"What do you want from me today?" Mi Niang smiled and gave Luzhu a look, thinking she was here to get something from her.
Luzhu smiled and said, "I have something good to tell you, do you want to hear it?"
The two of them always got along very well. Mi Niang couldn't help but smile: "If it's good news, why don't you tell me quickly? You are still keeping me in suspense."
Luzhu looked around and whispered something in her ear for a long time. Mi Niang couldn't help but wonder: "Are you telling the truth?"
"I heard it with my own ears, how could it be false?"
While Luzhu was still happy for Mi Niang, Mi Niang was speechless. Her first reaction was to talk to Second Madam Ding and wait for an opportunity to move out.
Unexpectedly, Mrs. Ding smiled and said, "I think the girl misheard. This is impossible."
"Besides, as the saying goes, it's the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words. Mi Niang, although I love you, you can't worry about a girl's family."
"mother…"
Mrs. Ding held her in her arms and said seriously, "Don't worry, mother will take care of this matter."
Sure enough, when Luzhu saw Mi Niang again, she said nothing, as if that day had never happened. Not only did Madam Li accept Mi Niang as her apprentice, but Li Guan's marriage was also quickly arranged.
I heard that the family chosen is quite far away and their home is in Beijing. It was Li Guan's father, Li Tan, who made the decision in Beijing. Old Madam Li, Madam Li and the Second Madam had no right to comment.
Ruan Jiading also laughed and said, "She is from Wuxi. I heard that although the girl's father is only an eighth-rank official, her grandfather once worked in the Ministry of Personnel and had students and friends all over the country. Her great-grandfather was also the Minister of Rites. With such a good family background, I think this is a good match."
"You only talk about other people's daughters. At least think about your own daughter. For your daughter's sake, you have to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi. This way, your daughter can marry well in the future." Second Madam Ding looked at Ruan Jiading.
"It's natural, it's natural."
What made Ruan Jiading most satisfied was that he had a virtuous wife to take care of the family and his daughter was obedient, so he could study without distraction.
In his previous life, Li Guan's marriage was not settled so quickly, but it was much faster in this life. After all, nothing in this world is immutable.
"You have done a good job of removing your armor, but there are still a few places where you need to be more careful."
Mrs. Li pointed out several points in detail. Now the two of them have become a master and disciple, and they are much closer emotionally.
Mi Niang nodded and played it again. Mrs. Li was satisfied: "You have to practice a lot when learning anything. You are not only talented, but also a hard-working person. You will be better than me in the future. After you practice for another month, we will start learning "Spring River Moon Night". "
This made Mi Niang even happier. When she came out of Lady Li's room holding her pipa, she saw a young man walking towards her and quickly stepped aside to avoid him.
However, Luzhu, who had escorted Mi Niang out, smiled and said, "Young Master."
It turned out that this was Li Guan. He was tall and slender with a gentle voice, which made it easy for people to like him.
No wonder her father wanted to marry off his daughter after saving Li Guan.
"Is Mother there?"
"Yes, Master, just go in."
Seeing Li Guan go in, Lu Zhu said, "Don't waste your money next time you come. I have nothing here."
Mi Niang smiled playfully: "I'm not a sucker. A few days ago, Miss Song invited me to paint a picture for her. I bought it from you because I got the money. If I were poor, I wouldn't have any money even if you asked me for it!"
Although the fourth Miss Song was married, she lived a very good life in her husband's family. Their house often interacted with the Li family. Therefore, she knew that Mi Niang could paint, so she specially invited her to come over, and this time she paid ten taels of silver for the ink.
But it is said that after Li Guan entered the house, Mrs. Li was lying on the beauty couch. Although she was not very old, she had a lot of things to do at home and was easily tired.
"Mother...it's my husband's birthday in a few days, and I want to go and celebrate." After Li Guan finished speaking, he looked at his mother anxiously, as if he was afraid that she would disagree.
Unexpectedly, Madam Li agreed quickly: "This is as it should be. You studied under the tutelage of Master Guan, and he cares about you. However, since you failed the imperial examination, you should focus on your studies. Let me prepare the gifts."
Li Guan was very happy.
He thought that as long as he dragged it out, it wouldn't matter if the marriage was arranged. Besides, it hadn't been settled yet and the girl couldn't wait and would get married early.
Actually, this is something we can't help!
Mrs. Li prepared a very generous gift. When the gift was delivered to the Guan family, Mrs. Guan sighed.
She looked at her little daughter and said, "I only gave birth to you two sisters, and you two both made me worry so much."
Guan Huiqing had a trace of worry between her brows: "Mom, what happened to my sister?"
