Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Liu Lang came back and knelt in the lady's room...
Nanny Fu continued, "Don't be angry, Liu Lang. Actually, this isn't Liu Lang's fault. When he was at the Deng family, he didn't know he was married. When others asked, he naturally said he wasn't married yet. After Liu Lang learned about this, he never saw the Deng mother and daughter again. Back then, when he was rushing back to the capital, Liu Lang asked the Governor of Jiaozhou to send someone to pick them up."
"I see." That's right. Deng Dalang joined the army to fight, and it was impossible for his mother and sister to follow him. Of course, they stayed at home, and someone would be arranged to pick them up after the ceasefire.
"Yes, and I spent half a day talking with Madam Deng—though I sometimes struggled to understand her dialect, I did get the general idea—that Liu Lang had only lived with her for a few months. You see, the Battle of Baijiang was fought in April. Madam Deng's talk was erratic, and she kept exaggerating when she mentioned how long Liu Lang had lived with her. But when she mentioned the exact time her son was drafted into the Jiaozhi army, she kept insisting it was that winter."
Ji Yanlang did say that he and Deng Dalang were later conscripted into the service of a general in Jiaozhi. During the war-torn years, even children as young as eleven or twelve would be conscripted, but there would be no leniency and no one would spare a boy of sixteen or seventeen.
Fang Ying nodded and listened to Aunt Fu continue, "The young lady from the Deng family has a petite figure. She was only thirteen that year, so she must have looked even younger. No wonder Liu Lang came back and told Madam that she was a little sister."
This Aunt Fu was so thoughtful and explained everything with reason and evidence. Fang Ying asked with a smile, "Did Aunt Fu talk to that young lady? It's a pity that I didn't see her."
"The young lady has a strong character and is very cautious. She is not willing to talk to the servants and always complains that her mother is too talkative."
Why does it sound like there's nothing about Ji Yanlang? Fang Ying asked, "Is Liu Lang not here?"
Aunt Fu looked surprised. "Sixth Lady, don't you know? After Liu Lang sent the Deng family mother and daughter over, he saw the servants and others there, so he hurried home to apologize to the Madam."
"Really? I haven't heard of it." Fang Ying subconsciously turned around to look at Lichun, but saw Lichun also shaking his head, indicating that he didn't know.
"Perhaps Madam didn't want to tell you." Nanny Fu lowered her voice. "Madam was really angry today. Liu Lang came back and knelt in Madam's room for half a day. He was still kneeling in the hall when I went to answer him."
Fang Ying was very surprised: "What about now?"
"I reported all that I just reported to Liu Niang to Madam. When I left, Madam asked Liu Lang to come in and report." Nanny Fu paused and then instructed, "Since Liu Niang didn't know beforehand, she should pretend to be ignorant afterwards to avoid embarrassing Liu Lang."
Fang Ying agreed seriously: "Hey, I'll listen to you, Madam."
Nanny Fu had been with Li and had looked after Fang Ying for two years. Like Li, she was very fond of her. Seeing that she was not stubborn and was willing to listen to advice, she was even more pleased. She couldn't help but say, "Although Liu Lang may seem to have a bad temper and no one can subdue him, he actually has a heart as kind as Madam, and is the softest of all. Liu Niang, just take his pulse and he will be fine."
"Thank you for your teachings, Ma'am." Fang Ying always expressed her gratitude sincerely for other people's kindness.
Aunt Fu waved her hand and said, "I am the one who said too much. If Liu Niang has no other instructions, I will take my leave."
Fang Ying stood up to see her out, and watched Lichun hand the bag to the little maid who came with Nanny Fu. She went back to her room to calculate the time, and thought that Li had almost finished teaching Ji Yanlang a lesson, so she stood up and went to the main room to have dinner with Li.
She intentionally walked slowly along the way. When she entered Li's courtyard, she saw that the maids and servants had their usual smiles on their faces. She knew that the mother and son must have finished their conversation and the atmosphere was good, so she went in with confidence.
