Chapter 107 There's Always Something to Do: "Madam, Granny Ma came by twice this afternoon. When I asked her what was wrong, she wouldn't say, she just said..."
“Madam, Granny Ma came over twice this afternoon. When I asked her what she wanted, she wouldn’t say. She just said she would come over again when you come back.”
"What else could it be besides our Aunt Fu? Miss Qing Shuang couldn't have missed this, could she?"
"I guessed it, but I dare not make any unfounded comments about my master's affairs."
"I'm not telling you to make wild guesses or talk nonsense, but to use this incident to understand the principles. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, you will be getting married and leaving the mansion, so please remember not to make the same mistake as Aunt Fu."
Shen Wanqing has been in this world for almost five years. She is twenty-five years old this year, and the maids in the East Courtyard are also of marriageable age.
Chunqian got married at the beginning of this year; her husband was Shen Feng, an assistant to Shen Hongji in the caravan. He also had the surname Shen, and their kinship was beyond the fifth degree of kinship with Shen Wanqing.
His family was poor, but fortunately he had excellent martial arts skills and was very brave. At the age of fourteen, he joined a caravan, and at twenty-one, he followed Shen Hongji out of Shengjing to travel to the northwest with the caravan. He is twenty-three years old this year, two years younger than Chunqian.
Those who traveled by horse caravan either had their families arrange for them to get married at a young age, or they were left unattended and spent most of the year on the road, so they could easily be delayed. Shen Feng belonged to this group that was delayed.
As Shen Wanqing's head maid, Chunxian has not only managed the affairs of the backyard in the past two years, but has also been involved in many matters concerning the shops and estates outside.
The same applies to the caravan. As Shen Hongji's deputy, Shen Feng inevitably had to deal with the mansion, and the two of them naturally hit it off.
Therefore, Chunxian knelt before Shen Wanqing one night to apologize. After all, she was a maid who had been sold into servitude, and according to the current rules, her life and death were entirely up to her mistress. As for whether she would marry or whom she would marry, that was even less of her decision.
According to custom, even if a senior maidservant like Shen Wanqing from a prominent family got married, she was expected to be of great use. She would either be betrothed to a steward or close attendant of the master, or marry a retainer or advisor kept in the household, all in the name of winning him over.
However, Shen Wanqing and Yu Lang's relationship was so close that there was no need to win them over, and Yu Lang had not yet kept any retainers or advisors, so Shen Wanqing had no intention of doing so at all.
Seeing Chunxian kneeling at her feet, crying in fear, Shen Wanqing wasn't foolish enough to ask her why she was so frightened over something so trivial, when she hadn't treated Chunxian badly. She thought to herself, "Do you think I wouldn't even agree to this?"
The relationship between myself and Chunxian is the same as that between myself and Shi Qionghua. No matter how well I treat her, her life and death are essentially in my hands, so she will always have that fear of me.
Shen Wanqing didn't offer any comfort, only telling her to wait a few more days.
She first casually asked Yu Lang, Bi Yun, and Qing Shuang how old they were, and then spread the news that she wanted to find husbands for several of her head maids. Once everyone in the mansion knew about this, she then took the opportunity to betroth Chun Xian to Shen Feng.
As a result, everyone thought it was the eldest grandmother's kindness to those around her, and no one would have thought that Chunxian had a relationship with Shenfeng first.
These matters between men and women are no joke. Whether Chunxian gets together with Shenfeng first and then asks me for this favor, or whether I make the first decision and then betroth Chunxian to Shenfeng, the difference is huge.
Not long after Chunxian was betrothed, Qingshuang brought her parents into the manor. Qingshuang's father worked at a shop outside the city, and her mother worked on a farm outside the city. Both of them were minor managers. In recent years, as Shen Wanqing managed the family business very well, they naturally earned a lot as well.
Qing Shuang's family name is Chen, and the Chen family values their daughter Qing Shuang very much. This time, seeing that Shen Wanqing really wanted to find husbands for several older maids, she mustered up her courage and came in.
The marriage that the Chen family arranged for Qing Shuang was with one of her cousins. Upon hearing the word "cousin," Shen Wanqing's first reaction was whether this cousin was a blood relative. She only breathed a sigh of relief after learning that he was not.
Nowadays, cousins with the same surname cannot marry, but for some reason, marriage between first cousins has become a double blessing, a common and joyous occasion.
Her distant cousin was not a slave but a scholar, so the two families were willing to form a marriage alliance because they saw mutual benefits in each other.
The Chen family valued their son-in-law because he was a scholar. No matter how their daughter lived after marrying into the family, her status would be completely different. Even if she didn't live well, their family could still provide her with financial assistance.
