Chapter 62: A visitor from my hometown
In fact, Song Yuzhu had expected that the second branch would come to Beijing for help. However, in order to prevent these people from taking advantage of their power to bully others, Song Yuzhu would not confer official titles on them. At most, he would give them a seventh-rank idle position to ensure that they would have enough food and clothing.
Song Yuzhu only stayed for a while before returning to the palace. Before leaving, she kissed her little sister reluctantly and said that she could bring the little girl into the palace to play when she was older.
As soon as Song Yuzhu left, Song Bai came with the entire Song family.
Not only the second wife and the old lady came, but also the two aunts and the old lady's family came, together with the servants and maids, there were almost a hundred people in total, and they entered the capital in more than 30 carriages.
When Jiang Rong opened the door, her head buzzed and she almost fell down. Her husband didn't say so many people would come! She didn't know what to do for a moment, so she quickly called Song Quan and asked him to clean up the guest room and prepare more food.
Old Mrs. Song, supported by her two daughters, was the first to get off the carriage. After half a year, her hair had turned completely white, her eyes were not as clear as before, and she was a little unsteady when she walked.
Seeing Jiang Rong pulling her aside to ask about her life, she also asked about her granddaughter.
Jiang Rong said, "It's all right. The girl is asleep. I'll bring her over to you when she wakes up."
The old lady nodded tiredly. After all, she was old and her body couldn't take it after walking such a long way.
Jiang Rong quickly asked the maid in the mansion to take her to the guest room to rest.
Qin, who was following behind, couldn't hide her envy in her eyes. She sighed as she walked, "Oh, this mansion is really spacious. Shangjing is really prosperous. Compared with this, our hometown can't even compare!"
The courtyard is decorated with carved beams and painted pillars, so exquisite that it is dazzling. The courtyard is two or three times larger than my hometown, and there are pavilions and towers in the back, all of which are exquisite and elegant.
Who could have thought that the boy would be so lucky as to become the emperor!
But then again, you can't write two Song characters with one stroke. Now that Song Yuzhu has become emperor, shouldn't his two sons also be promoted?
I heard that Song Yumin arranged a fool to be an official in the Imperial Medical Court, so why shouldn't his own son be conferred the title of marquis?
Qin was followed by Aunt Fang and her family. Aunt Fang was the sister of Old Lady Song, and somehow she managed to coax the old lady and get her whole family to follow.
Her husband passed away early, and she raised three or four children by herself. The old lady helped her a lot in the early years. As a result, over time, Aunt Fang lost her sense of propriety and always felt that she was the same as the old lady of the Song family.
She looked up and around, her eyeballs almost falling to the ground. Such a nice place couldn't be for gods to live in!
The little grandson holding her hand kept shouting, "Grandma, I want that lantern!"
"My dear grandson, don't make a fuss. I'll let uncle get it for you later."
"No, no, I want it now!"
Aunt Fang pinched her naughty grandson, and the child started crying loudly, making the whole person feel a headache.
Seeing Jiang Rong, Qin immediately went up to her warmly. She grabbed her arm and said affectionately, "I haven't seen you for a long time. I really miss you! You look good. Are you doing well these days?"
Jiang Rong pulled her arm away awkwardly: "It's fine."
Qin said calmly, "I heard that my third brother had a baby girl. It must have been seven or eight months now, right? I haven't seen what she looks like yet. I don't have anything to give you, so this longevity jade locket is a gift from me as your aunt."
"How can I feel comfortable with that?" Jiang Rong felt uncomfortable and didn't want to accept her things. She had never been so generous when she gave birth to Yuzhu.
Qin put the jade lock in her hand: "Don't be polite to me, we are all family."
A family? That's not what they say when they split up the family!
The aunts also took out the things they had prepared in advance and handed them to Jiang Rong. The two of them were a little self-aware and didn't rush to get close.
You shouldn't hit someone who smiles at you. Jiang Rong reluctantly accepted the things and invited everyone into the house.
Qin asked with a smile: "Where is the child? Bring it out for us to see."
