Chapter 1260: Beating

There was a lot of snow this winter, but fortunately it did not cause a snowstorm. Instead, it satisfied snow lovers, who wrote many poems about snow scenes.

Zhulan could not enjoy poetry, but she did feel a little emotional about clearing snow in the capital. After the roads were repaired in the capital, it was more convenient to clear the accumulated snow and avoid the mud from the melting snow in spring. It made her sad to think about it. In previous years, when the snow thawed in spring, she tried not to go out on the streets because there were mud spots everywhere.

Snowflakes fell this morning. Zhulan didn't plan to study anymore. She decided to take the children with her to change their minds. She took out the colorful dried petals she picked in the summer and took her granddaughters to crush them to create colors.

The grandchildren took basins and took the servants outside to break ice cubes.

By the time Zhulan was done, the smashed ice blocks had been carved. Zhulan took her granddaughter to paint them and was having fun with the children.

Qingxue brought a woman in. Zhulan saw the newcomer and realized that she was Mingshan's wife from the clan. Keju had stayed in the capital and had many contacts with the Zhou family, so Zhulan became familiar with Mingshan's family.

Zhulan stood up and said with a smile, "It's so cold going out. Why don't you wear more clothes?"

Mingshan's wife, Wang, had a pale face. She pulled her cloak up and whispered, "I was in a hurry to leave and didn't pay attention."

Zhulan saw that something was wrong. In the past, Wang always came with her mother-in-law, but today she was alone. After thinking for a while, Zhulan signaled the children to play by themselves and went into the house with Wang.

Back in the house, Zhulan took off her gloves and motioned to Wang to warm her hands, "Drink some ginger tea to get rid of the cold. It's easy to get sick in the cold winter."

Wang hummed softly and waited for the ginger tea to come up. She didn't know if her eyes were a little red from the heat or if she felt wronged, but she kept her head down while drinking the tea with pursed lips.

Zhulan saw that Wang was wronged, and thought that she could do something about it. Zhou's status in the Zhou family was not only the representative of the first person in the Zhou family, but also because of its relationship with the royal family, it had become a transcendent existence in the Zhou family.

Zhulan asked softly, "But what difficulties did you encounter?"

Her heart was still biased towards women. It was difficult for women in ancient times. Wang came to the capital without her parents' family by her side, which made her seem even more vulnerable.

Wang came here on impulse. A few days ago, her husband wanted to take a concubine, but she refused to give in. There was a rift between her and her husband. Yesterday, her mother-in-law put pressure on her, and she couldn't hold back her anger. She also thought about the fact that Mr. Zhou had no wife or concubine, so she came here today.

Zhulan saw that Wang was still lowering her head, "Since you are here today, even if you don't say anything, your mother-in-law won't believe it."

Wang raised her head, her eyes red, "Madam, I feel sad. The oath you made when you asked to marry me is still ringing in my ears, but today there is one more person among the two of you. I don't quite believe it, but there is nothing I can do."

She is tough now, but she knows that she can't delay for long and she will have to take the person in. She just can't get over the hurdle in her heart.

Zhulan guessed it. As for Mingshan, a young man of the Hui ethnic group, how should she be? Everyone has their own life. It’s just that she is not too close to Mingshan’s branch, so she just lets them call her old lady. It also lets them know some attitudes. Members are members of the tribe. They can help, but nothing too excessive.

Zhulan looked at the sadness and unwillingness in Wang's eyes. The beauty of the Zhou Mansion gave Wang more hope, but the reality was cruel. The Zhou family only had her and Zhou Shuren, while the Mingshan branch was a pure ancient people.

Zhulan can actually manage it, but she can only manage it for a while, not for a lifetime. Now that she has set the precedent, all the tribesmen will come to her in the future. Moreover, she knows that there are countermeasures from the top and policies from the bottom, and she has to rely on herself to establish this matter.

Wang said this with hope in her heart, and Zhulan saw it all, "Have you ever thought about it, you came to me for help, I stopped you, what about the future? What about you and your husband?"

Although the imperial court allowed divorces, not many people actually did so. The divorce rate in ancient times was really high, unlike modern times.

Wang was stumped by the question and her face turned pale, but she was unwilling to give in. She moved her lips and said, "I."

Zhulan raised her hand, "You are not young anymore, you already have several children, you need to think about what you want, what a smart person would do, you need to be independent first."

After a pause, he continued, "I will tell your mother-in-law that I asked you to come get the things and I will send someone to take you back."

Wang was not stupid. If she was stupid, she would not have taken over the power of housekeeper from her mother-in-law. She stood up and greeted, "Thank you, old lady."

Zhulan hummed, "Go back, your mother-in-law will think too much after a while."

She didn't say the rest, Wang knew what to do.

When Zhou Shuren came back in the evening, Zhulan told him about this matter. "Mingshan took in a concubine very quickly. I just don't know if he took the initiative to take in a concubine or if she came to him."

Zhou Shuren really didn't know, "How could this happen?"

"Mingshan's wife came today. Since we both have only one legal wife, she wanted me to take care of her. After she left, I thought about Mingshan. With the new emperor taking the throne, he has become a member of the clan and his status has risen significantly with our family."

Zhou Shuren asked, "Have you checked?"

Zhu Lan waved her hands, "I'm too lazy to check. This is inevitable in the future. I just feel a little sad."

Zhou Shuren narrowed his eyes and said, "I'll ask Changyi to knock it over tomorrow."

Zhulan said, "When Wang comes today, you can ask Changyi to scold her. This is not good for Wang. Since I helped Wang today, I will help her to the end. When you really take a concubine in, you can ask Changyi to scold her again."

Zhou Shuren nodded, "Then remember these."

"Um."

In Xuzhou, Xuemei sat next to her brother and sister-in-law. "I will be heading back in a few days."

Dong likes a lively home. She likes her elder sister-in-law, who has the best temper in the family. "It's still some time before the Chinese New Year."

Xuemei smiled and said, "We walk slowly, so we want to leave early."

We have visited all the places to visit in Xuzhou, and my husband also wants to return to the capital as soon as possible to sort out his experiences along the way.

Mrs. Dong felt a little disappointed. Mrs. Song could help her manage many things, but she couldn't communicate with her. After coming to Xuzhou, she had no one to truly interact with, no one to whom she could confide her true feelings. Only when her elder sister-in-law came could she open up to her true feelings, and she felt much better about her elder sister-in-law.

Xuemei smiled and said, "Don't be sad. After the spring ploughing next year, we will go along Xuzhou Road again and stay in Xuzhou for a few days."

Mrs. Dong smiled and said, "Okay, then you must stay for a few more days."

The next day in the capital, the sky was clear. Today was Mingyun's day off, and he was preparing to go study with his grandmother. As soon as he pushed the door open with his books, he almost bumped into Mingteng.

Mingyun said coldly, "Where are your rules?"

Ming Teng scratched his nose and admitted his bad luck, "Brother, I was wrong."

Mingyun saw Mingteng standing properly, and then asked with satisfaction, "Why did you come to me so rashly?"