Ruan Jiading was promoted to a full-time official three months later and successfully stayed in the Ministry of Revenue to work as a principal. Everyone congratulated him, but he was honest: "I was able to stay because I am the only one from Huguang among the few people in the Ministry of Revenue."
There is an unwritten rule in the Dayong officialdom that no more than four officials of the same nationality can be assigned to each government office. The other officials assigned to observe the government affairs of the Ministry of Revenue this time were from Nanzhili and Zhejiang Prefecture. There were many officials in these two places, so several of them left, but Ruan Jiading stayed.
This is luck. When a person has good luck, nothing can stop it!
Ruan Shiyi and Long Er both felt that it was a good idea to join Ruan Jiading, and that Ruan Jiading was now in his thirties and had great potential.
Although the salary of a sixth-rank official was not high, he had two aides, and Second Mistress Ding had a good relationship with Zhou, so he let his servants open shops to supplement the family income.
At this time, Second Madam Ding asked Mi Niang to learn more about making money from Zhou. She said, "I am used to being poor. I only know how to save money, not how to manage. Your sister-in-law is a person who can turn stones into gold. You can learn from her."
Mi Niang should be.
Zhou first taught her how to read various contracts, how to price items, where to choose a store, and finally how to select people and how to sign a contract.
Mi Niang thought to herself, there are so many tricks here. Zhou even taught her how to distinguish old rice from new rice, new and old silk and satin, and how to pass inferior goods off as good ones.
However, it would be boring if I couldn't go out and look after the store in person.
Hearing this, Zhou smiled and said, "Sister is a rich lady, you have people to run errands for you."
"Sister-in-law, please stop talking like that. I am not the right person for this. If you want to start a business in the future and you need some capital, I will help you."
Compared to running the business yourself, dividends are more secure.
Considering her father's official position, if her family lived too wealthy it would arouse suspicion.
"Second Madam, Miss, something bad has happened. The second aunt from the Bohai Mansion passed away last night." Qiuju came over and said hurriedly.
The second aunt of Bohai Duke's Mansion was the eldest daughter of the second wife. In fact, in terms of family background, the second aunt was the legitimate daughter of the Duke's Mansion. But because she was young, the daughter of the first wife entered the palace.
However, this second aunt also married well. She married the grandson of Shen Dongjun, the capital of the previous dynasty. This marriage was arranged by the current emperor himself.
Most civil officials' families did not marry into noble families, but they were an exception.
Second Aunt Ding also prepared funeral rites and sent them over. When she came back, she wiped her tears and said, "Second Aunt left a three-year-old boy. He is very cute, but unfortunately, he is stupid and dull. His mother is dead. His life will not be easy."
This reminded Mi Niang of herself in her past life: "A child with a mother is a treasure, a child without a mother is a weed."
It is the same whether you are a rich or poor family.
On the seventh day after her death, Mi Niang went with Second Madam Ding to express her regret. She was wearing plain clothes, which made her skin look smooth and beautiful, as if she had been washed clean of all the evil.
Although the young mistress of the Shen family died, the mistress and the old mistress were still there, and the family was doing well. However, Mrs. Shen still complained: "I am too old to manage it anymore, why bother? She died, leaving me, an old woman, to see off the young one."
Lady Bohai wiped away her tears and said, "My dear father-in-law, please take good care of yourself."
The second aunt was the biological daughter of Lady Bohai. When she was sad about her daughter, she couldn't help but think of her grandson.
"My second daughter always said that she married into the Shen family, and her mother-in-law and great-grandmother loved her as their daughter, so there was nothing bad about it. It was just that she was unlucky, but when I think of my grandson, my heart aches."
Mi Niang suddenly thought of something, and when she saw that Lady Bohai only brought the third young lady with her today, she understood everything.
Madam Shen also said, "You are right, dear relative. I am old and I am afraid that I will not be able to take good care of myself."
The two in-laws were chatting happily with each other, but Second Mistress Ding couldn't say goodbye, so she had to listen there with Mi Niang.
After waiting for a long time for Lady Bohai to finish speaking, she cried for too long and talked for a long time before she suddenly pouted.
"Go, help Madam Hanhai down quickly."
