"Defei invited me to Zhaoyang Palace?" Mi Niang was a little surprised.
The last time, it was because of the Queen Mother's birthday and they hadn't seen each other for many years, so Mi Niang went to see him. But now, she is the wife of the Grand Scholar and she has already met him at the Queen's place. I don't know why she is being called over now?
The person who came was Fan Yuzhen's personal maid Yunshao. She smiled and said, "That's right. Our queen said she's been busy these days. I wonder how the old lady is doing? I want to ask Madam Fang to go over and ask about her recent situation."
Mi Niang thought to herself, could it be that she has something to ask me? Otherwise, how could she be asked such a thing?
Although she was also a girl from the Ruan family, after the family split up, most of the people she interacted with were from the Hanlin Academy and officials in the capital, and she went to the Ruan family less often. Moreover, when Fang Weiyan was exiled to Dengzhou, the Hanhai Mansion immediately reduced its interactions.
Of course, the relationship is still good. Mi Niang will also come to celebrate the three festivals and five ceremonies.
But Ruan Siniang was among them just now. She is the granddaughter of the Duke of Hanhai.
What if what Fan Yu really asked her to do was very difficult?
Therefore, Mi Niang said, "I would like to go, but the Queen just gave me a plate of cakes. If I don't try it, it would be bad if someone knows about it and says I despise the Queen. Miss Yunshao, I have been going to Hanhai Mansion less these days. Why don't you go and ask the wife of the Prince of Nanping."
They were all smart people, and this statement was obviously a rejection, but Yunshao thought to himself that his queen had some friendship with this Madam Fang, so why didn't Madam Fang help?
Thinking back then, when someone wrote a book about her like that, it was Concubine De who helped her.
Therefore, she whispered, "Madam Fang, my queen has something else to ask you."
It seemed that Fan Yu was determined to find her, so Mi Niang nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go with you."
This time when Fan Yuzhen saw her, he was a little anxious, "Mi Niang, I have something I want to tell you."
Qiao Zong?
Mi Niang was puzzled: "My Lady, do you have something to tell me?"
The relationship between the former dynasty and the harem is naturally complicated. When Concubine Cui was very popular in the past, many people brought money to Concubine Cui. Of course, if someone pays attention to his official reputation, he will not have any disputes with the concubines in the palace.
Fan Yuzhen smiled and said, "I wonder how your eldest son is doing these days?"
Mi Niang was a person who could tell the whole story. She probably knew what Fan Yuzhen was planning, so she smiled and said, "That's great. After we separated, my grandfather donated 200 mu of land as sacrificial land, which was specially used for the family members to study, and he also invited famous teachers. You know that her father ranked first in the second class, and he always regretted it. He hoped that our envy brother could rank first in the future."
After hearing what Mi Niang said, Fan Yuzhen lowered her eyes and forced a smile: "This is a very good thing. It's a good thing to have ambition."
Mi Niang nodded: "If a man wants to fulfill his life's ambition, he should study the six classics diligently in front of the window."
Until Mi Niang left, Fan Yuzhen did not say anything to persuade her to stay. Yun Shao was puzzled: "Madam, why don't you just tell Madam Fang directly?"
Fan Yuzhen shook her head: "She has already rejected me."
The clouds are frowning.
She didn't understand these, but Fan Yuzhen did. What Mi Niang had just read was a poem by Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, which encouraged people to study. The poem said that a rich family doesn't need to buy good farmland, as there are thousands of bushels of grain in books. A comfortable home doesn't need to have a high hall, as there are golden houses in books. Don't be sad that no one is with you when you go out, as there are many carriages and horses in books.
Don't be sad about not having a good matchmaker when it comes to marrying a wife, there are beautiful women in books.
As long as you follow the right path, you will have everything. Why do you need this as a companion?
No matter who becomes emperor in the future, the court will always value scholars.
Even the emperor found it difficult to shake the civil service system, because the selection of officials was often not just a matter of satisfying the emperor, but also involved the distribution of interests.
After Mi Niang returned home, Queen Xia sent some tribute and rewards, but Fang Wei Yan still didn't know what had happened.
"What's going on? How does the new queen want to reward you?"