Mrs. Guan waved her hands and said, "She has settled down now. Back then, she was said to be the son of a family friend, but I didn't expect that she would be in such a situation after she got married. Your brother-in-law is now devoted to his business. He is rarely with your sister all year round. Your sister knew that your brother-in-law had several mistresses outside and made a few noises. Her mother-in-law was unhappy and her sisters-in-law laughed at her. Now that she has a younger sister to live with, she is more relaxed and not so aggressive anymore."
"It's easy to find priceless treasures, but it's hard to find a lover. My brother-in-law's family wanted to marry my sister because of our scholarly background, but my sister was deceived by him with just a few words. Guanlang is different. He refused the marriage for me. We have been childhood sweethearts. Mother, he is a loyal and affectionate man." Guan Huiqing said firmly.
Madam Guan sighed, "You are not a child anymore, you can't keep enduring forever."
Guan Huiqing smiled and said, "When the clouds clear, the moon will appear."
Mrs. Guan shook her head: "Fool, idiot."
Guan Huiqing and Li Guan finally met on her father's birthday. Her personal maid covered for them and quietly closed the door, while she herself kept watch outside.
The two who hadn't seen each other for many days met again, and no one knew how much they expressed their longing for each other.
"Guan Lang, you..." As she spoke, tears fell and she looked pitiful.
Li Guan took her hand and kissed it on his lips: "My mother specially prepared a generous gift for me to give to you, but I have something good for you."
He took out a branch of magpie climbing on a plum blossom. Originally, Guan Huiqing didn't like such a tacky pattern, but she knew that it had a very good meaning.
Guan Huiqing felt a little relieved.
After not seeing each other for a few days, Guan Huiqing couldn't help but feel a little anxious: "I heard that there is a stunning beauty living in your house, who is talented and well-educated, and your mother likes her. Why don't you stay with her and come to my place instead?"
Li Guan laughed and said, "You really wronged me. It was Mo Hu who said that again! He was my servant, but now he is your man. He tells you everything. Everyone in the mansion knows that Miss Ruan learned pipa from my mother. She left after learning and rarely comes to the mansion on weekdays. Besides, she is still a little girl!"
"Have you seen it?" Guan Huiqing raised her eyebrows.
It's strange that women's focus is all here.
Li Guan coughed lightly: "No, no."
He had seen her once before. He had originally planned to go in to look for his mother, but when he heard that the girl was inside, he stood outside for a while. He only listened to the song "Ba Wang Xi Jia" which was really well played. After that, she played "Ten Sides of Ambush". These two songs, one sad and melancholy, the other magnificent, complemented each other, and it was really like listening to heavenly music.
Later he saw that the person holding the pipa was a little girl. Li Guan only took a glance at her and suddenly felt his heart beating uncontrollably.
It took him a while to calm down. It was incredible that there was such a beautiful woman in the world. Even if Concubine Yang were reborn, she might not have such a face.
Of course, I can't say it in front of Guan Huiqing. She has a bad temper usually. It would be terrible if she knew about it.
Guan Huiqing snorted coldly and wiped her tears with a handkerchief: "Since you have decided to get married, you should come to me less often. What will you do if your mother finds out?"
Li Guan knew that she was unhappy, and he didn't know why his mother just looked down on Hui Qing. Now he had to study hard at home and could hardly come out for a while, so the two of them had fewer opportunities to meet.
The future was uncertain, so it was no wonder that Huiqing was like this. Li Guan used all his skills to coax her, and only then did Guan Huiqing smile.
But the two of them didn't have much time to spend together. After whispering to each other for a while, Li Guan had to go to the front to sit down.
Looking at his departing back, Guan Huiqing just felt that she was crazy.
"Miss, please go in quickly. Although it is already summer, we cannot tolerate the strong mountain breeze." The maid advised Guan Huiqing.
Guan Huiqing has always been in poor health. Although she is being nursed back to health, she still cannot be careless.
Guan Huiqing took a deep breath and said, "I don't know where my future lies either."
"Miss, why do you say that? I think Mr. Li is sincere to you."
She was so sincere that she rejected the Song and Huang families for the sake of the young lady. She also tried to approach the Xia family, which was specially approached by Old Lady Li. At that time, she seemed to think that the Xia family was about to be established. However, suddenly, news broke out that Miss Xia had eloped with someone, and she disappeared.
Therefore, the maids had no idea what the young lady was worried about.
When they finished learning "Spring River Moonlight Night", my parents asked Mrs. Li to buy a house in Wuchang, and the family prepared to move out.