Because of Lady Hanhai's condition, Second Madam Ding and Mi Niang could not leave either and had to wait in the private room. Fortunately, the doctor came quickly and said that Lady Hanhai was just worrying too much and that she would be fine after resting for a while.
Second Madam Ding said, "Since Second Madam has nothing serious to do, we will go back first."
They are just a side branch. They can come and take a look when someone sends them a funeral letter, but it would be awkward for them to stay here all the time.
"Jingzhi, I can only take you here. There are people coming and going at the second gate, so you should be careful." Fang Weiyan pulled a young man and warned him.
Zhang Jingzhi nodded: "I understand. Thank you very much, Brother Wei Yan."
The Shen family is a family of officials for generations, and Fang Weiyan was able to come here because his ex-mother Ruan was related to the Shen family. It happened that his good friend Zhang Jingzhi wanted to come and see his sweetheart.
Fortunately, the Shen family is much more relaxed today with more people coming and going than before.
Besides, the ladies wanted to talk in private, and Mi Niang felt drowsy listening to them, so she went out to get some fresh air on the pretext of going to the toilet, and she only brought a little maid with her.
When I passed by this place, I heard someone talking.
I heard the female voice indifferently: "Mr. Zhang, our marriage is not something we can decide. I know your feelings, so let's leave it at that. I hope you take care of yourselves."
The man called Master Zhang smiled bitterly: "Miss San, how can you say that? My mother also likes you very much. She often wears the headband you gave her."
Mi Niang suddenly realized that this was the third daughter of the Ruan family who looked lazy.
"Mr. Zhang, we are all helpless. I have been unlucky and miserable since I was young, and my aunt passed away early. I am extremely happy that you and Mrs. Zhang like me, but I can't make my own decisions..."
This made Master Zhang feel distressed: "Yes, yes, it's all my fault. I didn't expect you to be in such a difficult situation. Last time you said your family wanted you to enter the palace, but you didn't want to enter the palace, so I knew you were not that kind of person."
Mi Niang thought that Mr. Zhang was really simple-minded and uninteresting. She shook her head and left early with her maid.
As the master and servant walked along the road, Chuntao was a little angry: "Isn't this third girl two-timing?"
"Isn't this a case of one willing to fight and the other willing to be beaten? She didn't want to enter the palace, but she couldn't disobey her stepmother, so she secretly promised to marry someone for life. Now that she has a good marriage, how can she still look down on this Master Zhang?"
Mi Niang said unhappy.
This young master Zhang is a good person, a pure and honest man, but people who are too honest will be bullied.
People like Li Guan who pursue profit and avoid harm are certainly annoying, but people like Mr. Zhang are too naive.
But after a few days, Mrs. Ruan was going to Baiyun Temple to worship Buddha. Firstly, the Empress was born on the Buddha's birthday, but the women of the Ruan family had to enter the palace that day, so Mrs. Ruan would usually go to the temple a month in advance to eat vegetarian food.
Secondly, an aunt of the Ruan family had died, and Old Madam Ruan had once raised her, so they had a very deep affection for her. She also wanted to go to the temple to ask for help in praying for her soul to be reborn.
Mi Niang originally thought that this had nothing to do with her. After all, she was just a side branch, and her mother rarely went to the mansion except for matters of life and death.
But the female relatives seemed to be particularly enthusiastic about worshiping Buddha, not to mention others, even Second Mistress Ding and Zhou were like this. Zhou even whispered, "I heard that Baiyun Temple is very spiritual. If you are more pious, you might be able to pray for a good marriage!"
This is similar to Guo Yaoyu's argument, as if human destiny can only be pinned on external things.
Mi Niang said to Mrs. Ding Er: "But my daughter doesn't really want to go. It would be bad if they sent her to the palace!"
But I heard Second Madam Ding say firmly, "No, don't worry. There are many girls in their family, so it's not your turn."
"That's right." Mi Niang finally felt relieved.
When a rich family travels, it is different from that of a small family. For example, when Mi Niang and Ding Er Niang want to go somewhere, they can just ask Wang Wu to drive a carriage. But when a noble family travels, they have to clear the road and sprinkle water with willow branches. Naturally, the wife of a noble family has a separate set of ceremonials.
