When the rain stopped, the Ruan family's uncle Shang Si in Hangzhou had already prepared a boat. The boats they used to carry goods were specially modified and much faster than ordinary boats. Uncle Shang Si was very capable. When he learned that it was Mi Niang's birthday, he specially gave Mi Niang an exquisite dressing box and some head ornaments.
Her mother, Mi Niang, also received several gifts from the Second Mistress, so I won't go into details. Mi Niang was a very strict person, and all the sewing purses and jewelry in her room were registered.
Even if it is taken on a certain day, the maid must make a mark.
The maids also had their own duties. Chuntao was in charge of the money, and Xialian was in charge of jewelry and clothes. The two of them could not make any mistakes. In addition, the two newly bought maids could not enter the house to serve at the moment, and had to learn the rules from Chuntao.
When Zhou came over, she saw that the silk here was neatly tidied and she nodded secretly.
"Sister-in-law is here." Mi Niang stood up to greet her with a smile.
Zhou joked, "Originally, my second aunt asked me to come and help my sister, but now it seems unnecessary. My sister has tidied this place up perfectly."
Mi Niang pulled Zhou in to sit down, and ordered someone to pour tea. She then said, "I just set the rules first, and then act according to the rules. What's the big deal? I heard that my sister-in-law is a genius. Who in the family doesn't envy the eleventh brother for marrying a good wife?"
Zhou and Ruan Shiyi are cousins who got married. Zhou has a calm personality, while Ruan Shiyi has a pure heart. The two complement each other very well.
"Don't praise me too much. I think you are a really nice person and everyone likes you. When we parted yesterday, the wife of the Marquis of Dong'an was very fond of you!" Zhou hinted at something.
Mi Niang smiled and said, "Maybe they just hit it off. But the nobles and the civil officials have always been completely different. No matter how good they are, they will be different when they go to the capital."
Zhou agreed: "That's the truth."
After a few idle words, Zhou couldn't help but ask Mi Niang: "I come from a poor family, not like my sister. When I go to the capital, I don't know how to perform etiquette. Please teach me, sister."
This was not a big deal. Mi Niang knew that although Zhou's family was well-off, she would have to follow Second Madam Ding in socializing when she went to Beijing. Second Madam Ding had taught her and she had her daily social life, so she could understand everything. But Zhou was afraid of making a mistake. It would be a small matter for her to lose face, but it would be bad to lose Ruan Shiyi's face.
Therefore, Mi Niang agreed immediately.
Apart from carrying necessary supplies, the Ruan family's ships rushed to Beijing almost without stopping. Everyone was still very much looking forward to going to Beijing and hoped to go there as soon as possible.
That's under the feet of the emperor!
After arriving at Tongzhou Port, Long Erye hired a car to carry the luggage. There were many porters and sedan chair drivers. Ruan Shiyi led the women and children in front, and Long Erye followed behind.
Mi Niang went to Beijing two years earlier than in her previous life. In her previous life, she went to Beijing to survive, but in this life, she went to Beijing to reunite with her family.
She no longer had to live under someone else's roof. She was now in her own home, and her state of mind was very different.
The house set up by Ruan Jiading was in Changlefang. Mi Niang lifted a corner of the curtain and looked out. She felt that this place was quiet in the midst of noise. Her father said in the letter that this was not a noble place and most of the people who lived here were ordinary officials.
After entering the inner city, it instantly became lively. Ruan Shiyi went downstairs to ask for directions for a long time. As soon as he entered Changlefang, he saw a man in a green robe standing there looking around.
Ruan Shiyi said happily: "Second Uncle Ding."
It turned out that Ruan Jiading was waiting here. He didn't know when Mi Niang and her daughter would come, so he would watch here whenever he had time. Finally, they had finally arrived.
No matter how strong we usually think we are, we burst into tears when our relatives see us.
Ruan Jiading personally helped Ding Erniang off the horse and said, "I've been waiting for you. I have a useless Chen Qi by my side, and we worry about what to eat every night. I've been eating the same bowl of steamed bread for five or six days, and I'm already having sour stomach water."
After he said this, everyone felt very sympathetic.