Mi Niang then told them what happened today. She said, "Queen Xia is young, and she was afraid that she got up too early and was not polite, so she sat still. You don't know, I wanted to laugh when I heard her belly rumbling. Really, I almost laughed out loud."
"Later, I said that I was disrespectful and helped the Empress out of trouble. Maybe that's why I was rewarded."
Fang Weiyan finally understood what she said. He pinched Mi Niang's cheek affectionately and said, "Not bad."
Mi Niang was furious. "Fang Weiyan, am I your little cat or puppy? Why do you touch my head or pinch my face all the time? You were not like this before. Now you are even more childish, like a child."
Fang Weiyan withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened and coughed softly: "Don't I think you are cute?"
"I haven't finished talking yet. Concubine De asked me to go to her palace and asked about our son. I was afraid that she wanted our son to study with her, so I declined. You won't blame me, right?"
Maybe in the future Fan Yuzhen's son will really have a chance to rise to prominence and become the emperor, but I'm afraid Fang Weiyan will blame him then.
Fang Weiyan smiled and said, "How could I blame you? Our son is so spoiled at home. We love him so much, why should we let him enter the palace and have to face other people's opinions?"
"Besides..." He looked at Mi Niang, "I know you will definitely be reluctant to leave Yan Ge'er."
For Fang Weiyan, wealth and glory are just a matter of time. His stepson in his previous life passed away suddenly. In this life, Yan Ge'er and Tang Ge'er were both educated so well. They are both his and Mi Niang's treasures. How could he bear to let them suffer?
Mi Niang threw herself into his arms: "You said everything I wanted to say."
Fang Weiyan also said, "Nowadays, even the eldest prince has difficulty going out to study, let alone the fifth prince? However, now that the new queen has been established, I'm afraid someone will submit a memorial if the princes study."
This means that Fan Yuzhen considers too much.
The emperor didn't mention it, so it's useless for you to say it, but the harem has never been allowed to interfere in government affairs.
After Mi Niang rejected Fan Yuzhen, Fan Yuzhen revealed her intention to the Hanhai Mansion, and the Hanhai Mansion also secretly revealed it to the children of the powerful and nobles. After Xu knew about it, she asked Fang Weiyan first, and she was quite regretful to learn that Fang Weiyan had already refused.
Fang Weiyan said, "Why should we regret this? My son is still under my care and we can bring him up well. If he enters the palace and learns to read people's faces too early, it may not be a good thing."
Mrs. Xu knew that her son had always been a man of limited knowledge, so she gave up.
When Xiangjun heard the news, she immediately became excited. She said a lot of good things about Min Ge'er in front of Xu. Xu said, "Since you have this idea, I can talk to the Ruan family. But think about it, the Hanhai Mansion has its own children, and there are other mansions that are fighting each other. Min Ge'er's chances are not great."
Of course, Min Ge'er is not her biological grandson, so it would be great if he could be chosen, but she would not lose anything if he was not chosen.
Now Xu's eldest son is the Junior Chancellor of the Chancellery, a future member of the Eastern Palace, and a scholar of the Hanlin Academy. Her youngest son's military career is also going smoothly. As for the other illegitimate sons, she has long since stopped paying attention to them.
Xiangjun was a little disappointed, but still sincerely asked Xu: "You must fight for Min'er. I will let him be filial to you in the future."
"Don't tell me, I'll take care of it."
But Xu thought to herself, I have many filial people, do I also need you to be filial?
After returning home, the lady asked a tailor to make some clothes for Min Ge'er and told him to study hard. He went to bed an hour later than usual.
As for the jealous boy, once he has finished his homework and his parents have checked on him, he can rest.
Therefore, in school, Brother Xian is in high spirits every day. Fang Weiyan is a Hanlin himself, and he almost served as a daily lecturer for the emperor. He is naturally talented and knowledgeable. Every ten days, he will go out to talk to Brother Xian about difficult problems, and there are He will also arrange it privately.
Just like what Mi Niang said, the teacher can only lead you to the door, but the practice is up to you.
He did not have to cram books every day, but he had solid knowledge and a clever mind, and his teacher often praised him.
Therefore, during the quarterly class, Xian Ge'er stood out and became the first person in the upper dormitory. There were only five people in the upper dormitory, and Xian Ge'er was the youngest.