In the inner room, Li was sitting on the kang as usual, and Ji Yanlang was sitting on the first chair below his mother. Both mother and son had smiles on their faces, as if they had just talked about something happy.
"Ying'er, please take a seat." Li pointed to the chair across from her son. "You've come just in time. Liu Lang has felt guilty and said that when the government awards us, he'll host a feast and treat us women to a drink."
"That's great." Fang Ying said approvingly, "It just so happens that the day of my mother's vow is coming soon. We can all have a good time drinking then."
"That's what I said. Liu Lang told us to order whatever we like. I've already ordered a roasted whole lamb for you."
Fang Ying: “…”
Sure enough, the roasted whole lamb at the last family dinner was a dish specially added for her. Mother is so kind. She will definitely be filial to her in the future, just like she is to her own mother. Even if Ji Yanlang treats her badly, for her mother, she will not argue with him... Just as this thought came to her, as if to verify the vow she secretly made in her heart, Ji Yanlang spoke.
"I was just about to say that her taste isn't like that of other young ladies. She's quite strong in flavor. Isn't she afraid of getting a sore throat from eating too much mutton?"
“…”
Fang Ying silently repeated to herself, "I won't argue with him," and then Li spoke up for her. "What do you mean by 'ordinary young lady'? You've met a few young ladies, so you know what an ordinary young lady likes."
Ji Yanlang smiled apologetically: "My son was thinking that my sisters don't like to eat meat..."
"They are who they are. Everyone has different tastes. There's no comparison. Besides, you told us to order whatever we want. Why are you still talking so much and criticizing other people's tastes?"
Ji Yanlang quickly begged for mercy: "My son is too talkative and shouldn't have said that..."
Li was about to ask him to admit his mistake and find the real culprit when Fang Gui hurried in to report, "Madam, Liu Lang, someone from the palace has sent a message and is waiting in the front hall. Er Lang has already gone to accompany him."
Ji Yanlang immediately stood up and said to Li, "I'll go take a look."
Li nodded and watched him leave. Fang Ying stood up and walked over to her side, saying with a smile, "Could it be that we're talking about the emperor rewarding the soldiers who fought in the Jiaozhi battle?"
"Hmm..." Li thought for a moment and nodded, "Maybe."
Fang Ying knew that she was worried that something might have happened to Ji Guangting, and she couldn't rest easy without getting any accurate information, so she stopped talking and waited quietly with her mother-in-law.
Fortunately, things turned out just as she had guessed. Ji Yanlang and Ji Yanshou soon came to see Li with happy faces, saying that the emperor had ordered Ji Yanlang to attend the court tomorrow morning to receive his reward.
Li smiled happily: "We really got what we said. Liu Lang can't escape this banquet."
Ji Yanshou asked what the banquet was about. When he heard that only the women were invited, he smiled and patted his younger brother's shoulder: "Liu Lang should treat this dinner. Mother, please don't feel sorry for him. Order more good wine and good food."
"He can't escape." Li was in a very good mood. She asked Ji Yanshou and found out that he hadn't had dinner yet, so she asked Yue Qing'e and the children to come over, add two dishes, and eat together.
After dinner, they talked for a while about how to hold a banquet to celebrate Ji Guangting's return, and then everyone dispersed.
Ji Yanlang seemed to have forgotten about the Deng mother and daughter. He returned to the courtyard and went straight into the east wing. Fang Ying felt that it was not worth talking to him about this matter, so she went back to her room and went to bed early.
The next morning, after seeing Ji Yanlang off, Fang Ying had breakfast with Li. Her third sister-in-law An, fourth sister-in-law Cheng, fifth sister-in-law Gao, and several concubines came to pay their respects to Li.
After mentioning Ji Yanlang's reward at court, An looked at Fang Ying with a meaningful smile: "I heard that Liu Lang brought the relatives of his savior here, why don't we see them?"
"Yes, I heard that they were a mother and daughter. Weren't they placed at home?" Cheng said very quickly.