The new house is in the south of the city, which is the old town. What's rare is that there are many shops around it and it's lively and convenient for everything. Not only is it close to the government office, it's also close to the ferry, so it's convenient no matter where you go.
The house they bought was someone else's old house, which cost them a total of 120 taels, and they spent almost 20 taels on renovations. Mi Niang used all her own savings to spend the money.
But when they saw the house deeds in their hands, no one was unhappy.
She couldn't go back to Jiangling. Even though Mi Niang's grandparents lived so far away, they had stolen a lot of the income from the family's fields and often wrote letters to beg for money.
If you live too close, you will probably be annoyed every day. You can't even hope for their death. If they die, Ruan Jiading will not be able to pass the imperial examination.
Therefore, Mrs. Ding decided to settle down in Wuchang. First, it was the capital of Huguang, close to Jiangling, and the customs and habits were similar. Second, if her husband failed to pass the imperial examination, she would have a place to go when she came back. It was not good to rent a house all the time.
As the saying goes, moving three times is like setting a fire once. Many good things that we have accumulated over the years have been lost inexplicably during the move.
So it is still a good deal to buy a house here.
Mrs. Li was very reluctant to let him go: "What if I say we can just stay? We will always be taken care of when we are together!"
Madam Ding Er smiled and said, "After traveling thousands of miles, there will always be a day when we have to leave. In the past two years, I have been very grateful to you for taking care of me in your house. Both Mi Niang and I are very grateful. In the future, we will not be far away anyway, so we can still visit each other as usual."
At this time, Madam Li handed a card to Second Mistress Ding: "This is a card from our master. If you have any questions, just take it out. Others will still give you some face."
After Mrs. Ding thanked him, she heard Madam Li say, "Next year, Ruan Xiaolian will go to Beijing to take the imperial examination. I don't have anything else to give him. You just bought a house, so I'm afraid you're short of money. I'll give these to Ruan Xiaolian as a gift."
At one point, the old lady and the second wife also sent some silver to her, and Mi Niang was also very moved.
After getting on the carriage, Mi Niang asked Second Mistress Ding: "Mother, why is Madam Li so polite to us?"
"You'll know later."
After moving into the new house, Mi Niang began to organize and decorate her new room. The desk, table and household furnishings did not cost much money, but they all had to be elegant.
This is a two-story house. Mi Niang lives upstairs. Apart from doing needlework on weekdays, she spends most of her time reading alone at home.
Unexpectedly, a matchmaker came to the house. At first, Mrs. Ding tried to deal with it, wanting to see if there were any good candidates. Unexpectedly, there was no one she liked.
Chun Tao whispered, "Fortunately, young lady, you didn't let anyone see your face. Those people only knew that we have a girl who is unmarried, so they sent a matchmaker. If they knew what you looked like, I don't know what would happen."
"Yes, a boss of a small pharmacy dared to come, and one of them was so anxious that he wanted to get married right away. But he also hinted that our family should pool money with his family to hold the wedding. They are all uninvited guests." Xia Lian was angry.
Seeing the two girls so angry, Mi Niang smiled and said, "I know you are worried about me, but my mother knows her limits in this matter."
Xia Lian spoke quickly, and said, "You are right. For example, Miss Guo from your private school was also worried about her marriage. Later, her father passed the imperial examination and became an official. As soon as he went to Beijing, he found a good marriage for her."
Yes, Guo Yaoyu wrote to me last year saying that she was engaged, and that the man she was engaged to was the same age as her father, the son of an official, who had passed the imperial examination at the age of 20, a higher academic achievement than her father. When Mi Niang received Guo Yaoyu's letter, she could feel her joy.
Among them, Guo Yaoyu also said that nowadays in Beijing, unlike in her hometown where girls get engaged before or around the age of ten, many girls find a husband after they reach the age of 15.
Of course, Guo Yaoyu once said that if she met someone with real ability like Tao Chuner, she would still strike first.
So Mi Niang is not in a hurry.
Mrs. Ding also sent her away with kind words, but she was not allowed to go out like she was in Jiangling or the Li family. At the same time, Mi Niang also noticed the changes in her body. She began to grow, and her chest began to swell slowly. She could no longer wear the small clothes she had worn before, and had to make new ones.
From time to time, her mother would ask people to make black chicken soup, angelica, red dates and egg soup, or longan and red dates water to replenish her qi and blood.
Mi Niang lives a completely healthy life, but she no longer gets up early. Being able to sleep in every day should be the most critical factor in improving her skin.
Sometimes Chuntao wanted to wake her up, but her mother would say, "Young people tend to be sleepy, let her sleep."
Until October of that year, Mrs. Ding gave birth to another son, and Mi Niang had a younger brother.
