Chapter 2 Aunt Dong
The Duke's mansion has two concubines in total. One of them was bestowed by the Empress Dowager in the palace, and everyone calls her Concubine Xin.
The Duke of Dingguo tried to refuse for a long time but couldn't.
Even the emperor secretly told the Duke of Dingguo that if it didn't work out, they should just take it over, since the Empress Dowager was now very powerful and had placed many people in both the court and the harem.
Don't other ministers' families all have one?
So what if there's one more person in the inner quarters? We can just keep him as an idle person. At worst, he can pay for it.
It was because of this that the Duke of Dingguo brought the person back.
Then, the original Shangguan Jin prepared a secluded little courtyard and settled the person in.
Although Shangguan Jin didn't say it, she still harbored resentment.
Especially after the arrival of Madam Shangguan from her maternal family, the knot in her heart grew larger and larger.
Coming from the palace, or being trained by the Empress Dowager, how could he be a kind soul?
Didn't you see the look in Aunt Xin's eyes when she looked at the Duke of Dingguo? She practically wanted to sing the entire Chu Ci (Songs of Chu).
The Shangguan family's wife had her own way of dealing with this.
"She's just a concubine? If you can marry one, you can marry a second."
You are the head of the household, a lady with an imperial title; you don't need to personally deal with this kind of person.
Mom has an idea for you.
You should also arrange for the Duke to take a concubine.
Let the concubine deal with the concubine; that's the proper way for her to behave.
Shangguan Jin at that time...
Shangguan Jin, who had no enthusiasm for handling this matter, had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.
However, the issue of choosing a candidate is causing Shangguan Jin and his wife some difficulty.
Should we go outside and buy one now?
Definitely not. Such a person won't be very loyal. They might be blinded by the promise of wealth and glory and turn against you in the end!
After thinking for a long time, Madam Shangguan suggested choosing one of Shangguan Jin's four dowry maids.
Who knew that as soon as Shangguan Jin let slip a hint, three of the four maids who accompanied her in her dowry—Chuntao, Xiahe, and Qiulan—all expressed that they already had someone they liked.
Um, he's either the son of the family's housekeeper or the nephew who manages the shop or something like that.
Each of them spoke earnestly, as if Shangguan Jin would be the Queen Mother of the West who separated the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl if she didn't agree.
The Shangguan family is a family of upright officials; how could they do something so outrageous?
Definitely not.
As a result, within a month, three of Shangguan Jin's four maids got married, leaving only Dongmai as the last one.
Did Dongmai have her own ulterior motives, wanting to become the Duke of Dingguo's concubine?
Haha, of course not.
The main problem was that Dongmai spent a lot of time trying to marry the Duke of Dingguo, but no one was willing to marry her.
Dongmai was so anxious that he was practically ready to cover himself in a red cloth and have a wedding ceremony at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.
Dongmai was different from the other maids.
The other maids were all born into the Shangguan family and had served the Shangguan family for generations.
As for the winter wheat, Shangguan Jin bought it from a roadside stall during one of her trips.
Shangguan Jin remembers it clearly. At that time, Dongmai was not called Dongmai, but Daniu. She was only ten years old and knelt straight by the roadside, with her deceased father covered with a straw mat behind her.
She sold herself into servitude to bury her father.
This young girl was selling herself to bury her father for the first time, so she had no experience.
Her little face was covered in soot from the pot she used to brew medicine for her father, and her hair was dry and yellow like straw.
Because of her young age, by the time Shangguan Jin saw her, she had already been selling herself to bury her father for three days, but no one had bought her.
Seeing that she was pitiful, Shangguan Jin quickly gave all the silver in her purse to Da Niu.
"Hurry up and bury your father. Do you still have family? If so, take the remaining money and live with your family."
If not, come to the Shangguan family. I don't know what you can do, but they can definitely give you a full meal.
Da Niu quickly buried her father, then took a few of her own clothes and went to work as a handyman at the Shangguan family's house.
At first, Da Niu only did some manual labor.
Although it was rough work, Da Niu was very happy with it. The work wasn't heavy, and she could eat her fill. Da Niu felt that Shangguan Jin was simply a bodhisattva.