When Mi Niang learned that Xian Ge'er had entered the upper residence, she was very happy and immediately asked the kitchen to prepare a table full of his favorite dishes.
"Mom, today the teacher said that I answered well. Oh, by the way, many of my classmates even cried."
Because this was the first time the clan school was established, Fang Weiyan instructed the teachers to be strict, otherwise the clan school would become a place for eating, drinking and having fun.
Mi Niang said quickly: "You are the youngest, and you can't be weaker than your uncles and brothers. Otherwise, you will be forced to move from the upper dormitory to the middle dormitory or the lower dormitory. What will you do?"
She used herself as an example: "When I was studying with my classmates from the same girls' school, although I was young, I worked the hardest every time, so I always got first place. You can't play around, you have to study hard. If you study well, I will take you to Fanlou for dinner next time, how about that?"
This is another difference between Mi Niang and Xiang Jun. Everyone has times when they get lazy, so one cannot just study blindly but must combine work with rest.
The jealous boy nodded vigorously: "My son has heard from his classmates that Fanlou costs a fortune, and not everyone can afford to go there."
It is naturally expensive for children. For example, Xian'er's monthly allowance is only two taels of silver, and it increases to five taels after studying for a month. Tang'er currently has no monthly allowance at all.
But a meal at Fanlou starts at ten taels, not to mention how it tastes in the private room.
Mi Niang smiled and said, "There are some areas where we don't have to waste, but at least we know about it. Now that we know how to enjoy ourselves, we also know that everything we have today is not easy, so we have to study harder."
The jealous boy stood up and saluted: "My son has learned his lesson."
Winter came in a blink of an eye. Xu was jealous of Min'er's hard work and wanted to let him stay there. Mi Niang and Fang Wei Yan also agreed. However, Min'er fell seriously ill.
I heard that the old couple heard that Min Ge'er was ill, so they got up earlier than the rooster every day and went to bed so late, without a moment's rest. Min Ge'er was weak, so he naturally fell ill. After he fell ill, the lady complained bitterly.
She was not worried about her son's health, but was worried that the gentlemen would not wait for her son.
She even went to personally find Fang Weiyan and asked him to suspend the class and resume it after Min Ge'er recovered.
How is this possible? Fang Weiyan said, "Third sister-in-law, you should let Min Ge'er recover from his illness first. There are more than ten people in the middle house and they can't wait for him alone. Otherwise, you can send someone to ask the teacher what he said every day, and read books at home. If you don't understand, you can ask the teacher when the time comes."
Xiangjun said somewhat stubbornly, "Fourth brother, why not let Brother Xian explain this to our Brother Min every day?"
In the past, Mi Niang would definitely jump out at this time, but today, Mi Niang glanced at Fang Wei Yan, and Fang Wei Yan immediately said, "Third sister-in-law, I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."
He ran away without hesitation, and Mi Niang thought to herself, what a good Fang Jiying you are.
Since this man revealed his true face, he is no longer the bullied Fang Weiyan, but a genuine white-cut black.
Now Mi Niang finally sees through him.
"Third sister-in-law, it's freezing cold. My brother is staying in the Marquis's Mansion, under the care of his grandparents. We can't do anything to him."
She knew how much Xu and the Dong'an Marquis couple loved their sons and doted on them. How could Xu let Xian'er and Min'er stay in the same room? It would not be a fun thing if they got sick.
A gentleman bullies others with his own methods. She could bully a scholar like Fang Weiyan, but she could not bully her mother-in-law, Xu, and might even be scolded by her.
You should know that more than half of this cold is caused by man-made factors.
The lady naturally did not dare to offend Xu, and left in shame.
After everyone left, Fang Weiyan came back with a book. Mi Niang sent the servants away and immediately hit him: "How dare you leave me alone there."
Fang Weiyan said cautiously, "It's all because you women are easy to talk to. I'm afraid she'll kneel down to me, and that will end badly."
"You are so beautiful. I always say you have two faces. You were so nice before, but now you have become much more awful." Mi Niang snorted.
Fang Weiyan laughed and said, "That won't work. You used to bully me."
"I will bully you in the future." Mi Niang was very unhappy.
Fang Weiyan had no choice but to continue accompanying Xiao Xin. After all, he was happy even if Mi Niang bullied him.