They saw that Qing Shuang was a maid who had served Yu Lang since childhood. With this connection, as long as she passed the imperial examination, they could use their connections to get her a minor official position.
Qing Shuang was willing to marry, and Shen Wanqing immediately gave her her indenture. However, her marriage was different from Chun Xian's, and whenever Fu Xuan was mentioned, she couldn't help but give her a few more words of advice.
"Grandma, you still don't trust me? How could someone as clever as me make such a foolish mistake?"
"People think highly of me, but in the end, it's all thanks to the eldest mistress and the eldest master. What kind of rare thing am I to act superior in front of them? He's a scholar; I should be grateful that he doesn't look down on me for being illiterate."
"Knowing you're smart, I won't say too much. He's a scholar, and you have powerful connections. When people get married and live their lives, no one is superior to another. Don't look down on his family because they're not well-off, but don't belittle yourself either. That's the best way."
Shen Wanqing sighed. She really didn't understand why everyone could understand such a simple principle, but Fu Xuan could make the wrong choice every time and still couldn't learn her lesson!
Fuxuan married and moved to Jingzhou in the thirty-first year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, and did not return to the capital for three years. Every time Lady Tongjia wrote to her daughter, she always replied that she was doing well.
Lady Tongjia feared that her daughter would only report good news and not bad, so every year when she sent someone to Jingzhou to deliver New Year's gifts, she would repeatedly instruct the person in charge in Jingzhou to carefully check whether Fuxuan was truly good.
Shen Wanqing's attitude towards this has always been that Tongjia Shi can worry about it however she wants; she doesn't care how much the household's year-end expenditure is. If you wish, you can even let the steward who went to Jingzhou stay there for a month or two to see how Fuxuan is doing.
Peering in from the outside, it's naturally difficult to discern anything. In particular, Shen Wanqing's attitude clearly indicates that she doesn't want to get involved in Fuxuan's affairs. The servants below understood her attitude, so naturally they wouldn't go out of their way to find out whether Fuxuan was doing well or how well she was doing in Dong'e's household.
It wasn't until this year, when it was time to hold Yi'an's first birthday banquet, that the second master, He Yi, had already sent a letter saying that he would take advantage of the opportunity to return to the capital two months early to try to stay at home for a longer period of time. Only then did Zhenxuan take the initiative to write to her younger sister, Fuxuan, to ask her if she wanted to return to the capital to visit relatives this year.
The siblings haven't been able to get together for many years, and if they can't all get together this time, who knows when they'll be able to next time.
Besides, the old lady is not young anymore. After the New Year, she should have a banquet to celebrate her 60th birthday. Why not take this opportunity for her children to come back to Beijing for a get-together and stay with her for half a year? It would be a good way to make her happy.
At sixty, according to the latest standards of later generations, Tongjia Shi would still be on the cusp of youth, but at present, Tongjia Shi was indeed an old lady with a full head of white hair.
Because she had never experienced hardship and had lived a relatively pampered life, she didn't have many wrinkles on her face and hands. Without close inspection, she would simply appear to be a rather elegant and wealthy woman. However, upon closer examination, one could see the aging and cloudiness in her eyes.
Shen Wanqing still remembered what Tongjia looked like when she first met her on her second day in this world. She didn't think much of it since they greeted each other every day, but thinking back to that day and looking at Tongjia now, she had to admit that Zhenxuan's plan made sense.
If we don't take advantage of this opportunity to reunite, who knows when the next one will be?
The father was kind and the son was filial. The father was gone but the old lady was still alive. At this time, Yu Lang, as the eldest grandson, certainly could not remain silent. Shen Wanqing and Yu Lang discussed it privately and sent people to Shengjing, Fuzhou and Jingzhou to formally send letters home the next day.
Yulang is the one in charge of this family. By sending the letter to various places, he has taken over the task of organizing the old lady's birthday banquet next year.
Tongjia no longer said anything hypocritical about not needing to come back or cause trouble. Instead, she called Shumulu over early and asked her to prepare all the guest rooms in the west courtyard, fearing that there wouldn't be enough room in the mansion when her two daughters brought their sons-in-law and grandsons back.
The first to return to the capital were Zhenxuan's family of four. She still hadn't been able to conceive again in the past two years. The little boy who was just over two years old and was being held in the arms of the wet nurse was born to Fu Guangna's concubine. The child was brought to Zhenxuan to be raised as soon as he was born.
