Of course, although the emperor was criticized for this matter, because she was the empress, everyone still expected her to give birth to a son in the future, so he gave her face and did not call her a witch queen.
After the emperor embraced himself, the warriors of the Guards stopped pursuing him.
Apart from this incident, there were other things that diverted everyone's attention. The first thing was that Cui Ti was allowed to retire. Cui Ti died of illness on the way back home. Of course, this is a later story. Li Tan did not leave because of national affairs like in his previous life. Instead, he was promoted to Prime Minister.
This is a pleasant surprise.
Mi Niang immediately prepared a gift to send over. She did not come here because of Fang Wei Yan. Before she met Fang Wei Yan, she had a deep connection with the Li family.
Of course, this also shows a first-class attitude. It is not about fawning or flattering, but if someone you have a good relationship with gets promoted, and you turn a blind eye to it, that would be called contempt for others.
Mi Niang had come to visit once before when she came from Dengzhou. Later, when she moved to a new home, Mrs. Li also sent a gift specially for her. The two families are still very close.
Li Tan was promoted to the chief assistant, and there was a constant stream of people and cars outside the mansion. No matter how hard they tried, they could not get any help. It was Luzhu who came out in person to take Mi Niang away.
"Your house is becoming more and more lively. Next time I come, I will send a message in advance."
As the eldest maid of the Prime Minister's family, Luzhu did not put on airs in front of Mi Niang, but her tone was different from before: "Please don't say that. Our lady is looking forward to your coming."
The two chatted for a while and then went to the main hall. It was Mrs. Li's daughter-in-law, Li Guan's wife, Wu, who was entertaining everyone. She looked very energetic and smiled brightly when she saw Mi Niang: "You came just for fun, why did you give such a generous gift? My mother-in-law said that we should not be polite in the future."
Mi Niang said hurriedly, "Isn't this as it should be? Last time when I moved, Madam Li also sent me a generous gift."
Wu then took her to see Madam Li. Madam Li's hair had turned a lot of grayer, but her complexion was very good. Wu didn't raise any children around her, but her concubines did give birth to many. Wu raised one and treated him as her own child.
But Mi Niang knew that for a family like theirs, the more children the better. If there was one who was promising, the family would have hope. As for daughters, they could also marry out, so whether they were legitimate or illegitimate was not important.
Some ignorant families often oppress illegitimate children, causing them to fall into inferiority, all for their own selfish desires.
Either you control your husband and tell him not to take a concubine. Since you have allowed it yourself, you are suppressing him in every possible way. Little do you know that if these illegitimate children are well educated, they can also be your arms in the future.
Just like Xu didn't like Aunt Ding's three sons because it affected her own son's status, but she also educated other illegitimate children in the same way.
Fang Weiyan had several servants, and the other illegitimate sons also had several servants.
Mrs. Wu recommended Mi Niang to see Madam Li. Although Madam Li was talking to someone else, she was still very happy to see Mi Niang. She even asked, "Why don't you bring Xian'er and Tang'er here? Also, I heard that your Yu Heng and Yu Han are also going to be in trouble?"
They were all from Huguang. Second Madam Ding had a very good relationship with Madam Li. Whenever Madam Li was unhappy, she would go to Second Madam Ding to complain. She also came to the Li residence before leaving. Yuheng and Yuhan also had a good relationship with Li Guan. If they hadn't gone to the academy today, they would definitely have come.
"Jian Ge'er and the others were all studying, and Tang Ge'er was sleepy in the morning, and I couldn't wake him up, so I gave up."
The two chatted for a while, which made the ladies around them envious. They thought they were familiar with each other. When Madam Li spoke to them just now, she did not use this tone.
Women mostly eat and drink, while men worry about the important things ahead.
After having lunch at Li's house and listening to an opera, he was worried about Tang Ge'er at home, so he prepared to go back first. Unexpectedly, he ran into Li Guan when he came out.
Li Guan...has gained so much weight.
Mi Niang secretly glanced at his solid waist and thought, he is only in his thirties, how come he has gained so much weight.
She still remembers meeting Li Guan when she was young, and even when she saw him the year she just got married. It was not like this. Li Guan was also considered a handsome young man at that time, otherwise Guan Huiqing would not have loved him so much.
"Mrs. Fang."
"Doctor Li."
Now Li Guan is in the Ministry of Rites and has become a Langzhong in the Ministry of Guests and Guests.
After the two of them exchanged greetings, Mi Niang walked forward. Li Guan glanced at her back with a somewhat sad look in his eyes.