It was the first time to celebrate the New Year in the new home, and the preparations for the New Year's goods had already begun. Although there was a manager in charge, many ideas still had to be made by Mi Niang. She was very busy. Fortunately, Xian Ge'er came back and could look after Tang Ge'er for her, so she could concentrate on her work.
In the past, the sending of gifts to various places was arranged by the housekeeper of the Marquis's Mansion. Now it's my turn. It's also the first year, so I can't be stingy anywhere.
Speaking of which, Mi Niang is still very concerned about her reputation and doesn't want to be looked down upon.
Fang Weiyan still goes to Lu Rufa's residence as frequently as before. It is said that Fang Weiyan's articles have been highly praised recently, and it is said that he may be sent to Yingtian Prefecture to preside over the provincial examination next year.
This is a first-class and prestigious job. There have been a lot of gifts this year, so Fang Weiyan naturally declined them at his discretion.
It's not that he is not honest, but he has some good connections. In the officialdom, one cannot do anything too drastic.
However, what puzzled Mi Niang was why the emperor did not allow the princes to go out to study. This was really strange.
But the emperor is the emperor, different from others. After a minister wrote a letter to the emperor, he really ordered the five princes to go out of the palace to study together. Fan Yuzhen's son happened to be the fifth prince.
Now no minister said that they should not go out of the cabinet together, because the new queen was said to be pregnant, and it was very likely that she was carrying a prince, that is, Yuanzi, so the eldest prince, the eldest prince, was not considered precious.
The emperor chose the Minister of Rites Geng Dacheng as the teacher for the five princes. Fang Weiyan was also chosen to teach the princes. Of course, his main position was still a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy.
Mi Niang looked at Fang Weiyan. Fang Weiyan saw her eyes slightly squinting, with a puzzled look on her face, and asked hurriedly, "What's wrong? Do you think I'm not worthy of you?"
"No, you're too young. I thought you'd last a few more years."
Even if it was Mi Niang herself, when choosing a husband for Xian Ge'er in the future, she would consider someone with rich experience. Moreover, Fang Wei Yan himself was too handsome and energetic, looking like a young man in his early twenties, and looked very young.
If it were the Fang Weiyan of the past, he would have definitely spoken some great truths, but now he was calm: "My mentor pushed me to go, so I had to go."
It turned out that it was Lu Rufa who asked him to go. Mi Niang sighed: "It's really easy to be an official if you have someone in the court."
Fang Weiyan smiled and said, "If I am not capable, my mentor would not recommend me. If I am a person without any talent or accomplishment, the emperor would not approve of me. Of course, luck is a factor, but it is still necessary to have the ability to do something."
"That's true, but these five princes may all be sent to vassal states in the future, so you can't favor one over the other."
Mi Niang was reminding him that, especially for the harem, whether a child could be born and raised to adulthood was another question.
You can't put all your bets on the queen's belly. It's better to see which one of the other five princes is most likely. Of course, at his current stage, others generally can't tell whether he is good or not.
Fang Weiyan praised him and said, "You are right. I have received the emperor's order, so I just need to teach my knowledge well."
"It's not just about teaching. You don't know that although this is a good job, if you get too close, it will inevitably be suspected of forming a clique. If you become distant, if one of these five ascends to the throne in the future, you will be in trouble. I know you are smart, but things in the harem are hard to say. Although Empress Xia is of the right age, the child has not been born yet, and we don't know whether it is a boy or a girl. Even if it is a prince, it will take at least ten years for him to grow up."
Don't bet on the Queen too early.
Fang Weiyan thought to himself, no wonder she could remain the favorite in the palace forever, she really has a lot of insight.
You can never relax and there is always hope.
The couple had a night talk, and there was a palace banquet the next day. With Fang Weiyan's emergence, Mi Niang no longer had to draw for the big guys in order to break into the circle as before. Now she could just enter the palace on her own.
As soon as she entered the palace, she saw people from the Empress Dowager coming to invite her in.
Mi Niang couldn't help but ask the little maid: "Why did the queen let me go?"
The young maid said, "Last time, the queen praised you in front of the emperor. She should have summoned you to the palace to talk to you earlier, but the queen was not feeling well. Now that she knows you are coming, she has specially sent me to wait here."