Mi Niang and Miss Fan were in the same carriage. Miss Fan, Fan Yuzhen, was wearing a goose-yellow gauze dress and an expensive headdress. Her clothes were not available outside; they were made in the house. It seemed that Old Madam Ruan really loved her.
There was an incense burner and a beauty couch in the carriage, on the couch there were a few tables, and on the tables there were two cups of tea.
Tired of sitting, Mi Niang took off her shoes and got on the couch. Unexpectedly, Fan Yuzhen, who had just treated her as a transparent person, exclaimed "Ah".
She seemed a little incredible and asked, "You don't have bound feet?"
Mi Niang smiled and nodded. She didn't even think it was a big deal and said frankly, "I don't have my feet bound."
Fan Yuzhen seemed to be relieved and spoke more gently: "I really envy you. When I was young, I didn't want to bind my feet either, but unfortunately my mother didn't agree."
"Your mother is probably thinking about you too." Mi Niang said with a smile.
Then she took out a book to read. When she took a break, Second Aunt Ding sent someone to bring her some cakes. She said that she passed by a cake shop and happened to see someone selling moon cakes with lace borders, so she asked someone to buy a box.
Although it is not yet Mid-Autumn Festival, Mi Niang is already craving for mooncakes. In her previous life, in order to maintain a slim figure, she could not touch mooncakes at all. Sometimes she was afraid that she would be greedy and eat cotton, which would make her feel like she was going to purgatory.
But now it's okay, she can eat whatever she wants.
Especially since her parents loved her very much, Second Aunt Ding heard her say that once and bought some mooncakes when she saw them. Mi Niang touched them with her hand and they were still warm.
Mi Niang didn't want to eat it alone, so she wrapped a piece in her handkerchief and gave it to Fan Yuzhen.
Fan Yuzhen smiled and said, "Thank you very much, but I can only eat half a piece at most. If I eat more, I won't be able to digest it."
Perhaps because of the lace mooncakes, Fan Yuzhen also became familiar with Mi Niang. When mentioning the third girl, Fan Yuzhen smiled and said, "She has a big happy event, but she can't talk about it now, so she can't come out."
Generally speaking, congratulations are given to an unmarried girl, which means she has found a good marriage.
Mi Niang thought that her guess was right. The Shen family and the Duke's Mansion had already arranged a marriage, and the Duke's Mansion would marry another daughter. She was excluded because she did not bind her feet, so the possibility of this Miss Fan entering the palace was still very high.
There is no other reason, Miss Fan best meets the emperor's aesthetic standards.
Although the Fourth Miss is good, she is not as scheming as the Third Miss. The Fifth Miss is too arrogant. As far as the requirements for being a concubine are concerned, the first one is to be gentle and respectful.
Even if she has a little temper, that is all to please the emperor and to win his favor.
"Congratulate her next time you see her." Mi Niang was a little hungry, and she still felt unsatisfied after finishing a mooncake.
She drank tea to suppress her mood. Only after eating a full meal can one feel energetic.
Fan Yuzhen couldn't help but say, "I really envy you. I have a poor appetite. If I eat too little, I feel heartburned, and if I eat too much, I feel uncomfortable."
Mi Niang smiled and said, "I have had a good appetite since I was a child. When I was young, my family was poor, but I could eat a bowl of rice even with pickled vegetables, not to mention now."
Seeing that Mi Niang spoke frankly and without hiding anything, Fan Yuzhen also began to feel a bit fond of her.
When they lived in Queyun Temple, they were assigned to live in the same room, and their relationship inevitably became better.
The government arranged for people to go to Baiyun Temple to worship Buddha every fifth day, and on weekdays everyone stayed in Queyun Temple.
On the first night, Second Madam Ding specially lit candles. She didn't care what happened in the mansion, as she was afraid that her daughter would be scared.
"Sister Mi..."
Mi Niang had just finished washing up and saw her mother. She couldn't help but say, "Mom, it's so late, you should go and have a rest. Your daughter will be fine."
"I know, I just came to see you. You must be exhausted after sitting in the carriage all day!"
"It's okay, Mom."
Fan Yuzhen was watching from the side, feeling very jealous. Although she was loved by the old lady, the old lady was too old and could not be so considerate. Only a mother could be like this. She was extremely jealous for a moment.