The house is a small three-story building with white walls and gray tiles on the outside, which is incredibly clean and refreshing. There is a small garden inside and a shallow pond. Although there are no carvings of dragons or paintings of phoenixes anywhere, and it does not look luxurious, it is clean, tidy, exquisite and beautiful.
The men are busy in the outer house, while the inner house is the world of women.
When Mrs. Ding and Mrs. Zhou were both busy, they both asked Mi Niang to take a rest.
They probably think that a girl's happiest time is when she is at home, as she can be more relaxed and free. If she gets married in the future, she will have no control over anything.
The house Xiao San moved into was not very big, but there were not many people in their house, so they were able to make arrangements properly.
The back house is next to the street entrance, and Uncle Long moved in with his son. His current identity is Ruan Jiading's aide, so it is convenient for him to live here.
The servants went to see Wang Wu, Chen Kang, and Chen Qi, who lived nearby.
After passing the hanging flower gate, there is the second gate. The corridor faces the main house and the east and west side rooms, as well as the east and west side rooms.
The main room was occupied by Ruan Jiading and his wife, the east wing was for Ruan Shiyi and his wife, the west wing was for Yuheng, and there was an ear room for the maids and Yuhan to live in.
As for Mi Niang, she also lived in the back room, which was surprisingly the largest and had its own independent yard, which was in line with Mi Niang's wishes.
If she had a sister, they would have lived in a more cramped place, mainly because she was the only daughter in her family and had to take care of the backyard.
"Set up a study room here. It's brighter there and you can put an embroidery frame in it." Mi Niang pointed at the room and gave the order with interest.
"Miss, the furniture here is not complete. Let's ask someone to get some tomorrow." Chuntao said with a smile.
Mi Niang nodded, thinking that this house must have cost more than two hundred taels.
Mrs. Ding Er brought rice and flour from home, as well as bacon, bacon, fish, eggs, etc. Chen Qi took Wang Wu and Mrs. Zhong to buy vegetables, and soon a meal was ready.
The men drank and ate in the front yard, while the women and children ate in the main room.
Everyone was hungry, so they wolfed down the home-cooked meal.
After the meal and the wine, Second Mistress Ding asked Qiuju to go and ask what was missing before going shopping. She and Ruan Jiading talked about some private matters, and the first thing they had to do was to pay back the money.
"I need to meet the chief and junior masters, as well as my fellow townsmen, and I also need to take care of the officials of the Ministry of Personnel. I also need to send a gift to the young master of the Li family, and I also need to give him a title in the same year. Let's not talk about the official uniform. The main thing is the house..." Ruan Jiading looked at the second wife Ding anxiously.
He was really frugal. He had porridge in the morning, had lunch at the Ministry of Revenue at noon, and ate pancakes with Chen Qi at night.
"How much is the difference..."
Ruan Jiading suddenly felt his throat dry: "Six, six hundred taels."
Mrs. Ding said calmly, "It's not much. I'll give it to you tomorrow."
Ruan Jiading was relieved. Second Mistress Ding asked him where he borrowed the money from. He smiled and said, "There are special banks that do this kind of business. They lend money to poor scholars like us. If we can't pay it back, they will send people to serve as officials with us. They will always find some excuse to get the money back."
"You should at least borrow from your relatives and money houses. If you can't pay it back in the future, won't you still be controlled by those people?"
"I understand this truth, but you don't know the affairs of this family."
Grandma Ding Er asked, "What could have happened in their family?"
Ruan Jiading sighed, "The Empress has been childless, and Concubine Cui is favored in the palace. Their family is selecting a girl to enter the palace, hoping to consolidate the Empress' favor!"
If you take someone else's money, you will be controlled by them. Ruan Jiading doesn't want his daughter to be sent to the palace.
"How come it's our daughter's turn? There are girls in both mansions."
"How can we be safe if we send one of them in? Besides, the daughters of the mansion have their own uses, and they certainly don't want to fill all of them into the palace, so they want to choose from our side branches. Sister Mi's appearance and personality are so rare that there are few comparable ones in our family, let alone in the world, so I simply don't interact with her family much."
