The family is reunited, Liu Tangxi is very happy today, and the Mingguo Mansion is also very lively today.
Today is the birthday of the old lady of Duke Ming.
Not to mention the title of Duke's Mansion, just being the Crown Princess's family is already important enough. Moreover, now that the Third Prince has also been reprimanded by the Emperor, the Crown Prince's power is gradually rising again.
Almost all the wives of officials above the third rank in the capital were present.
As for those below the third rank, it’s not that they don’t want to come, but they haven’t received the post.
For example, Liu Tangxi can come or not. If she is counted by the Huai En Marquis Mansion, she is certainly qualified. But if she is counted by Wei Hanzhou, then she is not qualified.
Liu Tangxi didn't want to join in such a lively event, and since no one had sent an invitation to their house, she didn't go.
After all, you have to prepare a generous gift when you go.
No extra money spent.
Princess Jian went there with her daughter, Princess Fuping.
When Prince Jian came back in the evening, Princess Jian told him what happened on his birthday today.
For example, who went there, who said what, and which family is close to which family.
It sounds like idle chatter, but there is actually no nonsense in it.
Although women have nothing to do with the court, they can sometimes see things.
After finishing her words, Princess Jian sighed: "There are quite a few people going today, more than when the Duke of Ming's mansion married his grandson's daughter-in-law last year."
"The Crown Prince did such a thing, but the Emperor didn't depose him. The Third Prince was also reprimanded one after another. Doesn't this give people hope?" When saying this, Prince Jian raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and his eyes revealed an extremely sarcastic look.
He was far away in the north and originally thought that only his elder brother was a dark-minded and ruthless person, but he did not expect that the princes in power under him also had quite a bit of his "character".
Taxes have been levied year after year, the Ministry of Personnel has been appointing people based on personal connections, and officials have been sitting in their positions doing nothing... The Ministry of Rites can discuss the marriages of the sons and daughters of nobles for months, but it remains silent about the corruption of officials and the assessment of the Ministry of Personnel.
This court is far more chaotic than he imagined.
In just a dozen years, the empire built by my father has been destroyed like this.
It's really infuriating.
As he thought about it, Prince Jian became angry again and punched the table.
There was a sound of "crack", and a piece of the corner of the table was knocked off.
Princess Jian was talking to Prince Jian about the affairs of the Duke of Ming's Mansion. She didn't expect him to be so angry all of a sudden and was immediately frightened by him.
However, when he saw the blood on Prince Jian's hands, he became nervous again.
He quickly stood up, walked over, took the Prince's hand, looked at it, and frowned, saying, "What's wrong with you, Prince? Even if you are angry, you can't joke with your own body. Someone, quickly invite Doctor Jiang over."
"Yes, princess."
Prince Jian realized that his action just now frightened his princess, so he calmed down and said as gently as possible: "Princess, don't be so nervous, it's just a minor injury."
After hearing this, Princess Jian looked at Prince Jian with disapproval.
Soon, Doctor Jiang came over, bandaged Prince Jian's wound, gave him some instructions, and then left.
"I know you don't agree with what the Crown Prince and the Third Prince did, but you also have to take care of yourself. The Emperor will punish them for what they do. We have no right to interfere." Princess Jian said.
Prince Jian thought, how could he not take care of it? He had to take care of these things.
What's more, he was the one who pushed these things from behind.
Since my brother can't manage the country well, it would be better to let someone else manage it.
However, seeing the worried look on his princess' face, Prince Jian would not tell her about these things, lest she become even more frightened after hearing them.
"Well, were you scared? Don't worry, I won't do that again next time." Prince Jian said softly.
After taking a look at the expression on Prince Jian's face, Princess Jian sighed and sat back in her original seat. The two of them did not speak for a long time.
Prince Jin looked at Princess Jin's expression and took the initiative to change the subject: "Did anything interesting happen at the banquet today?"
Princess Jian was worried about Prince Jian at first and had no interest in continuing the conversation, but when she saw Prince Jian asked about it, she spoke anyway.
For example, a young master among the grandchildren of the Duke's Mansion performed a sword dance to celebrate the old lady's birthday, and it looked very beautiful.
"Zhenzhen likes it very much and even discussed it with the young master."
Prince Jin frowned and said, "I guess it's just fancy moves that look good. There's no need to learn this. I'll ask Master to teach Zhenzhen a more powerful set tomorrow."