The next day, several girls gathered at Old Madam Ruan's house to talk. They said that the vegetarian dishes at Yun'an were well-deserved, not to mention their signature wild vegetable steamed buns.
"Why can't I taste any acrid taste in this wild vegetable? It doesn't look like it has been blanched in water." Mi Niang asked the little nun beside her.
The young monk laughed and said, "It is steamed in two layers of steamers for one breath."
"so it is."
Not far away, the fourth and fifth girls said, "Look, that little girl Mi has not bound her feet..."
"Maybe she is pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger. If the emperor likes her, he won't care whether she has bound feet or not." The fifth girl snorted coldly.
"Then let's just prevent Fan Yuzhen from being selected for now." The fourth girl said in a low voice.
The fifth girl nodded: "That's natural."
Fan Yuzhen, a person from an outsider, relies on the old lady's favor and dares to ask for such wealth. Is she worthy of it?
After the girls finished talking here, they all started copying Buddhist scriptures. Even the Fifth Girl calmed down, not to mention Mi Niang, who hadn't practiced calligraphy for some time.
For a moment, the room was silent and still. Old Madam Ruan was lying on the couch, and two little maids were massaging their legs.
Seeing how serious Mi Niang was, Fan Yuzhen couldn't help but think, although my parents died early, at least I had a teacher at home, so I must be better than her.
Although she was from the Ruan family, it was just a small branch of the family. Her parents spoiled her to no end and even refused to bind her feet. How could she not know that her parents loved her so much and planned for her in the long run? She must not be able to do such hard work as studying and writing.
Moreover, Si Niang is a petty person. Although she is a daughter of a noble family, she only knows how to cling to others. Wu Niang has a bad temper. It is easy to change the country, but difficult to change one's nature. When the time comes, it will not be her who coaxes the emperor, but the emperor who will coax her!
Several girls were secretly competing with each other, but Mi Niang didn't care, because there was free gold mud and ink to use. Mi Niang's expression remained unchanged for the third day of copying, while Wu Niang could no longer hold back and wrote very fast.
Seeing this, Si Niang secretly thought that she also had to speed up and not fall behind, and her originally beautiful handwriting became connected.
Only Mi Niang and Fan Yuzhen were completed on the fifth day.
Old Madam Ruan casually flipped through the books written by the four people, pointed to one and said to the maid beside her with a smile: "This must have been written by the fifth girl. She has always been very impatient."
"You have a very discerning eye."
"This book was written by Miss Fan. Her mother's calligraphy is very good." Old Lady Ruan couldn't help but nod after looking at Fan Yuzhen.
"Miss Fan is a famous talented woman." The maid praised sincerely.
Old Madam Ruan picked up another book and couldn't help frowning, "There are quite a lot of mistakes in the writing. This must be from the fourth girl. She is always careless in her work and is always distracted."
The maid didn't dare to say more, but she knew that the old lady must want the fourth girl to be selected. After all, the fourth girl was the old lady's granddaughter.
The old lady picked up the last book and flipped through it. She couldn't help but praise it, "Not bad, the handwriting is like a hairpin flower. This girl wouldn't have achieved this without years of hard work."
But his eyes sank again, and he felt very regretful.
The maid didn't know what she was regretting.
The camellia flowers in Queyun Temple are in full bloom, with a cluster of bright red flowers highlighting the vitality.
The fourth girl was puzzled: "It's so early, why did the ladies go first?"
"You really don't understand anything. The wife of the Marquis of Dongping and the wife of the Earl of Nan'an are here today, so naturally the ladies have to go and entertain them first. As for the old lady, she didn't sleep well last night. We, the younger generation, should serve by her side, and when the old lady gets up, we will go together." The fifth girl said unhappily.
Mi Niang just listened to them and didn't interrupt. Suddenly, a maid came hurriedly and saw the girls standing there. She couldn't help asking, "I wonder when the old lady will get up? When will the ladies come back?"
The fifth girl said, "Sister Sun, the old lady is sleeping, we dare not disturb her, what's the urgent matter?"
Madam Sun said sadly, "Our concubine was buried alive with the emperor. All the concubines in the palace were buried alive with the emperor. I heard that the prince had originally submitted a petition to save our concubine, but before the petition was delivered, she was buried alive."