Once, the Shangguan family's aunt brought her cousin back home.
As for Miss Biao, she didn't get along with the Shangguan sisters and they had many arguments.
Later, when Miss Biao couldn't win an argument with Shangguan Jin and the others, she actually pushed Shangguan Jin.
Just then, a young woman carrying a small bucket passed by. Upon seeing this, she was furious. She dropped the bucket, rolled up her sleeves, and charged at Miss Biao.
Miss Biao and her maids were knocked flat on their backs.
Finally...
The girl received ten lashes.
What others thought would require at least half a month of rest, Da Niu was back to work energetically in less than three days.
The day after the Shangguan family's aunt left with her cousin, the Shangguan matriarch brought Da Niu to the inner courtyard, making her one of Shangguan Jin's four maids.
"A maid should be clever, that's for sure."
"But a loyal maid is even rarer. That girl only has you in her heart. I feel very at ease having her by your side," Madam Shangguan whispered to Shangguan Jin.
The Shangguan family was a wealthy family, and even the cats and dogs in the family paid great attention to their names, let alone the young lady's personal maid.
At first, Madam Shangguan wanted to name her eldest daughter Dongmei.
And what happened? They just mentioned changing the name, and it turned out to be Winter...
"Winter wheat!" the girl exclaimed.
"Why is it called Winter Wheat? Doesn't Winter Plum sound better?" Madam Shangguan asked, puzzled.
“Madam, I was thinking that if there were an endless supply of wheat in winter, no one would starve to death,” Da Niu said earnestly.
Madam Shangguan and Shangguan Jin both nodded.
That's a good name. Isn't a name a kind of expectation?
It was from that time that Da Niu changed her name to Dong Mai and became one of Shangguan Jin's personal maids until Shangguan Jin married into the Duke's mansion.
Madam Shangguan quickly turned her attention to Dongmai.
The more I look at it, the more I feel that Dongmai is the most suitable candidate for concubine.
Her loyalty goes without saying; this girl only has her own daughter in her heart.
Furthermore, although this girl has been well-raised over the years, she is still a long way from being a beauty that could topple kingdoms and bring disaster to the country, so I feel at ease using her.
However, Shangguan Jin disagreed.
She felt that Dongmai was straightforward and that it would be good for her to marry someone in charge and become the mistress of the house. Why did she have to make him a concubine?
Although the concubines in the Duke's mansion were more respectable than those in other families, they were still considered minor concubines.
Upon hearing this, Madam Shangguan tapped Shangguan Jin's forehead.
"What do you mean by concubine? Don't talk like that anymore."
Think about it in the palace. The imperial family has an empress as the main consort, but below her there are also imperial concubines, four consorts, and so on, like Zhaoyi and Guipin.
According to you, everyone except the Empress is a minor official?
You brat, have you forgotten that your sister Yao'er was also a concubine of the emperor?
Besides, how do you know that Dongmai doesn't want to?
Shangguan Jin then realized that she had accidentally insulted her own sister.
Wasn't her own sister, Shangguan Yao, the virtuous concubine of the imperial family?
So, Madam Shangguan had a special chat with Dongmai.
Having mastered the art of managing subordinates to perfection, Madam Shangguan quickly persuaded Dongmai.
At first, the winter wheat was unwilling, shaking its head like a rattle drum.
What is being a concubine? It means competing with your young mistress for the Duke's favor. One concubine is enough; if another one comes, your young mistress will be left alone every day!
She'd become a concubine? Wouldn't that be like stabbing the young lady in the heart again?
Dongmai strongly opposed it, and even wanted to shave her head to show her resolve, just like in the storybooks.
But who is Madam Shangguan? She easily seized the moral high ground.
"Dongmai, now you're the only one who can help Jin'er!"
Winter wheat...
Miss needs me? Then I must give it my all!
“Madam, is there anything I can do to help Miss? Just tell me, and I’ll do anything I can to help her,” Dongmai said earnestly.
Madam Shangguan nodded slightly with satisfaction.
That's the look I want.
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