Chapter 6 Old Times
Cherry knew that today was the first time that her wife and the general met everyone in the Duke's Mansion, so it needed to be treated with more attention, just like the tea ceremony on the second day after their marriage.
After thinking about Shang Ji's outfit, she brought out a willow-dyed horse-faced long skirt, paired with a brocade-patterned double-breasted jacket, which made her look gentle and elegant.
Du Jingyi took a look and then nodded in agreement.
After putting it on, it looks really good.
Especially since this dress suits her skin tone very well. Du Jingyi is already fair, tender and delicate, and even more so at this moment.
"Madam, let me do your hair in a bun and pick out a few jade-colored hairpins for you."
The one who was speaking was Lizhu. She was dexterous, so she knew how to do many fashionable hairstyles.
Du Jingyi was a natural beauty, so after dressing up so carefully, she looked even more beautiful than before.
After everything was ready, Du Jingyi gave instructions.
"Go call the general."
"yes."
Before leaving, Du Jingyi thought for a moment, then went back to the jewelry box, opened it, and picked out four or five gold bracelets of decent quality.
Although it is a hollow and filigree craft, it is also very substantial and feels heavy in the hand.
Lizhu was very surprised to see this and immediately asked.
"Young Madam, what are you doing with so many gold bracelets?"
"Have you forgotten about those people in the third and fifth rooms who like to take advantage of others?"
Li Zhu suddenly realized that they were living such a comfortable life that they had forgotten that the Duke's Mansion was actually a big family.
There are loyal and courageous people who serve their country, and naturally there are also unscrupulous parasites.
The emperor of the previous dynasty was cruel and tyrannical, causing the people to live in misery, so decades ago, there were uprisings everywhere.
The current emperor is only the second emperor of the Daxing Dynasty, and it has only been a few decades since he took over this vast territory from the previous dynasty.
Therefore, among the powerful and noble lords in Sui'an City, there are many rough guys who come from humble origins.
The old master who passed away in the Shangguo Mansion was one of them.
He and Emperor Kaizong were both young men from the same village. When Emperor Kaizong raised the banner and pulled the cloth, they started the uprising.
Originally, he was thinking of getting some food to fill his stomach, but he ended up burning the wrong stove!
Not only did he become a minister who made great contributions to the new emperor in overthrowing the old regime, but he was also granted the title of Duke and a mansion.
The elder brother became a big celebrity, so naturally his younger brothers and sisters also benefited from it.
The Shang family was originally a large family with three sons and two daughters. Except for Shang Erniang who got married and stayed in Changzhou, the other brothers and sisters brought their families to live with their brother Shang Guogong.
Shang Si Niang is better than her brothers.
Many years ago, at the arrangement of her brother, she married a young man from the Xu family in the same village. Now she brought her husband and children to Sui'an City. Although she was thinking of getting some shelter, in the final analysis, she still wanted to be self-reliant.
So with the help of Duke Shang, she and her husband bought a hundred acres of land on the outskirts of the city.
In addition, the couple are hardworking and their children are mostly steady and honest, so they have been living a prosperous life over the years.
However, the good-for-nothing second younger brother became a burden that Duke Shang could not get rid of, so naturally he had to settle down in this mansion with him.
This stay lasted for several decades.
Even though Duke Shang had passed away many years ago and divided some of his property among them before his death, the people from the third and fifth rooms still pretended to know nothing and just wanted to rely on the first room.
He was unwilling to leave the Duke's Mansion.
Therefore, the two families lived in the two courtyards in Beiyuan. Now that they even have great-grandchildren, they still squeezed in and refused to move out to live on their own.
After all, the old brothers from the third and fifth rooms are still alive, so any help they can get is helpful.
If Old Master Shang San and Old Master Shang Wu are both gone, then it would be illogical for their descendants to stay in the Duke's Mansion.
As Du Jingyi stood up, he thought of a family dinner last year.
The people from the third and fifth rooms "borrowed" a lot of good jewelry from her, and have no intention of returning them so far.
In this case, if Du Jingyi still can't learn to be smart, then it's just that she is stupid.
It is said that jade is priceless but gold is valuable.
This kind of gold bracelet is perfect for getting rid of them.
"In that case, I will find a few brocade boxes to put them in."
"Um."
The brocade box is huge and has some weight.
It feels heavy in the hand.
It would be most suitable to use it to deceive the people in the third and fifth rooms.
After everything was ready, Du Jingyi brought Yingtao and Lizhu to wait in front of the gate of Xitang Courtyard.
Not long after, Shang Ji, followed by Luo Yuan, also came out of the study.
There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!
In front of Xitang Courtyard, there are two Podocarpus macrophylla trees, also known as golden pine trees, which Du Jingyi bought at a high price. They are her "treasures" for attracting wealth, so naturally they are taken care of very carefully.
Shang Ji didn't know much about this thing, he just thought the tree looked interesting.
After a while, I saw Du Jingyi.
The way she dressed up today certainly made Shang Ji look more stunning than when they first met yesterday and this morning.
However, due to years of marching, he was used to hiding his thoughts, so he did not reveal anything.
"I have met the general."
"Well, let's go."
"yes."
The couple walked side by side along the stone path towards Yunjin Courtyard.
The scenery that Du Jingyi felt was so familiar in the past seems a little different today.
This Duke's Mansion is big, but not elegant enough.
There are neither pavilions and towers like those in the south of the Yangtze River, nor eaves and railings with carved beams and painted buildings. The rough origin of the military general's family is clearly visible.
It cannot be compared with the Xitang Courtyard that Du Jingyi carefully built.
This was the first time that Shang Ji and Du Jingyi were walking in the Duke's Mansion, so there were more than one maids and servants who stopped to peek.
Feeling the inquiring eyes behind him, Shang Ji frowned slightly.
On the contrary, Du Jingyi stood straight, not at all looking down upon! This Duke's Mansion was really strange.
It's such a big house with hundreds of servants serving, but this rule is not very good. How can there be any good rules for servants to look around their master's house?
It is said that when the Duke's original wife, Shang Ji's biological mother, Madam Gu, was still alive, the rules were very strict.
On the contrary, after Lady Wei, who was promoted from concubine to wife, came to the throne, things became much more lax.
Just look at the way Steward He and Nanny Dou of Xitang Courtyard manage their subordinates and the difference between them and the entire Duke's Mansion.
Du Jingyi was deeply touched by this point.
After passing through a garden, the two came to the center of the backyard of the Duke's Mansion. The three words "Yunjinyuan" were written in vigorous and powerful strokes.
Shang Ji looked up at the plaque, his eyes complex with a hint of disgust, as if he was unwilling to step in here.
Du Jingyi understood what he meant, so he stood there without saying anything.
After waiting for a while, and seeing that his face had returned to its previous indifference, she spoke neatly.
"Come in."
"good."
(End of this chapter)