"I just fell asleep. I'll bring it out for you to see when I wake up."
"Okay, okay."
Jiang Rong: "You must be tired from the long journey. Go wash up and prepare for dinner."
The servant led them to the backyard. Although the mansion was spacious, it was still a bit crowded to accommodate so many people.
At noon, Song Bai hosted a banquet for his relatives at home.
Old Lady Song sat at the top, with brothers Song Bai and Song Qiao sitting on either side of her, Jiang Rong and Qin, and the three brothers Song Yutang, Song Yufeng, and Song Yumin. At the bottom were the two aunts and Aunt Fang with her precious grandson.
The Song family hadn't had a meal together for a long time. There were a large number of people at the table, and the old lady had a rare good appetite, so she took several extra bites of meat.
Aunt Fang suddenly said, "Why isn't Yuzhu here? I haven't seen him in years and I don't know what he looks like."
"Ahem." Song Yutang coughed, "Aunt, you can't call the emperor by his name casually."
"Oh my, I'm his aunt, can't I even call him by his name?"
Old Madam Song said, "It's not that complicated. Just call me when I should."
Aunt Fang stopped talking and asked, "Why don't you see your little girl?"
Jiang Rong said, "The sun is strong at noon, and I'm afraid she will be exposed to the sun."
"It's okay. Children will become stronger if they play more often. Look at our Shunzi. He runs outside every day and is very strong!" His grandson was holding a pig's trotter in his hand, gnawing on it with his mouth full of oil.
Old Madam Song also asked, "Does the dress I made for her before the Lunar New Year still fit her?"
Jiang Rong ordered the maid to bring her daughter over: "The clothes my mother made are all fitted, the material is soft, and the child will be comfortable in them."
Old Mrs. Song smiled: "That's good."
After a while, the maid brought Song Yutong, who had just woken up. The little girl was wearing a red dress, with a small bun on her head and a gold necklace around her neck. She looked so adorable with her delicate and delicate appearance.
She was not shy and stared at the strangers with her big black eyes. Her curious look was really eye-catching.
When Qin saw the baby, she couldn't help but hug her and sighed in her heart, Jiang was really good at giving birth, as she gave birth to two such healthy children.
Old Mrs. Song was old, and she didn't dare to hold the child any longer after holding it for only a short while. Just as she was about to return the child to the maid, Aunt Fang next to her took the child away.
"Oh my goodness, you are so pretty! Come and be our Shunzi's wife when you grow up!"
Qin pressed the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief. Aunt Fang was too unreasonable. This girl was Song Yuzhu's biological sister and would be made a princess in the future. How could that brat in his family be worthy of her?
Jiang Rong winked at the maid and asked her to take the child.
Unexpectedly, Aunt Fang held the child quite tightly and kissed him twice on the face with her greasy lips. Yu Tong, feeling annoyed, kept rubbing his face.
Aunt Fang said, "It's great that cousins can be a perfect match. It's a great opportunity to be closer relatives!"
Jiang Rong's face darkened and she said, "Aunt Fang, give the child to me."
Aunt Fang wanted to say something else, but suddenly she felt hot, "Ouch! The little girl peed on me!"
The maid quickly snatched the child from her hands. Jiang Rong stood up and said, "I have an upset stomach, so I won't stay with you." Then she left the table.
I thought Qin was annoying enough, but I didn’t expect that Aunt Fang, who is even more unreliable, would come.
Aunt Fang was still complaining that the girl had wet her new clothes.
*
After lunch, Song Bai hurried back to see his wife and saw her holding her daughter with red eyes.
"Rong'er, are you okay?"
"Very good!"
"You, don't be angry, I didn't know so many people came..."
Before his son became emperor, they were so scared that they quickly separated the family and drew a clear line between them. Now that he has ascended the throne, he is eager to get close to him, and he feels uncomfortable.
Jiang Rong choked up and said, "Zhu'er has just ascended the throne, and before she can even get comfortable in her seat, they're already here to take advantage of her! If you dare to let them run wild, don't blame me for turning my back on you!"