Mrs. Li specially sent someone to deliver the third-day baptism gift, and Mrs. Ding asked Mi Niang to go to the Li Mansion to express her gratitude. Because they had frequent exchanges with the Li family, no one in the neighborhood dared to bully them.
When she saw Madam Li again, she looked very cheerful. After asking about Second Madam Ding's situation, she looked at Mi Niang with surprise and said, "She has grown better and better. She has grown taller and bigger than before. She looks like a grown-up girl."
Mi Niang smiled and said, "My mother rarely lets me go out these days. If it weren't for you, she wouldn't let me come. How is your health, madam? The autumn heat is very severe these days, you must take care of yourself."
"I'm fine. The old lady missed you when you were gone."
"I have embroidered a headband for you and the old lady. Would you like to try it on?" Mi Niang took it out and handed it to Madam Li.
This is a headband embroidered with yellow crab chrysanthemums, which is most suitable for autumn. Mrs. Li also likes it very much and can't help but say: "You young people are good at new styles. We all wear the same old ones."
"As long as you are happy." Mi Niang said with a smile.
This made Madam Li love him even more, but it was a pity. After Luzhu sent her out, she found out that Madam Li was going to take Li Guan to the capital.
"We may not come back for several years if we go there. Firstly, we are going to arrange our son's marriage, and secondly, we are going to Shuntian Prefecture to take part in the provincial examination."
Mi Niang suddenly realized something. After returning, she went to see Second Madam Ding and told her that the Li family was going to Beijing. Unexpectedly, Second Madam Ding was not surprised at all.
"Mom, did you know this in advance?"
Mrs. Ding Er smiled and said, "Not only did I know about this in advance, but I was the one who came up with this idea."
Mi Niang was surprised: "What's going on?"
Mrs. Ding Er just said, "That day, Madam Li called me over, and she said that she had taken a liking to you. As a mother, I knew that if a family like ours could be favored by the wife of the old Hanlin, our Mi Niang must be very outstanding. But I heard some rumors, so I declined Madam Li's kindness and suggested that she..."
My thoughts went back to that day, when Second Madam Ding and Madam Li were sitting opposite each other. They both dismissed the servants and were talking. The smoke from tea curled up, filling the room with a sweet fragrance.
"In fact, I think it's most urgent for my brother to find a marriage. Some rumors have spread. If we get engaged in Jiangxia, others will be willing, but after hearing some bad words, I'm afraid it won't work out at all."
Mrs. Ding Er looked at Madam Li, whose face turned pale, and asked tremblingly, "Does everyone outside know about this?"
Mrs. Ding shook her head and said, "It's just some gossip. Others may not take it seriously."
Mrs. Li only smiled bitterly: "I thought this matter was kept secret, but I didn't expect it to be known to everyone."
"Then we have to cut the Gordian knot quickly. You and her should drag it out for the sake of not damaging the relationship between mother and son. If you force it for a long time, something might happen. It would be better to marry a lady from a famous family as soon as possible, preferably one from the capital. This way, when Mr. Li gets married in the capital, you won't see each other anymore, and he will slowly forget about you in the future." Second Madam Ding said slowly.
You have to know that young people are the most rebellious. The more you forbid them to do something, the more they will do it.
Furthermore, if she didn't come up with this idea to cut off the source of the problem, her daughter would probably have to marry Li Guan.
Except that Li Guan has someone in his heart, the conditions are already top-notch, and Mi Niang may not be able to marry into such a family in the future. If such a big surprise falls on anyone, I am afraid that they will accept it again, not to mention that with a daughter of this appearance and temperament, there is no man in the world who will not be conquered.
However, Mrs. Ding subtly noticed that her daughter did not seem to like the Li family very much. Moreover, she felt sorry for her daughter. She thought why should her innocent daughter accept someone else's second-hand goods?
The idea she proposed was quickly adopted by Mrs. Li, and later Mrs. Li returned the favor, and the relationship became like this.
After listening to Second Madam's words, Mi Niang finally sighed: "Mother, you waited until your daughter finished learning the pipa before leaving, because you didn't want to be criticized by others."
Yes, leaving like this without finishing their studies could certainly distance them from the Li family and distance themselves from them, but it would also cause people to speculate on their own grounds. Only after they had finished their studies and moved out would they be in line with their purpose of staying in the Li family - to learn the pipa.
Besides, Li Guanzhong has already got engaged, and no one will say anything gossipy about her.