Judging by the timeline, this matter should have been settled after the first trip back to Beijing to visit relatives. Shen Wanqing didn't ask why and didn't intend to. Zhenxuan had her own ideas, and Shen Wanqing didn't need to say anything more.
She simply took the initiative to bring Fangyi back from the main courtyard and vacated the back room for Zhenxuan and Fuxuan so that the sisters could have enough time to spend with Tongjia after returning to their parents' home.
When Fangyi returned, she did not move to the small courtyard, but instead moved back to Niohuru's courtyard.
This spring, the palace held a selection of concubines, and fourteen-year-old Fangyi participated. Because she was the Empress's cousin and Yulang's younger sister, and Gao Laixi even specially asked the eunuchs and maids in charge of the selection to take care of her, Fangyi's journey to the palace for the selection went very smoothly.
The only drawback was that during the days of the selection, rumors circulated both among the candidates and outside the palace that Consort Ping was seriously ill, and that another woman from the Hesheli family might be chosen for the selection. In addition to Fangyi, another Hesheli woman participating in the selection was the granddaughter of Suo'etu.
Everyone seemed to assume that the Emperor would choose another girl from the Hesheli family to enter the palace, and everyone also assumed that Fangyi and Suo'etu's granddaughter were aiming for this. Only Fangyi and the Hesheli family knew that no one in the family had the idea of sending Fangyi to the palace.
Lady Tongjia was reluctant to part with her daughter, just as she had been reluctant to part with Fuxuan back then. In terms of appearance, Fuxuan was far more beautiful than Fangyi. If she really had the idea of sending her daughter to the palace as a concubine, she should have sent Fuxuan instead of waiting until now.
No matter how capable, shrewd, or fond of being a master of impartiality she was, Tongjia never harbored any ill intentions towards her children and descendants.
In her view, entering the palace was never a good thing. The emperor's favor could come and go as it pleased, and she had no control over it. Outside the palace, she could argue and make a scene with her husband and go back to her parents' home if things didn't go well. But once she entered the palace, she would never be able to control her own life, whether it was good or bad.
Therefore, before Fangyi was selected for the imperial concubine selection, Tongjia Shi, who no longer managed household affairs, specifically summoned Yulang and Shen Wanqing to the main courtyard and repeatedly instructed them to ask someone to find connections so that Fangyi could be eliminated in the first round and go home.
The Hesheli family is not like it was a few years ago. Even if they fail in the first round, no one will think it's because their daughter isn't good enough. Now that she's back, she can look after potential partners with peace of mind. Fangyi must not be like Fuxuan, wasting her youth because of this or that.
Tongjia was thinking about Fangyi's future, while Shen Wanqing and Yulang were clearly thinking about much more.
The two of them and the Hesheli family were gaining more and more prestige within the Hesheli branch. Many matters that were previously decided independently by the eldest son of the first-class baron's family would now be decided by sending someone to ask Yulang for his opinion.
The same applies to the First-Class Duke's Mansion and the Suo'etu Mansion of the Yuanhou lineage next door. Whenever there is a major event concerning the Hesheli lineage, the invitation is sent to Yulang first and then to the First-Class Baron's Mansion.
Under such circumstances, Yu Lang would be insane to send his own sister into the palace to become a concubine.
I've gotten to where I am today by honestly and diligently performing my duties, and I haven't had deep ties with any particular faction. Do the Crown Prince and the Emperor really want to see me grow into another powerful relative like Songgotu? What a joke!
So Fangyi's selection of concubines was just a one-round trip. When she came back, she said that the palace was magnificent and beautiful, and the food prepared by the imperial kitchen for the concubines was also very delicious. In short, for her, the selection of concubines was just a trip to the palace.
On the contrary, Suo'etu, who has kept a low profile for the past year or two, has put a lot of effort into this. He wants to send his granddaughter into the palace because he knows that the news of Consort Ping's serious illness is not false.
Consort Ping was the younger sister of Empress Yuan. She entered the palace in the nineteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign and was immediately granted the title of Consort. This was a sign of the Kangxi Emperor's favor towards Empress Yuan's maternal family and also a way for the imperial power to win over and maintain ties with noble families.
Consort Ping gave birth to a prince four years ago, but the child died before reaching one month old. Over the years, Consort Ping has always kept a very low profile in the palace. Except for the period when she was pregnant, gave birth, and her child died, when news of Consort Ping would occasionally surface, she lived like a shadow in the Forbidden City.
This is related to her status. She was able to be made a concubine as soon as she entered the palace because she was the younger sister of the Empress Yuan, even though she never received the Emperor's favor.