Song Bai said quickly, "My dear, please don't be angry. Except for you, I will drive everyone else away in a few days!"
*
Song Qiao had some sense of propriety in his heart. After dinner, he pulled Qin into the house and gave her some instructions.
"We agreed before we came here that we would not cause any trouble to my third brother's family when we arrived in Beijing."
Qin said with great joy: "Our Yutang and Yufeng are his brothers. I heard that the emperors of the previous dynasties all granted titles of princes to their brothers."
Song Qiao sneered: "The emperor of the previous dynasty even killed his brothers."
Qin choked up and said, "Well, if he can't be made a prince, he should at least be given an official position, right? After all, I have come all the way to seek refuge with him."
Song Qiao said, "I still have the documents for the division of the family with me. Now that you see that others have gained power, you want to take advantage of them. You have taken all the good things in the world."
"If he arranges for us, we will accept his kindness. If he doesn't, we can't be resentful. If it really doesn't work, we can go back to our hometown in Jiangcheng County. It's not like we are so poor that we can't survive." The pharmacy makes a profit of several thousand taels of silver every year. The Song family can definitely be considered a wealthy family.
When Qin heard that they had to go back, she said anxiously, "I'm not going back! Jiangcheng County is just a tiny place, how can it compare to Shangjing? If you want to leave, go by yourself!"
Song Bai glared at her and said, "If you don't want to go back, then be quiet. Otherwise, don't blame me for not giving you face!"
Qin was frightened by him and murmured, "I'm just a woman, how could I have any bad intentions? It's all for our child..."
Song Qiao stopped talking nonsense with her and told the servants to keep a good eye on the young master and the mistress while he went to talk to his younger brother Song Bai.
The servant brought him to Song Bai's study. As soon as the two brothers met, Song Qiao could see that Song Bai looked unhappy.
He touched his nose and said awkwardly: "I am sorry that I disturbed you by coming to Beijing rashly."
Song Bai said, "You didn't tell me there would be so many people before you came. It would be fine if my eldest sister and second sister's family came, but why are all the people from Aunt Fang's family here?"
Song Qiao said, "The old lady is a little confused at her age. After being instigated by my aunt, she insisted on taking them along, otherwise she would not leave. I had no choice but to take them all along."
Song Bai has always been a gentle and nice guy, and has never had any conflicts with his brother. But now he is really angry.
"Second brother, Yuzhu has just ascended the throne and is busy with state affairs. He has no time to take care of these trivial matters at home. I welcome you to stay for a few days. If you want to use your relationship to get close to me, I advise you to give up this idea as soon as possible!"
Song Qiao said angrily: "I know, I will take my mother back to my hometown tomorrow."
Seeing him like this, Song Bai couldn't bear it: "You're leaving right after you arrived. Mother's body can't handle it. Stay at the mansion for a while first."
Song Qiao knew that his brother was soft-hearted, and he also knew that he should stop while he was ahead: "How can so many people live in your house forever? Tomorrow I will go out and ask for a house to take them out to live."
Song Bai didn't stop him. If he dared to keep all these people in the house, Jiang Rong would fight him to the death.
*
The news that the entire Song family was coming to Beijing had already reached Song Yuzhu's ears, but he didn't care much about it.
There are so many things to deal with in the court every day, so how can we have time to take care of them? If these people behave themselves, they can stay in Shangjing. If they dare to make trouble, they can be sent back to their hometown.
Just now Xu Bing sent someone to deliver the news that a craftsman who could make a treadle loom had been found.
Song Yuzhu planned to promote looms in Jizhou and Zhongzhou first.
There has been little spring rain in the two states this year, and the long-term drought has led to a large-scale reduction in grain production. People still have some surplus grain at the moment, but they are worried that when the autumn harvest comes, thousands of hectares of fertile fields will yield nothing.
Since ancient times, ordinary people have relied on the weather for their livelihood. Now that they have lost their livelihood, relief is not a long-term solution.
It would be better to find them some work to do, which can create value and not waste manpower, killing two birds with one stone.
(End of this chapter)
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