On the way home, she saw some delicious food for sale and brought some for the children at home. When she got home, Xian Ge'er and Tang Ge'er came up to her.
Mi Niang said with a smile: "Why did you come back so early today, my dear brother? In that case, you can share the food with your brother."
"Mother, our teacher said that tomorrow is the first day of the lunar month, so we have a day off, so he let us go home early today. But he assigned a lot of homework to his son, and he had already done a lot before you came back."
"I see. Your father is also taking a day off tomorrow. How about this? You finish your homework today and I'll let your father take us out for an outing."
When they heard that they were going out for an outing, Envy'er started running like crazy, and Tang'er also ran behind his brother. Mi Niang was afraid that her younger son would fall, so she hurried to support him.
When Fang Weiyan came back, she mentioned it to him and no one objected.
Fang Weiyan couldn't help but ask, "Where does Mi Niang want to go for an outing?"
"We want to go to the area near Jiuqu Bridge. I heard that there are green trees and shade there, which is just right for the two brothers to run around. The Marquis' Mansion sent some venison a few days ago, and we can roast some venison breast there." Mi Niang also wanted to go out and have some fun.
She also prepared paper orioles, double continents, and pitch pots so that we can play with them outside.
Fang Weiyan couldn't help laughing: "I think you want to go out and run away."
"What?" Mi Niang pinched him.
But Fang Weiyan still said sweetly: "Don't worry, I will obey your orders in everything."
Mi Niang raised her chin proudly.
After dinner, she went to Xian Ge'er's place again to help him with his homework. She didn't come here very often, but she would often bring her son some tea and snacks. It was still nice to spend time with her son.
She herself had come here when she was a child, and what the children lacked was the company of their parents.
While her son was doing his homework, she was doing needlework. Of course, she was making hats for her son. Winter came quickly in Kyoto. Mi Niang never liked making shoes, thinking that it was too tiring, so she made more hats and purses for her sons.
Xian Ge'er is very much like Mi Niang. When he is doing his homework, he is completely focused.
The teacher invited by the clan school now was specially hired by Fang Weiyan with a large sum of money. He is also a person of both moral integrity and talent. Naturally, he was invited to be a teacher in the marquis's mansion, and he also wanted to take a shortcut. After all, Fang Weiyan is not an ordinary person now.
After Xian Ge'er finished writing, he saw Mi Niang still working on it, and was instantly moved: "Mother, it's getting late, you should go home and rest early. Also, don't worry about your son, let the needlework do it."
Mi Niang touched his head and said, "Of course they have their reasons for doing it, but I did it for my jealous brother."
Having said this, she stood up again and told the maids and servants to serve her well. She asked the maid to light the lantern and go out.
The night sky is extremely beautiful tonight. Mi Niang looks up at the sky and feels a little emotional. In her previous life, she was far from being so attentive to her children. Besides, the palace is not like ordinary people's homes. Even the relationships among relatives in the palace are distant. Even to her own son, she may not be able to tell him what is in her heart.
But now her relationship with Xian'er and Tang'er is better. She doesn't have to worry about the throne or anything like that, and she lives more freely.
Once upon a time, she felt that life in the palace was too hard and she didn't know when she would die. Now that she has a family, she doesn't have to worry about anything.
When she returned to her room, she unexpectedly found Fang Weiyan there too. She asked curiously, "You usually come back to your room very late at night, why are you so early today?" After saying that, she yawned.
Fang Weiyan said quickly: "Go to bed quickly, we have to go out and play tomorrow."
"Okay, got it."
The two of them rested, and Mi Niang hugged Fang Wei Yan tightly, and Fang Wei Yan was so good-tempered that he let her hug him.
Fan Yuzhen in the palace was alone and unable to sleep tonight. Before she was appointed as the Empress, she had been favored all the time, gave birth to two princes, and was in charge of palace affairs for many years, but she lost to a wild girl.
That wild girl is inferior to me in terms of family background, appearance and talent.
"My lady, would you like some honey water? Does your throat hurt?"
After giving birth, Fan Yuzhen was very afraid of cold. Even though the weather was still hot in August, she still wanted a brazier.
"No need, I'm fine."
The one keeping watch at night was Fan Yuzhen's maid Yunshao. As the saying goes, a servant is like his master. Yunshao was very pretty, quick-witted and intelligent. She was Fan Yuzhen's maid who came with her dowry, and also his confidant.
She knew what Fan Yuzhen was thinking, so she advised him, "Your Majesty, the Empress is still young, and the Emperor can still be fresh for a few days. Let them go crazy now. When they are tired in the future, they will remember your kindness."