Hearing this, Princess Qin suddenly laughed.
"Hmm? Did I say something wrong?"
"No, I think that the prince should not let anyone teach her anything more powerful. When she went to ask for advice today, she beat the young master so hard that he had no power to fight back."
Upon hearing the result, Prince Jian was satisfied and said proudly, "She is indeed my daughter. She is amazing."
"You just know how to flatter her. Be careful that she won't be able to get married in the future."
"How is that possible? Whatever Zhenzhen wants, she can't find it. I will definitely choose the best man in the world as her son-in-law."
Princess Jian knew that Prince Jian doted on his daughter very much, and she didn't want to talk to him about this anymore, so she started talking about something else.
As they were talking, they mentioned Liu Luan.
"The second young lady of the Huai En Marquis's mansion is really amazing. She is proficient in everything from music, chess, calligraphy and painting. She is also very generous in her words and deeds. She is worthy of being the most talented woman in the capital."
When he heard Liu Luan'an's name, King Jian's hand holding the teacup paused slightly, and a different emotion appeared in his eyes.
"I don't know how the wife of Marquis Huai'en raised her daughters. The legitimate daughter is gentle and kind, knows how to handle household affairs, has excellent cooking skills, and can make money. The concubine's daughter is also so generous and outstanding. She is really blessed."
Prince Jian nodded. He felt that what his princess said in praising Liu Tangxi was indeed accurate.
As for that concubine's daughter——
"She is not only proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting," said King Jian, "but also has a good understanding of state affairs."
Hearing this, Princess Jian looked up at Prince Jian, her face full of surprise.
"Ah? Do you know about government affairs?"
The King nodded.
"Princess, do you still remember that when we first left Beijing more than ten years ago, the Huai En Marquisate was already declining."
Princess Jian thought about it for a while and said, "It seems so. I heard that one of their concubines did something wrong and offended the Queen's family."
Prince Jian nodded and said, "Yes, that's true. After a few years, the title of the Marquisate was about to be lost, but in recent years, Marquis Huai En not only retained the title, but also gradually gained a firm foothold in the capital."
"You mean this is related to the second young lady?" Princess Jian denied it again, "No, that's not right. The second young lady wasn't that old back then. How could she understand these things?"
Prince Jian didn't believe it at first, but after investigation, he found that it was indeed the case.
Some people are really precocious and gifted.
"It is indeed related to the second young lady. She was the one who plotted behind the scenes and helped the Huai En Marquisate rise. Because of this, she has a place in the palace."
Princess Jian's eyes were filled with shock.
"Not only that, she was also the Third Prince's adviser. She helped the Third Prince gain power and almost overthrew the Crown Prince." said King Jian.
If he hadn't intervened behind the scenes, the prince would have been deposed long ago.
Princess Jian was speechless.
"If she were a man, she would probably be granted a title of nobility and become a prime minister in the future." Prince Jian made his final comment.
"Is there really such a powerful woman in the world?" Princess Jian finally found her voice.
The King nodded.
Seeing the admiration and worship gradually revealed in his princess' eyes, Prince Jian changed the subject and said, "It's a pity that she has evil intentions and some sinister means. In the future, princess, please don't have too much contact with her, and don't let Zhenzhen have contact with her."
Princess Jin nodded and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Zhenzhen doesn't like her very much. She even told me a few bad things about her today. She still likes the eldest lady of the Huai En Marquis's Mansion more."
Thinking of Liu Tangxi's personality, King Jian said, "Well, that Madam Wei has a very good personality and is gentle and kind. It would be great for Zhenzhen to learn more from her."
Princess Jian understood what Prince Jian meant and nodded in agreement.
Soon, they turned off the lights and went to bed.
Prince Jian did not sleep, but was thinking with his eyes closed.
He was not unaware of the Third Prince's recent actions. Although the Third Prince was under house arrest by the Emperor, he did not stop doing anything. He had been in close contact with the daughter of the Marquis of Weizhen's Mansion.
Anyone with a discerning eye can tell what he is up to.
Although Marquis Weizhen was a military commander and had a very good relationship with him in the past, in recent years, it was not as good as before. Marquis Weizhen was very optimistic about the third prince, otherwise, the matter between his daughter and the third prince would not have been exposed to the emperor at the palace banquet.
It's better not to be with someone who is friendly with him on the surface but has other plans behind his back.
It is imperative that the Weizhen Marquis's family marry the third prince.