The next day, Second Madam Ding told Mi Niang about it, and said, "Your father said that entering the palace might not be a good thing, so don't covet that kind of wealth."
Mi Niang found this very strange, because in her previous life, she went to the capital only after she reached the age of 15, and later she and Zhou Furou were selected to serve as female officials in the palace.
If we were to start selecting now, why are there no members of the Ruan family in the palace, so that we have to go to Jiangling's hometown to look for someone two years later?
When she saw the girls and cousins of the Ruan family again, Mi Niang was even more surprised.
It is said that the day after Second Madam Ding arrived, she would bring Zhou and Mi Niang to pay a visit to the old ancestor of the Ruan family. She was the mother of Duke Bohai and Duke Cheng'en, and now she lived with the second son, Duke Bohai.
The Cheng'en Mansion was not far away either, the two mansions were adjacent to each other, and the women of the Cheng'en Mansion often served the old lady.
There was no time to take a closer look at the grandeur of the Bohai Duke's residence, because the sedan chair had been changed several times. Zhou Shi couldn't help but walk in the wrong direction, as they had rarely seen such a grand occasion.
The maids followed the receptionist. She saw Mi Niang at first sight and couldn't help but praise her, "Sister, you are really pretty."
Mi Niang smiled shyly and let the old woman support her. The maids around her were all amazed.
Bohai Duke's mansion was a first-class duke's mansion, and the courtyard where his ancestors lived gathered the best of the world. On the left, there were cranes, on the right, there were peacocks, and at the entrance of the main room, there were two white jade candlesticks, about one person tall. The white jade was pure without a trace of impurities, which was very rare.
"It's really the Duke's mansion. We are really enlightened today." Second Madam Ding smiled and slipped money to the receptionist without leaving any trace.
The old woman weighed her purse and couldn't help but smile: "Our old lady also said that we are all one family. Now that the grandmothers have gone to Beijing, it will be more lively when everyone is together. Our old lady likes liveliness the most."
When they reached a place where the Xiang Fei bamboo curtain was hung, the maid said to the little girl, "Go and tell the old lady that the second mistress and the young lady are here."
After a while, the little girl smiled and said, "Our old lady said please come in quickly."
The curtain was lifted, and Mi Niang followed Mrs. Ding and Zhou into the room. Inside was a room full of spring, a home-made scent that had the fragrance of hundreds of flowers, yet was also refreshing.
After walking along a shallow corridor and passing through a side hall, I finally entered the main hall.
The room was very bright. A little maid had already brought a cushion and was waiting for them to kowtow before a young daughter-in-law came over and led them forward.
This young woman looked about the same age as Zhou, but she had beautiful eyebrows and eyes, a bright look, and wore narrow sleeves and a narrow skirt, which made her look very capable.
The old lady had a kind face and a string of Buddhist beads hanging on her hand. She was a wealthy and kind old woman.
But the old lady came forward to greet them, and Second Mistress Ding and the others were overwhelmed by the favor and said they dared not trouble the old ancestor.
Old Madam Ruan smiled and said, "Relatives can only be close if they visit each other more often. This is my granddaughter-in-law, Tang. If you have any business in the future, just look for her."
The young woman just now was Mrs. Ruan’s granddaughter-in-law, Tang, and also her only granddaughter-in-law.
The old lady had only one son, Duke Bohai, and Duke Bohai Ruan Jiayong also had only one son with his wife.
Mrs. Ding Er introduced Zhou and Mi Niang: "This is Zhou, the niece's wife from the seventh branch of our clan. This time she came to Beijing with Shiyilang. This is my daughter, nicknamed Mi Niang."
Mrs. Ruan was stunned at first sight and exclaimed in amazement: "This child looks just like the beauty in the painting. How old is he? Has he been betrothed to anyone?"
"She is thirteen years old this year." Mrs. Ding said with a smile.
Tang suddenly clapped her hands and laughed: "Ms. Fan from our mansion is always said to be a peerless beauty. Now that she has met this little girl Mi, she has found her match."