The daughters-in-law were talking to each other, and Li interrupted them right after they started talking. Not only did she seem arrogant, but she also made Fang Ying seem weak and vulnerable, needing her to protect her all the time. Li also wanted to hear Fang Ying's answer, so she lowered her head and drank her tea, as if she didn't care much about the matter.
"Third and Fourth Sisters-in-law, you're talking as if they're poor relatives seeking refuge here." Fang Ying smiled, her tone joking. "Sixth Brother brought them here because they have no relatives over there and no one to look after them. They plan to settle down in the capital, so it's only natural that they find a home first."
Li smiled slightly. This child is indeed very smart.
An Shi felt rather unhappy at Fang Ying's retort, but with a forced smile, she said, "Sixth sister-in-law, what you said is not right. Distinguished guests should always be invited into our home and treated with all our wealth. How can we just rent a yard outside to accommodate them? That would be like sending away poor relatives."
"Third sister-in-law, you misunderstood. We didn't say we wouldn't entertain them." Fang Ying said innocently, "It's just that the mother and daughter still have a year of mourning. It doesn't make sense to host a banquet during their mourning period. Speaking of this, Liu Lang is really thoughtful. Our family has many happy events coming one after another, and we are about to hold a big banquet. If we just put the mother and daughter at home, it would be difficult for us and them as well."
Yue Qing'e nodded in agreement, "That's true. If we don't invite them to our banquet, it would be impolite. Even if we invite them, they are in mourning, which is really inconvenient. They have just lost their loved one, and seeing our family so happy together would only make them sadder."
Fang Ying sighed softly, "Second sister-in-law is absolutely right."
An was so stunned by the two of them singing the same tune that she was speechless. She had no choice but to wink at Cheng, signaling her to speak.
"That's really thoughtful of Liu Lang." Cheng continued with a smile, "It seems that after these three years of getting along, we've developed a deep bond."
An Shi realized that they had brought up the matter precisely for this purpose, but Fang Ying had forgotten about it when she was distracted. She quickly added, "It's truly rare for our Liu Lang to be so thoughtful. How old is that young lady?"
Her face was full of anticipation, not even a hint of concealment. Li frowned and was about to speak when Fang Ying answered generously, "Said it's sixteen."
"Oh, she is in her prime years. After she finishes mourning for her brother, it's the perfect time for her to get married." An said with a beaming smile.
Cheng immediately continued, "Yes. She must find a good family when the time comes, so that she can repay her brother for saving Liu Lang."
Mrs. An didn't even give the others a chance to speak. She patted her sister-in-law and said, "Oh, why do you need to worry about this? Just look at how concerned our Liu Lang is. He will definitely not let that young lady suffer."
This time she learned her lesson and didn't tell the truth. She made such vague insinuations that Fang Ying couldn't refute it. Yue Qing'e stepped in to help Fang Ying, saying that she had some household chores that she needed Fang Ying's help with, and took her out of Li's room.
"Thank you, second sister-in-law." After leaving Li's yard, Fang Ying smiled and thanked her first.
Yue Qing'e held her hand and shook her head, "Why are you thanking me? I still need to apologize to you."
Fang Ying was surprised: "Why is my second sister-in-law asking me for compensation?"
Yue Qing'e sighed, "I only found out last night that your second uncle sent someone to help Liu Lang rent the small courtyard to the Deng family mother and daughter."
No wonder, she said that Ji Yanlang had only been back for a few days, but how come he had done this so smoothly? Even her mother-in-law didn't hear anything about it, but he had already prepared the yard.
"What's there to apologize for?" Fang Ying smiled and squeezed her sister-in-law's hand. "What I just said was all sincere. I really don't think there's anything wrong with Liu Lang's arrangement. His only mistake was not explaining it clearly to Mother beforehand..."
Yue Qing'e tapped her forehead in frustration, "You're just stupid! You're lucky you married into our family, with a loving mother-in-law like you. If you had married into someone else's family, wouldn't they have eaten you alive, leaving nothing but bones?"