However, thinking about what Wei Hanzhou said that day, there is one thing that we must be on guard against.
Considering the Third Prince's recent actions, he might be planning to ruin the reputation of this legitimate daughter and make her a concubine, leaving the position of principal wife to the second daughter of Marquis Huai'en.
You want to possess the power of a military general, but you are unwilling to give up Liu Lu'an as your military advisor?
The third prince's calculations were a little too grand.
The next morning, after dinner, Wei Lao San announced their decision.
"The third brother told me last night that Dad is here to thank you. Let your eldest and second brothers work in the shop, starting as assistants, and pay them the same monthly salary as you pay others."
The third son came over last night and talked to him a lot.
Wei Lao San felt that he was too short-sighted before.
Or maybe he had little education and experience, so he couldn't think too far ahead.
The third daughter-in-law is indeed a girl from the Marquis's mansion, she has much better taste than them. It is a blessing for the Wei family that their son can marry such a good daughter-in-law.
If you really want to survive in the capital, you have to look at the long term.
My son is strong, and he can earn more money by doing odd jobs, but it is not conducive to long-term development. But now, my grandchildren don’t need to spend money to go to school, and my third son and his wife are in charge, so they are not short of money and don’t need to save too much money.
The reason he got such a serious illness before was because he worked hard when he was young and then collapsed from exhaustion.
He didn't want his son to follow in his footsteps.
Now that we have such a good opportunity, I can let my son exercise in the shop, which is better than doing hard labor at the dock.
Not to mention Wei Lao San, after chatting with Wei Hanzhou last night, Liu Tangxi also thought about it for a long time.
Hearing him say this, Liu Tangxi said, "Okay, I'll listen to you. But I think that the eldest and second brothers should go to the shop first to learn how to transport goods and deliver goods from the second manager, get familiar with the capital, and get familiar with the steps. After a while, when they are familiar with it, they can go to the shop to be servants and learn how to sell things. After they are proficient, they can learn how to keep accounts and calculate accounts from the shopkeeper."
Before Wei Lao San said anything, Wei Daniu and Wei Erhu looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief.
They have experience in freight transportation and delivery and are very familiar with it.
They had never worked as shop assistants before, so they felt they needed to be more eloquent. They were new here, knew nothing, and spoke with an accent, so they would be laughed at.
Wei Lao San also knew his sons' concerns. He glanced at the expressions on their faces and happily agreed.
After all, he doesn't understand these things, so it's a good thing that his sons don't have to go out looking for work on the streets.
They were outsiders, and when he was young, he would be looked down upon if he went to the town to look for work, let alone come to the capital.
He understood the sadness behind this very well.
"I have quite a few shops, including those selling food and dry goods, cloth, calligraphy and so on. I wonder what plans my brothers and sisters-in-law have for the future, and what kind of shop they want to open?" Liu Tangxi asked.
You need to ask everyone clearly about their plans before you can arrange the work.
Wei Daniu and Zhang looked at each other. They had no idea what to do and did not answer for a while.
Wei Erhu and Zhou had already discussed it long ago.
Wei Erhu said: "We are thinking that if possible in the future, we will open a food shop to sell breakfast and noodles."
Liu Tangxi nodded and praised: "This is good. It happens that I have a small wine shop. Second brother can go there to help."
Zhou smiled and said, "Thank you very much, Third Brother and Sister-in-law."
Liu Tangxi pondered for a moment and then said, "If Second Sister-in-law doesn't want to embroider at home every day, she can go to the kitchen to help. The chefs in the kitchen are not all men, there are also female cooks."
Zhou was immediately delighted. If she were to open a shop in the future, it would definitely be done with her husband. It would be good if she could get familiar with the place.
But she hasn't thought about this yet, so she doesn't know whether she should agree.
Seeing Zhou's expression, Liu Tangxi said, "Second sister-in-law, you should think about it again. There is no rush. However, helping in the kitchen may not earn as much as embroidering, and it is more tiring than embroidering."
"Oh, okay."
After asking Wei Erhu and Zhou, Liu Tangxi looked at Wei Daniu and Zhang and asked, "Have you and your sister-in-law made up your mind?"
Wei Daniu was speechless and didn't know what to say. Zhang spoke up, "To be honest, my husband and I spent the whole night thinking about it but couldn't come up with a plan. Your eldest brother and I can't even talk, my cooking is not good, and I can't run a food store. Apart from this, I don't know what else to do."