Fan Yuzhen scolded: "You are the one who said that. If this gets out, how can I face the Empress?"
Yunshao quickly admitted her fault: "It is my fault. But I also know how bitter you feel."
Thinking of this, Fan Yuzhen sighed: "It's really boring to talk about this. In this palace, women are considered old and ugly after they turn 20."
Thinking of this, she felt that even if Mi Niang entered the palace, she would be the same as her. After the age of twenty, she was no longer a woman.
There are always the freshest girls waiting for Your Majesty, and Your Majesty's favorites are also the freshest girls.
Yunshao said, "In fact, in my opinion, you are already fine, since you already have two princes. But Concubine Zheng, she only has one princess now."
Fan Yuzhen smiled sarcastically.
Soon, she couldn't laugh anymore, because Zheng Dou Niang was even more embarrassed than her. The empress still had the temperament of a child. She was just the adopted daughter of a commander. To put it bluntly, she was just the daughter of a soldier. Many of the emperor's harem were from famous families. Even low-ranking concubines like Fu Qianqian, her father was the commander of Dengzhou Guard.
Furthermore, Empress Xia was too young, and her conduct was not fit for a queen, so many concubines in the harem were dissatisfied with her.
But Zheng Dou Niang catered to the empress's wishes. When all the concubines wanted to compete with the empress, she sent snacks from the empress's family. The emperor was very happy to hear about it and thought that Zheng Dou Niang knew how to understand his intentions.
Fan Yuzhen was too embarrassed to do so, and as a result, she fell ill.
But it was said that Mi Niang took her two sons out to play. Everything was fine as planned yesterday, but the two little guys stayed in bed and woke up crying. Mi Niang was so angry that she wanted to spank them, but was stopped by Fang Wei Yan.
"I usually envy my brother for studying, so I get up early every day. When I finally have a day off, I let him sleep a little longer. You know, sleep is the key to growth."
"Humph, you're the only one who knows how to talk, and you always play the good guy. It was okay when they were young, but now you're getting more and more difficult. To me, he's much taller than his peers now."
Ming'er is only one year younger than him, but a head shorter.
Both husband and wife wore green today, but Fang Wei Yan wore a dark green robe that looked like a bamboo, while Mi Niang wore a light green spring shirt and a milky white pearl pleated skirt.
Mi Niang held Fang Weiyan's arm. Fang Weiyan was a little uncomfortable and kept looking left and right. Mi Niang got angry when she saw him like this: "What's wrong? It's like you're thinking something bad."
"I'm afraid that others will see us and say that we are not dignified as a couple." Fang Weiyan is still very concerned about his image.
Mi Niang stamped her feet in anger, but she was also very happy in her heart because Fang Wei Yan had always been accommodating to her and always catered to her, so now he dared to say no, which was a good thing.
But she didn't forgive him so quickly, so she walked with her sons. There were many small vendors near the Jiuqu Bridge, and Envy Brother liked it the most lively. Mi Niang grew up in the market and didn't think much of eating out.
Therefore, I bought some fried buns for Xian'er and some candied haws for Tang'er.
The servants who came out of the Marquis' Mansion were quite worried. They all looked at Fang Weiyan's face, and seeing that Fang Weiyan was smiling slightly, they did not dare to persuade him any more.
The jiao bao was steaming hot, and the meat inside was mixed with pepper powder. It was very juicy and delicious with a salty taste. Fortunately, Mi Niang bought one more, but he was concerned about his image and wanted to sit down later before eating.
Fang Weiyan unexpectedly took the jiaobao from her hand and took a bite. Before Mi Niang could react, she angrily said, "Why didn't you tell me when you bought it? I only had one, and you ate it."
This person is really stuffy and appears serious on the surface.
Fang Weiyan smiled and said, "Thank you for loving me."
You really deserve a beating for laughing so hard.
The scorched buns were really delicious. Fang Weiyan took out a handkerchief to wipe the oil from his mouth, and then looked at Mi Niang's coquettish expression, feeling happier than anything else.
It turns out that when I am with the person I like, I feel very happy no matter what I do.
More and more people began to gather on the Nine-Turn Bridge. It was crowded with pedestrians. Fang Weiyan was bringing his son with him. The father and son were discussing how to compose poetry beside a willow tree.
Mi Niang took Tang Ge'er to fly a kite. Tang Ge'er was always well-behaved, even better than girls. It was rare for him to go out, so he ran around happily.