"I'm your mother, so I must think carefully. Otherwise, people would not marry a widowed eldest daughter. Although I'm not as educated as you, I have a heart to protect my daughter. Besides, your father is not a tactful person. He may not be able to get along well in the court in the future. It doesn't matter if he fails to pass the imperial examination. But if he does, we will have someone to rely on when dealing with the Li family." Second Madam Ding said.
She herself had no parents around, so she had seen the true colors of countless people and suffered a lot. Although the daughter was smart enough, her love and hate were too clear.
Then Mi Niang said, "But what if Mr. Li goes to the capital to break off the engagement?" In her previous life, Mi Niang remembered that when she was about to reach marriage age, Li Guan had not yet married.
Mrs. Ding Er thought it was funny: "Do you really think that Mr. Li is a sentimental person?"
After saying this, she was also afraid that her daughter would be deceived by the man in the future, so she continued in detail: "If you really want to marry this girl, you should report it to your parents and let Madam Li and Lord Li make the decision. You must persuade your parents to agree, and then find a matchmaker to propose marriage. But look at what he did, he kept insisting. He knew that Madam Li would not force him for the sake of the mother-son relationship. He was dragging the innocent girl and wasting Miss Guan's time at the same time."
"If Miss Guan is a magistrate, she should come to her senses and choose a good husband. Otherwise, the more Li Guan refuses to marry for her, the more Madam Li will hate her. Madam Li would rather choose you. A family like ours, which has no foundation, no money, and no connections, does not agree with her. This shows that she is very capable. The old lady and the second lady will know about it sooner or later, and I'm afraid they will not agree."
"Even if she waits until that day to get married, her life will be a hundred times more difficult than that of an ordinary daughter-in-law."
Mi Niang didn't have her mother to teach her in her previous life, so she really didn't understand these things. Now she finally understood the details. In her previous life, she lived in the palace. Although the queen mother was nominally her mother-in-law, it was different from ordinary people.
But it is different between ordinary mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law. A daughter-in-law has to follow rules every day. There are a hundred ways to torture you. If you cannot have children after entering the house, even concubines and maids can annoy you.
Thinking of this, Mi Niang nodded and said, "Yes, Madam Li is not easy to deal with." Madam Li can't deal with her own son, so how can she not deal with you, her daughter-in-law?
When Mrs. Ding heard her daughter say this, she couldn't help but laugh and said, "But Madam Li likes you very much!"
"It's just trying to please the emperor." Mi Niang laughed dryly. Sometimes she felt that she really had the potential to be a treacherous minister and could please people wherever she went.
The mother and daughter talked about Li Guan's new marriage again. It was said that he went to Beijing on the pretext of going to Shuntian Prefecture to take part in the provincial examination, but in fact he went to Beijing to get married.
"This marriage is already set in stone, so don't worry. Otherwise, both families will lose face. It's better if he doesn't go to Beijing, but he can drag the woman along, maybe it will fail again. This will certainly satisfy him, but for his own future, he will definitely go to Shuntianfu."
Everyone knows that the Shuntianfu County Examination is easier, while the Huguang County Examination is the Southern Volume, which is more difficult.
At the end, Mrs. Ding said, "Love may seem very important, but compared to a man's future, it is nothing. Mi Niang, I want to tell you the truth. Eleven out of ten men will choose their own future."
Only at this point did Mi Niang truly understand what a tutor meant, and only her own mother would teach her wholeheartedly.
She thought that if she wanted to marry someone in the future, the whole family must like her. Otherwise, if there were too many obstacles to a marriage, she was afraid that God was blocking their marriage and it would be difficult for them to be happy even if they were together.
Take Wang Baochuan for example, she ignored's advice and insisted on being with Xue Pinggui. She ended up staying with him in the cold kiln for eighteen years. Her husband had already left her and was afraid that she would be unfaithful, so he deliberately tested everyone. In the end, she died after being queen for only three days.
A recent example is Guan Huiqing. The man's family disagreed with the marriage. When she was already 15 years old and almost past her prime, the man would rather marry his daughter than let her into the family. To some extent, he might have looked down on her. In the end, she still got nothing.
"Mother, I'm so lucky to have you." Mi Niang nestled into Second Mistress Ding's arms.
But then the second wife of Ding laughed and said, "Anyway, what mother just said means that you should not sympathize with men, and you should not give up everything for a stinky man. You can see which man is not clear-headed and values his own future, but wants a woman to be content with poverty."
"I always listen to my mother."
It was only after she entered the palace in her previous life that she understood this truth. Those concubines who thought about the emperor every day and wanted to reveal their hearts to the emperor might not have a good ending. On the contrary, she, who had no feelings and only pretended to be in love, was actually the only one favored in the emperor's room.
Therefore, Mi Niang deeply believed it.
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