Because she was the younger sister of the Empress Yuan, she was destined not to receive the Emperor's favor again. She thought that having one Empress from the Hesheli family was enough for the harem, and that there was no need for another favored concubine or even a prince from the Hesheli family.
Emperor Kangxi understood this principle, the Crown Prince understood it, Yu Lang and Shen Wanqing understood it, and even the First-Class Duke's Mansion understood it. Therefore, when Consort Ping became pregnant and gave birth, the First-Class Duke's Mansion was not particularly happy, and they were not particularly saddened when the prince died young.
Lady Guarjia even privately told her maids that it was better not to have children, because without children there would be no worries or troubles. She didn't expect her youngest daughter to have a glamorous life in the palace; she was content with a peaceful and ordinary life.
But Songgotu didn't think so. Although his faction still valued him in the past two years, he could clearly feel the threat posed by Yulang and the Crown Prince's alienation. At first, he thought about struggling, but he also realized that struggling was useless.
As the Crown Prince grew stronger day by day, he had more and more capable people around him, and Suo'etu became a burden and an obstacle to the Crown Prince.
But once a person reaches the position of Songgotu, it's not something he can simply back down from. Being caught in the middle, unable to advance or retreat, is too unbearable. After much thought, Songgotu actually came up with a solution: send another woman from the Hesheli family into the palace.
This time, instead of relying on the First-Class Duke's mansion, he'll send his own granddaughter. If this succeeds, the Hesheli family will produce another prince, and then his relationship with the young prince will be even closer. His Majesty is in his prime; who can predict what will happen in the future?
The imagination is rich, but reality is harsh. Fangyi got what she wanted and was sent home in the first round. Suo'etu tried his best to create momentum for his granddaughter but got the same result. The two left the Forbidden City hand in hand.
The Crown Prince was not angry at all; in fact, he was so pleased that he treated Shi Qionghua to a good meal, and even had another meal that night.
If Suo'etu harbors such ulterior motives, the Emperor will only despise him even more. As for himself, the Crown Prince, he has already been pitiful and dutiful enough. Even Suo'etu has the idea of abandoning him, so what threat is there to him as the Crown Prince?
In this way, the Crown Prince was not only pleased but also even more satisfied with Yu Lang's accurate self-positioning. For the past six months, even though Yu Lang, as a captain, was only in charge of the affairs of the Plain Yellow Banner, the Crown Prince still summoned him to Yuqing Palace every few days.
With Yulang's favor with the Crown Prince undiminished, Fangyi has even more options when choosing a husband. Although no marriage has been arranged yet, everyone knows that the eldest daughter cannot stay at home for much longer, so it is only right to let her go back to Niohuru's side to keep her mother company.
Not long after Fangyi moved back, Heyi, who had left the capital to take up his post, also returned.
These past few years have been quite an experience for He Yi. Firstly, his post has been much more challenging than his time in the capital. The Second Master, who used to be arrogant, incompetent, and extremely selfish, has now learned how to conceal his true nature. At least he can pretend to put others first and himself last in everything.
Secondly, Yu Lang's rise in rank was too rapid, so rapid that he somewhat regretted choosing to leave the capital. Had he known that his nephew Yu Lang would be so successful, he might have been able to rise in rank along with him, or perhaps find a better job later in the capital.
With this in mind, He Yi's attitude towards Yu Lang and the eldest son's family was as warm as a spring breeze. In his view, the struggle between the two families a few years ago had completely disappeared, almost as if they had been completely forgotten.
He Yi and Zhen Xuan had maintained contact, but the siblings hadn't seen each other for many years. They chatted quite well, and Fu Guang and He Yi also met up for drinks and conversation every few days. Only Fu Xuan's family arrived in the capital two days before Yi An's first birthday banquet.
After arriving home, Fu Xuan kept saying in her letters that she was doing very well. It is said that she cried when she saw Tongjia Shi, and cried very pitifully.
Shen Wanqing wasn't there that day; Biyun told her about it. In the following two days, the family was busy with the banquet, so Tongjia didn't mention Shen Wanqing and naturally didn't ask.
I only vaguely heard that after Fu Xuan married into the family, she always tried to outdo De Cheng because of her family background. At first, De Cheng would give in to her, but later, for some reason, he couldn't stand it anymore. The two of them would argue every day they met, and in the past year, De Cheng has rarely even come home. I'm afraid he has another family outside.
That's the gist of the matter. Since Madam Tongjia hadn't sent anyone to speak to Shen Wanqing these past two days, she pretended not to know. But now that Yi'an's first birthday banquet was over, she naturally couldn't resist coming to the East Courtyard to invite people over.
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