Liulang followed him back to Daming Prefecture. Their futures are uncertain, but his future is protected by his father-in-law."
Miss Sun said slowly: "Yes, if another son-in-law came, the Yue family might not be so good, but Wei Qilang is Madam Jiang's nephew."
She used to think that Jiang Jun was lucky, but now it seems that Wei Qilang was clearly lucky and was born to be rich.
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