At noon, the servants began to roast the venison. Baiying and Shaoyao deftly arranged the fruits and snacks that had been washed long ago. The family chatted and laughed, and they were in a very pleasant mood.
So when he got to school, the jealous boy told everyone that his family had gone out to play the day before. All the students in the school were from the same clan and were not much different in age, so they were all very jealous.
The envious boy was a quick-witted talker, and seeing the envy of others, he said proudly, "When you go to Jiuqu Bridge, you must try Huang Lao Er Jiao Bao. It's really delicious, but my mother only let me eat one. But I ate venison and sprinkled a lot of cumin powder on it. It was brought back from the Western Regions by my father's friend. It was really tasty."
Everyone was talking about envy of the Envy Brother, who had already picked up the book and started reading. That's how he was, when he was playing he was more energetic than anyone else, but when he was reading he was more serious than anyone else.
My father talked about poetry with him yesterday and he benefited a lot from it.
When Min Ge'er saw that he was studying, he immediately felt like being outdone, because the clan school also had upper, middle and lower dorms, and the quarterly exam was coming up soon. If he failed the exam, his mother would not know how to scold him.
But after returning home, he was envious of his brother who could go out and play. According to his brother, his mother would satisfy him no matter what he wanted to do.
"Min Ge'er, come here, how did you learn today?" The county lord pulled Min Ge'er and looked him up and down.
She only has this son. Her husband is not very capable and after the family division, her situation has fallen into a state of decline. Now she can only make a living by relying on the inheritance she got.
The living standard has plummeted compared to that in the Marquis' Mansion. In the Marquis' Mansion, delicacies from land and sea seemed to be inexhaustible, banquets had to be held from time to time, clothes and jewelry had to be purchased for a season, and monthly payments had to be made. In addition, the Marquis' Mansion also had a palace doctor, and if he wanted any tonic or prescription, he just had to say the word.
I used to have bird's nest porridge for breakfast. Although bird's nest porridge is not a good thing, it tastes good as soon as it enters the mouth. Now, even rice porridge is good enough.
In this way, she hoped that Min Ge'er could soar to success.
Unexpectedly, Min Ge'er said, "Mom, I heard from the jealous boy in school that the Nine-Turn Bridge is fun and the Jiaobao is delicious. There are a lot of people flying kites there. Can you——"
"Shut up, you are going to study, how can you only think about playing? You should know that in a few months you will be divided into upper, middle and lower dormitories. Do you want to go to the lower dormitories?" The gentleman was furious.
She was born into a royal family, but because she was the great-granddaughter of a prince, although she was given the title of Lady of the Country, unfortunately she did not have many social contacts.
After a woman gets married, she pays more attention to her husband's official position. For example, Mi Niang often goes out because Fang Weiyan has peers and superiors, but Fang Weiting only knows some drinking and eating friends. Who would have such insight?
She had finally found the book and wanted to supervise her son's study, but she never expected that he wanted to play instead.
Ming'er burst into tears.
Lan Ru hurried forward and said, "Third Madam, Min Ge'er is still young."
Seeing Min'er's red face, Xiangjun couldn't bear it and softened her voice: "Min'er, my voice is a little loud, but you have to know that I have absolutely no bad intentions."
Lan Ru and Tong Ye asked Ming Ge'er's wet nurse to take him downstairs to coax him. When Xiang Jun saw his son sobbing, he felt that his words were too harsh.
Of course, the maids also noticed the guilt on her face and said hurriedly, "Don't worry, Min Ge'er will definitely understand you."
Xiangjun said with some resentment: "If it weren't for Fang Weiyan's desire to split up the family, we wouldn't have ended up like this. He himself has risen to prominence, but what about others?"
Lan Ru nodded: "Yes, the Fourth Master is a great scholar, and the Fourth Wife is the daughter of an official, the goddaughter of the Prime Minister's wife. They would like to set up a house and live separately, fearing that others will flatter them. But people are unpredictable, and there is no guarantee that there will not be a time when they will fall into disgrace. When that time comes, others will kick them out. What will they do?"
Not to mention the masters, let's just talk about this maid. When she was in the marquis's mansion before, she received two taels of silver a month. Because she also took care of Min Ge'er, Min Ge'er also received eight taels of silver a month. She also received clothes for all four seasons and various satins, which was much better than what she has now.
For example, she used to be able to eat sea bass and pigeon soup from time to time, but now she rarely eats such meat.
It's really infuriating to talk about it.