Fang Ying smiled and said, "Thank you for loving me, sister-in-law. But if I really encounter jackals, wolves, tigers or leopards, I won't just sit there and surrender. I will definitely break a few of their teeth."
"Look at what you have accomplished." Yue Qing'e laughed a few times and said, "To be honest, you have to find out as soon as possible what Liu Lang thinks of the young lady from the Deng family." As she spoke, she turned around and glanced at the maids, and the maids slowed down.
Yue Qing'e took Fang Ying and walked a few quick steps to distance them, then whispered, "If it's really just a brother-sister relationship, that would be the best. This year, find out if there are any good families, and then marry her off next year, so you don't have to worry about it. If there's anything else, you have to make plans early, and it's best if you get pregnant first. With your mother's temper, she will never agree to let that young lady marry you if you're pregnant. She has to wait until you give birth..."
Fang Ying felt a dull pain in her stomach and said quickly, "I've got it. Thanks for teaching me, sister-in-law."
Yue Qing'e thought she was being offended by what she said, so she sighed softly, "I know you have deep feelings for Liu Lang, and hearing this makes me sad, but what can I do? Which prince from a noble family doesn't have concubines? Your second uncle and I, to others, seem like a loving couple... I want to tell you something. Don't tell anyone else, let alone mother."
"What's wrong? Did my second uncle do something wrong to my sister-in-law outside?" Fang Ying was startled and asked hurriedly.
"No." Yue Qing'e made her laugh instead, "What are you thinking? He is not that kind of person."
Fang Ying patted her chest and said, "Sister-in-law herself said something scary, and she even blamed me for thinking the wrong thing. What's going on?"
"It's actually a happy event, so I want to wait until my father-in-law and the others come back before I tell you." Yue Qing'e leaned close to Fang Ying's ear, "The lotus pod in my room is pregnant."
Lianpeng was the concubine that Yue Qing'e gave to Ji Yanshou.
Fang Ying was stunned for a moment, then congratulated Yue Qing'e: "It is indeed a happy event, congratulations to sister-in-law. I think Lianpeng is very honest and obedient. If you can have a boy, sister-in-law will raise him as your own, so that no one will covet things that they shouldn't covet."
Yue Qing'e nodded: "I think so too. My stomach has been very quiet for the past two years. How many tonics have I taken? I am really anxious and my stomach is burning."
"Why don't you stop taking the medicine? I see my sister-in-law is feeling much better now. If Lianpeng is pregnant with this baby, maybe she can bring home a little brother."
"I'll take your kind words."
The two men went to see the housekeeper while talking. After they finished taking care of the household affairs and had just drunk half a cup of tea together, someone came in to report that the imperial decree of reward had been issued. Ji Yanlang was appointed as the commander of the Xiaoxiong Army in the Forbidden Army, and was also given the title of Imperial City Envoy, and several other rewards.
The messenger also explained that the Xiaoxiong Army was a newly formed elite cavalry unit of the government, and that Liu Lang had been entrusted with an important task by the government, so he immediately congratulated Fang Ying.
Fang Ying asked Lichun to give him the reward and then asked, "Where is the Third Prince?"
"Replying to Liu Niang, His Royal Highness the Third Prince has been granted the title of Prince of Qin, and has also been given the titles of Inspector of the Imperial Tutor and Minister of the Court."
He really got crowned as king. It’s good to be crowned as king. Now that he is crowned as king, there is no need to rush about Congshan’s marriage.
The author has something to say:
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Sorry, I stopped for two days. I will try my best to update every day~
By the way, regarding official positions, Ji Yanlang joined the Imperial Guards as the Commander of the Xiaoxiong Army - a real position, and was also appointed as the Imperial City Envoy - a rank official, which determined his official rank and salary; as for the third prince's additional titles of Inspector Taifu and Shizhong, they were both honorary positions, just like the protagonist's father mentioned at the beginning, but the prince and duke were both real titles.
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