Then the eldest lady of the Ruan family explained, "This Miss Fan is the granddaughter of our old lady. Her parents passed away two years ago, so the old lady sent someone to bring the girl here."
The eldest lady of the Ruan family is the mother of the empress. The empress is the eldest daughter. She also gave birth to three sons and one daughter. She is about 40 years old this year and looks very gentle.
But Mi Niang knew that the idea of killing the mother and taking the son was instigated by her.
The internal struggles never involve swords and sabers, but if you are not careful, you will be doomed.
Old Madam Ruan called all the girls over, and Mi Niang sat down to drink tea, occasionally answering the old madam's questions.
After a while, a group of girls came in. The one leading the group was very pretty but quiet, while the one following behind her was pretty but graceful.
Tang introduced them one by one: "These are the three
Girl Four Girl."
Then he pointed to a girl who raised her chin slightly and said, "This is our fifth girl."
There was another girl, who was dressed very simply and elegantly, but she did not have the lonely air of Guan Huiqing. She was like an orchid in a valley, with a very unique temperament.
People also secretly compared the girls. Zhou and Mi Niang always had a good relationship, so they watched them more frequently.
The third girl always looks lazy. Although she is beautiful, she doesn't look like a girl. Instead, she looks like an old lady. She is not as energetic as the old lady with silver hair.
The fourth girl is quite good, pretty and graceful, like a lady from the south of the Yangtze River.
I heard that the Fifth Miss was the Empress's biological sister, and she seemed to be more arrogant than anyone else.
But her appearance is just pretty.
Looking at this Miss Fan again, she is indeed a beauty, especially the jade butterfly pinned on her bosom, which is very elegant, and her temperament is ethereal and moving.
Judging from her appearance alone, she is indeed of outstanding temperament, but compared with Mi Niang, she is like an orchid swaying beside a peony; beautiful as she is, she cannot compete with her.
But after everyone met, Mrs. Ruan looked at them and was in a good mood: "They are all beautiful girls, just like flowers in the morning."
"Who said it wasn't, old ancestor?" Mrs. Ruan finally spoke.
Unlike Madam Ruan who was gentle and docile, she looked dignified and serious, like the mistress of a wealthy family.
Mi Niang realized that the girls in the Ruan family actually didn't welcome her very much. It was a very subtle feeling.
As expected, Mrs. Ruan said, "I think the sisters are talking to each other very well. Why don't you stay here with me instead of going back today?"
The fifth girl's face turned dark, and Miss Fan also twisted her handkerchief.
I only heard Second Madam Ding laugh and say, "What a coincidence! Tomorrow we are going to visit Minister Li's home. Madam Li and our sister Mi have a master-disciple relationship. We are afraid of what others will say if we don't go."
Zhang, Wang, Liu, Li and Chen make up half of the world.
There are many officials with the surname Li, but there is only one assistant minister with the surname Li.
Mrs. Ruan had no choice but to express her regret.
But the Ruan family girls were inexplicably happy. After lunch, Mi Niang even wandered around the garden with them for a while. But she didn't know if she had some discomfort from the climate in Beijing these days, so she had to go to the bathroom first.
After coming out of the Gongfang, the group of girls disappeared. Fortunately, Second Mistress Ding had already said goodbye to Old Madam Ruan.
After returning home, Mi Niang no longer took them seriously.
Anyway, she will never enter the palace again in this life. Her parents will make the decision for her, so she doesn't have to worry about anything.
It is also said that the next day, Mrs. Ding took Mi Niang to the Li family. Although Li Tan is now the Minister of Personnel, he never meets people in his private residence.
If they were not acquaintances, I am afraid I would not be able to see the Li family today.
After becoming a mother-in-law, Mrs. Li seemed to be in a good mood and was very friendly to Mi Niang. As for Li Guan's daughter-in-law, Wu, her skin was extremely delicate and she was plump but not fat, looking like a rich and beautiful flower in the world.
"Is she pregnant?" Mrs. Ding asked Mrs. Li happily.
Mrs. Li nodded: "They are all out of their minds."