"so it is."
Mi Niang followed the little palace maid to Kunning Palace.
The current Kunning Palace has been redecorated and is more lively than when Queen Nguyen was in power.
Especially the palace lanterns hanging in the corridor, all of which are watermelon lanterns, are very beautiful.
When the little maid saw Mi Niang looking at the watermelon lantern, she thought about how generous she had been and couldn't help saying, "This was originally available in the summer, but because our queen liked it, the emperor specially asked someone to find it for her."
The royal family is always different.
Mi Niang smiled and said, "It's really beautiful. If it were on the water, it would be as graceful as a lotus emerging from the water."
When she met Queen Xia again, although her eyes were childish, there was something difficult to see clearly. Mi Niang thought that this was the price of being in the palace. Even a three-year-old child knew how to read the expression on someone's face and act accordingly.
Empress Xia was very polite to her: "Give Lady Fang a seat."
Mi Niang quickly declined, and Queen Xia smiled and said, "I don't know why, but when I saw Lady Fang, I felt as if I had known her before, and I felt very close to her."
"That is my blessing." Mi Niang said respectfully.
Queen Xia exchanged a glance with the nanny beside her, and suddenly asked Mi Niang, "I've heard that many people think that I'm not worthy of being the empress. Lady Fang, what do you think?"
Mi Niang thought to herself, whether you deserve what you said or not is not up to me to decide.
However, although I don't know why she asked this question, maybe she was laughed at in the palace or something, which is also normal. I'm afraid that the whole palace doesn't want to see her give birth to a child.
No matter how simple-minded she is, she can still feel the good and evil in this melting pot.
But it would be inappropriate to ask Mi Niang, as this person does not follow the rules.
But since she asked me about this place, I couldn't help but answer, so I smiled and said, "Your Highness, living in Kunning Palace is already a proper Kun body, and you are in the center of the palace. The emperor personally issued an order, so how could anyone say anything?"
It is inappropriate for an empress to say such things. Unless the emperor continues to love her, it will cause trouble sooner or later.
The emperor is a moody person and is not easy to get along with. When he is in a good mood, he will comfort you, but when he is in a bad mood, if you touch his bad habits again, you will be in big trouble.
When Empress Xia heard Mi Niang say this, she was silent for a long time before she said, "I know many people think I am not worthy, but I am sitting here even though I am not worthy. They are worthy, but the emperor does not allow them to be."
Mi Niang pretended that she didn't hear anything at all. When she came out of Kunning Palace, she suddenly felt the cold air inhaled into her nose.
Just a few months ago, when Empress Xia first entered the palace, she was still simple and lovely, but now she is like a completely different person. If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, it would be hard to believe.
Much of the food at the palace banquet had already gone cold. She and Xu sat together. Chang Yuzhu was in confinement after giving birth and was unable to come, so Mi Niang sat with her mother-in-law.
Xu really missed Xian Ge'er and asked her, "You guys don't know what you are busy with. If you don't come tomorrow, bring Xian Ge'er and Tang Ge'er with you."
Although Chang Yuzhu gave birth to Ren Ge'er, she treated him as her darling and loved him equally. The child could not stand the wind, unlike Mi Niang's two sons who were as strong as calves. Xu Shi spent more time with them and loved these two grandsons more in her heart.
Mi Niang smiled and agreed. She saw that the wife of the Marquis of Xinling and the wife of the Duke of Qi were having a good chat at the same table. Xu told Mi Niang, "These two are going to become relatives."
In-laws?
Now in the Xinling Marquis's Mansion, only Gu Wangshu is not married. The youngest son of Xinling Marquis' wife is already married. Could it be that this was said because of Gu Wangshu?
She asked Xu carefully, "Is this the marriage arranged by Gu?"
Mrs. Xu nodded, "Who else could it be but him? He is not young anymore, and His Majesty has asked about his marriage. He has chosen the daughter of Duke Qi. Although she is also a concubine, she has a very gentle temperament and is well-known among the ladies. The two families are discussing the date and are waiting for the wedding to be held in the spring of next year."
Mi Niang knew that men should get married when they are old enough and women should get married when they are old enough, and it was normal for Gu Wangshu to get married at this age, but what about Jian Ningchu?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