The county lord often sighed: "I am not worried about anything else, but what will happen to Min'er in the future? What do you think the jealous one is up to? He has returned home and has a Hanlin master to teach him. What about our Min'er? If he doesn't study hard, what will happen to him in the future?"
Ming'er was not a child anymore when she complained like this. After Lan Ru heard about it, Ming'er became more and more distant from Xian'er.
When Xian Ge'er came back and told Mi Niang and Fang Weiyan about it, Mi Niang said to him, "It's okay if you're unfamiliar with each other. The higher you go in the future, the more like-minded friends you will have. But don't show it on a daily basis."
Fang Weiyan hurriedly said about this method of education: "Your mother is right, but brothers should be friendly and respectful to each other. Men should have a broad mind and not take trivial matters to heart."
The jealous boy held up his hands and said, "Dad, you and mom actually meant the same thing, you just said it in a nicer way."
Fang Weiyan laughed: "Stinky boy."
How could Mi Niang not have imagined that the division of the family would turn out like this? But Chang Yuzhu was very happy because it really saved a lot of money. Fang Weijun had a proper job and a lot of benefits, so what was there for her to be dissatisfied about?
Her stubborn and strong-willed heart became calmer because of Fang Weijun's frequent letters.
Therefore, Chang Yuzhu returned the favor to the envious boy and settled him very properly.
This made Mi Niang sigh. It turns out that as long as people have love, they won't be so sharp.
Furthermore, the two families no longer ate from the same pot, but visited each other more frequently. Xian'er had his grandmother and aunt to love him, and the Marquis of Dong'an liked this grandson and taught him archery, so Xian'er didn't care that much about his alienation from Min'er.
In comparison, among the people in the palace, Zheng Dou Niang was the only one who had a stable mentality. Because the emperor favored her alone in the imperial concubine, the harem was unbalanced. Compared with Zheng Dou Niang, Fan Yuzhen was not as flexible. The emperor seemed to have forgotten about the selection of a study partner for the fifth prince she gave birth to.
The same is true in the palace: the mother is honored by her son, and the son is honored by his mother.
The eldest prince was not favored because Concubine Guo Jin had never been favored by the emperor.
But when it comes to the birth of the new empress, all the ladies of state must come to the palace to pay their respects to her. After all, this empress is very much favored by the emperor and can be regarded as the only one favored by him.
Mi Niang also went in with the crowd. Empress Xia did not grow up in the capital and was not very familiar with the ladies of the royal family. Although there was a senior maid beside her to give her advice, her smile was still very stiff.
Because of the Empress, the greetings took an extra long time. When it was Mi Niang's turn, it was already noon. She didn't want to waste everyone's time, so she hurriedly said, "I am the wife of Fang Weiyan, Junior Secretary of the Ministry of Secretariat and Attending Scholar of the Hanlin Academy. I pay my respects to the Empress. May the Empress be blessed with good health."
Just after Mi Niang knelt down, she heard a "gurgling" sound and Queen Xia covered her stomach.
Mi Niang really wanted to laugh, but the Queen was actually hungry at this time.
But she had to hold back.
The ladies wanted to laugh but didn't dare to because the empress was a concubine. However, Queen Xia was obviously not good at handling such situations and her face turned red instantly.
Mi Niang then said, "Your Majesty, I have behaved inappropriately. Please punish me."
Everyone was shocked, but Mi Niang knew that the empress had lost her manners. If the news got out, people would definitely ask who was paying respects at the time. Mi Niang was not going to win the emperor's eyes, and she didn't want that to happen.
The old maid beside Empress Xia whispered something in her ear, and Empress Xia smiled and said, "Madam Fang has done nothing wrong. You have worked hard for my future. Send down the order and ask the kitchen to give Madam Fang a plate of cakes."
Queen Xia's answer was very appropriate and considerate to the ladies of noble birth, and Mi Niang thanked her repeatedly.
The old lady couldn't help but nodded.
Fan Yuzhen beside her thought, how could she be so humble? If Mi Niang was in the palace, she would definitely be better than her. However, it didn't matter, because her fifth son, the emperor, hadn't chosen a study partner yet, so she could recommend Mi Niang's son.
With such a capable mother, the son must be a rare talent.
Zheng Dou Niang was glad that this Madam Fang was so smart and fortunately she had never entered the palace that year, otherwise I would have found it difficult to get along with her.
"Han Yao Fu" says that the maidens in the deep courtyard, when their luck runs out, become prostitutes and concubines; and the charming and beautiful women, when their time comes, they become wives.
But for someone like Ruan, she is just lucky. As long as she wants, she can quickly succeed.
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