Mrs. Wu was also filled with joy at the prospect of becoming a mother, and looked very happy. Madam Li asked her to go down and rest, and while Mi Niang was looking at the painting, she pulled Mrs. Ding and whispered, "My daughter-in-law is so virtuous, she is very considerate. As soon as she got pregnant, she cheated on the maid next to her, but Guan'er didn't want her. Later, when he saw that she was sincere, he took her in."
Mrs. Ding also praised it repeatedly.
The two of them thought that Mi Niang didn't hear it, but in fact Mi Niang heard it all. She had to realize once again that men are real.
Going to the Duke's Mansion and the Li family had almost nothing to do with Mi Niang. She had her own friends among the nobles. The only ones in Beijing now were the Guo Yaoyu sisters and Ji Chunfang.
Guo Yaoyu is getting married this year and is currently preparing for her wedding at home. She is very happy to hear that Mi Niang is coming over to help her with her makeup.
The Guo family lived in a two-story house, which was consistent with Uncle Guo's honest image. It was actually quite crowded for the family to live in.
"Section Chief." Mi Niang looked at Guo Yaoyu excitedly.
Guo Yaoyu's eyes also turned red: "We have been thinking about you, and so has my sister-in-law. I will ask her to come over to meet us later."
She remembered that Guo Yaoyu was not very nice to Wang Sumin before, but now she calls her sister-in-law very affectionately.
They entered Guo Yaoyu's room together, all red. Even a mature girl like Guo Yaoyu felt a little embarrassed when she saw Mi Niang looking around.
Mi Niang was very considerate: "I think this room is well decorated."
"These were all arranged by Yao Xian for me."
"Why can't I see her?" Mi Niang remembered that Guo Yaoxian had always been her sister's little follower.
But Guo Yaoyu's face darkened.
"There was a problem with Yaoxian's marriage. She got engaged last year, but the man died of an acute illness at the end of the year. The man insisted that Yaoxian had killed her son, and wanted us, Yaoxian, to go to her house and be a widow for her son."
Mi Niang said angrily: "This is really nonsense and too much of a lie."
Guo Yaoyu sighed, "My mother plans to take her back to Jiangling and find another family after my marriage is over."
"Yao Xian did nothing wrong, but she had to go back to Jiangling. This is really unfair."
Even if she returns to Jiangling, she won't be able to marry a good man. After all, Uncle Guo is still an official in Beijing!
Seeing Mi Niang's indignation, Guo Yaoyu couldn't help but say, "People, everything is determined by fate. Mi Niang, when I was young, I started planning for myself. I thought I could get a good marriage by planning for myself. Now it seems good to me, but I don't know what will happen in the future."
You can blame everything on fate. If you live a good life, it's a good life. If you don't, just lie down, sigh that you have a bad life, and then accept it silently.
Mi Niang wanted to argue, but Guo Yaoyu seemed to think the question was very serious and brought up another topic: "Do you know? Sister Ji also has a happy event!"
"Is she going to get married too? But considering her age, she's about the same."
Guo Yaoyu smiled and said, "Yes, her father donated money to the prison and also bought her a very generous dowry. Originally, her father wanted to marry her to an old man as a concubine. But she was lucky, and the old man was demoted. Now the marriage he is talking about is not bad. He is the youngest son of Mr. Zhang, the Minister of Engineering."
Although the Six Departments of the Imperial Censorate were only ranked seventh, they held a very important position. They were involved in all major court discussions, the nomination of ministers, and the sentencing of major cases. Not only that, they could also serve as examiners for provincial examinations and assess officials, and they had great power.
This is indeed a good marriage, but Mi Niang is not a person who believes in fate. She was like this in her last life, and she is still like this in this life.
But she has no intention of telling others to be like her.
After Guo Yaoyu finished speaking, she pointed at Mi Niang and said, "You are the only one left among the sisters in our school. You must choose carefully. If you choose the wrong person, it will be a lifelong problem for you."
This was also Guo Yaoyu's good intention. Mi Niang thanked her sincerely and said sincerely: "It would be great if I could study in a girls' school for the rest of my life."
Guo Yaoyu nodded: "Yes, we always wanted to grow up quickly back then, but unfortunately, growing up brought us more troubles."