"Why don't I go and help? I won't open a shop in the future." Wei Daniu touched his head and said.
Wei Lao San glanced at his eldest son, thought about it, and nodded silently.
Liu Tangxi knew a little about Wei Daniu and Zhang's personalities. As they said, given their personalities, they really didn't seem like the types who could do business.
But you can't be a laborer all your life.
At this time, Wei Hanzhou spoke up: "I remember that my elder brother liked to make some tables, chairs and benches since he was a child. I wonder if he is still interested in it now and has he ever thought about making a living from it in the future."
Hearing this, Liu Tangxi's eyes lit up and he turned to look at Wei Hanzhou.
Yes, why didn't she think of that.
The book baskets carried by both Wei Hanzhou and Bosheng were made by Wei Daniu, and Shulan's small stool was also made by him.
Wei Danniu does have some talent.
If I could become a carpenter in the future, it would be a great thing. With a skill, I would never be hungry.
After hearing this, Wei Daniu was a little reserved and embarrassed. He said a little sheepishly, "What are you talking about, Third Brother? I was just fooling around and making some random things. I never learned it from anyone. How can I make a living from this?"
Liu Tangxi said, "Brother, we have a shop in the mansion that specializes in furniture making. It was originally used to make dowries for the girls in the mansion, but now it also accepts business from outside. If you are really interested in this, I will tell my mother and you can become an apprentice to a carpenter. However, I heard that being an apprentice is more difficult and you may not see any results in one or two years."
Just now, Wei Daniu was still refuting, but now after hearing this, he was very excited.
There was a carpenter in the village before. If you wanted to learn from him, you had to pay. At that time, his family was poor and had no money, so he envied him but could not learn from him.
Later, he kept his idea to himself and did not tell anyone.
Hearing Liu Tangxi's words at this moment, the things I wanted to do when I was a child suddenly appeared in front of me again.
Can he really learn...
But his son still needed to study, and although his third brother took over the matter, he couldn't just rely on his third brother, he also had to buy some paper and pens for his son. Moreover, the family still had to eat, and he couldn't put all the burden on his wife.
"No... no thanks, thank you, third brother and sister-in-law. Bosheng still has to go to school, and I have to spend money to learn this. I'd better go deliver the goods." Wei Daniu refused.
Upon hearing this, Liu Tangxi understood Wei Daniu's considerations.
She thought about it carefully and said, "It doesn't cost money. Apprentices also get paid, but it's not much. It's probably not as much as what my second brother makes delivering goods in the shop."
The shop belongs to the Marquis's mansion, the carpenters inside are from the Marquis's mansion, and the apprentices who go to help are also servants in the mansion. The servants don't have to pay for the work and they are even given a monthly salary.
There is even salary?
Wei Daniu became excited again and couldn't help but sideways glance at Wei Lao San.
Seeing his son's gaze, Wei Lao San said, "Big Boss, I think your third brother and his wife have a good idea. If you really want to learn, then go ahead and learn. Our family doesn't need much money now, so you don't have to worry about this."
The third son, Wei, has a long-term vision. He believes that if his son learns it, it will be a lifelong benefit and he won't have to worry about it for decades to come.
Not to mention paying him wages, even if he doesn't, he still has to pay, because he hopes his son can go to school.
After that, Wei Lao San looked at his second son and second daughter-in-law and said, "As we said, we are in Beijing and the expenses are high. You can keep the money you earn. The two families will share the expenses every month."
Looking at Wei Daniu's reaction, Liu Tangxi still didn't understand something. She glanced at Wei Hanzhou, then looked at Wei Lao San and Li.
"Then it's settled. The second brother will go to the restaurant to help out, and the eldest brother will go to the furniture shop."
Li quietly wiped her tears and said, "My third daughter-in-law, I am really sorry to trouble you with the family affairs."
"What are you saying, mom? We are all family." Liu Tangxi said with a smile.
After that, she asked, "Father, mother, brother and sister-in-law just came to the capital. They must be tired on the road. Why don't they rest for a few more days at home?"
Liu Tangxi was very tired when he first arrived.
However, she could also see the anxiety of Wei Lao San and the others, so she added: "If you feel bored and want to go out for a walk, you can go out today."
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Wei Lao San looked at his two sons and said, "Why don't you go today? It won't be a problem after all."
"good.",,