"Anyway, I wish you a happy marriage."
"I appreciate your good wishes, and I hope you find your ideal husband in the future."
Mi Niang sighed. Where is her ideal husband? She doesn't know either!
Yellow sand was rolling on the official road. Two noblemen rode past at high speed, stirring up clouds of yellow sand.
When they passed a small river, the two men stopped to let their horses drink water. They were both riding the best horses and spaniels, and the servants following behind them also served them carefully.
"Cousin Wei Yan, thank you for your concern for my grief over the loss of my wife. It allows me to come out and relax." said the slightly taller man.
The man's name was He Tinglan. He was very tall, with a thin back and slim waist, and well-proportioned facial features. He was wearing a red brocade robe and a purple gold crown tied high on his head. He was a famous official in the capital.
The other young man was wearing a lake blue brocade robe, his hair tied up with a white jade crown, and he looked as gentle as jade. This was He Tinglan's cousin Fang Weiyan.
He found it funny at this moment. It was obvious that He Tinglan couldn't help herself and wanted to run out to relax, but she insisted that it was him who shouted.
There was no sign of the so-called grief of losing his wife on He Tinglan's face. Wearing red, it was hard to tell that he was sad for his cousin's wife.
But Fang Weiyan's thoughts were very deep, he usually wouldn't show them, nor would he point them out, so he just smiled and said: "My cousin's wife is gone, cousin, you should take care of yourself and think about the future. The entire Nanping Marquis's Mansion will rely on you in the future."
He Tinglan smiled complacently: "My cousin Wei Yan, I don't want you to be a marquis, but I just hope the sea is peaceful."
The two men waited until the horses had drunk enough water and eaten enough grass before they arrived at Tongzhou Port together.
There were many people coming and going in the vicinity, and there were many teahouses. He Tinglan took out a dime and booked a teahouse, and the two cousins sat opposite each other and drank tea.
He Tinglan was thoughtful. Seeing her cousin's calm eyes, she couldn't help but ask tentatively, "Wei Yan, when your aunt comes back from her visit, I'm afraid your marriage will be decided soon."
"I don't know about that." Fang Weiyan shook his head.
His marriage almost became a family quarrel, and he had no say in who would marry him.
Seeing him like this, He Tinglan couldn't help but smiled and said, "You and cousin Jiayin grew up together, and I'm very happy that you're getting married."
"Marriage is a matter for the elders to decide, so I won't interfere. But my cousin is the eldest son of the Nanping Marquisate, and his wife has passed away, so someone is needed to take care of the household. Do you have a suitable candidate?" Fang Weiyan calmly pushed the question to He Tinglan who had just asked him.
He Tinglan waved his fan proudly and said, "I must choose a stunningly beautiful woman."
Fang Weiyan smiled and said, "Then I wish my cousin all the best."
While the two cousins were chatting and laughing, the boat of Mrs. Xu, the wife of the Marquis of Dongping, had arrived, and Fang Weiyan hurried up to greet his mother.
When Xu saw Fang Weiyan rubbing her up and down, Fang Weiyan did not show any impatience, but smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, mother. I have arranged a carriage, please go back home."
"Okay, okay." Xu looked at her son with satisfaction, and then said to He Tinglan, "You just came here on horseback. Now it's getting dark, so you should go back in a carriage."
He Tinglan answered yes, and Fang Weiyan saw that his sister Fang Yaqing had been winking at her, and he understood.
He took the initiative to help his sister get on the carriage. Fang Yaqing could no longer hold back her excitement. She lifted the curtain and whispered, "Fourth brother, mother has arranged a marriage for you. We also found that your horoscopes match. You two are simply a match made in heaven."
"Really?" Fang Weiyan asked with some doubt.
Fang Yaqing said anxiously: "Why would I lie to you? This girl is extremely beautiful, dignified and virtuous. She is very nice and lovable. Anyone who sees her will like her."
"Okay, I understand." Fang Weiyan responded perfunctorily. Looking at his cousin He Tinglan who was holding his head high, he felt a little envious. At least He Tinglan knew what kind of woman he wanted, but he didn't know either in his previous life or this life.
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