The girls were all stunned. The fourth girl trembled and asked, "What does it mean to be buried alive with the dead?"
Mi Niang said coldly: "It means being forced to accompany the prince underground. If you drink poisoned wine, at least you can keep your dignity. If you drink a foot of white silk, you will slowly suffocate to death."
Several girls were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and Fan Yuzhen couldn't help but hold Mi Niang's arm tightly.
The fifth girl burst into tears.
The fourth girl was also shaking.
This movement also alarmed Old Madam Ruan, and she cried for a while. Seeing that the Fourth and Fifth Misses could not walk, she arranged for them to rest and took Mi Niang and Fan Yuzhen to Baiyun Temple.
After getting on the carriage, Fan Yuzhen rubbed her chest with her hands. Although she wanted to enter the palace, she had never thought about dying.
In this case, it is better to make plans early.
Mi Niang probably understood why the girls of the Ruan family did not enter the palace in their previous lives. It turned out that they all knew that they would be buried alive, and entering the palace was not a good thing.
That's why in the previous life, he went back to Jiangling specifically to select people. Zhou Furou was born into a peasant family. She was an orphan. When she came to the capital, she was like a wandering ghost and no one cared about her.
Madam Ruan cried just now, but she was very normal when she arrived at Baiyun Temple. The same was true for Mi Niang. There was nothing unusual about anything.
In a place like the palace, people have no control over their emotions, and Mi Niang has already mastered this skill. Fan Yuzhen watched from the side, but he felt that he was not as good as her, and he also admired her secretly without showing it.
Mi Niang followed Old Lady Ruan to pay respects. Old Lady Ruan said, "You two sisters should take people to visit this ancient temple and relax."
"yes."
Mi Niang thought to herself why her mother came so early. She wanted to talk to her mother, but she didn't see anyone. How could she see the wife of the Marquis of Dongping and the wife of the Earl of Nanping? These people were not the same kind as them!
Just as he was thinking about it, Fan Yuzhen said, "Sister, you are so calm, I really admire you. In the past, I thought I looked down on everyone, but now I admire you."
"Why don't we two sisters go to the east? I heard there is a peach forest there that is very beautiful."
Mi Niang thought to herself that the girl must be frightened, and wanted to talk to relieve her mood, so she smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go with my sister."
Along the way, the two walked side by side. Fan Yuzhen laughed at himself: "I am useless. No wonder people always say that the rich and the poor are all destined."
Mi Niang could tell that Fan Yuzhen was about to give up, so she said, "Sister, you are young and beautiful, and you are loved by the old lady. Why worry about the future? Why worry about the future? Besides, you are a wise person. You will gain something if you give up something."
Fan Yuzhen could hear the care in her words and was very touched, but thinking of his current situation, he couldn't help but smile bitterly: "You only think that the old lady loves me, but the old lady is old and has long been in charge of family affairs. Speaking of which, I envy you. You have parents and brothers, and the family is warm and loving together. Even if it's me, I would be willing to eat coarse food."
She is really a sensible person. She is almost 15 and has no place to stay. No wonder she wants to fight for herself. She is really pitiful, just like her previous life.
The two of them stood under the peach tree, talking to each other in a private way, and someone saw them in person.
However, it is said that the cousins He Tinglan and Fang Weiyan sent their respective mothers to Baiyun Temple to burn incense. On the way, they met people from the Hanhai Mansion. After a few words of greeting, He Tinglan couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to go out for some fresh air.
When Fang Weiyan heard the woman's voice, he hurried to pull his cousin away, but he saw He Tinglan staring at him.
As he looked at it, he said to himself: "There is such a peerless beauty here..."
Seeing that he couldn't stop him, Fang Weiyan frowned and said, "Cousin, this is a temple, let's go quickly."
"No, look at the one in pink. I'll go ahead right away. How about that?" He Tinglan was already in a trance.
Fang Weiyan looked over and was stunned, "Queen..."
Thinking of this, he tried his best to pull He Tinglan aside. He Tinglan was still angry and said, "Cousin, what's wrong with you? I was planning to ask whose daughter this is."
Fang Weiyan felt a cold sweat on his back. For the first time, he sternly warned He Tinglan: "If this is the person you like, don't even think about it. Don't look at her if she's not polite. If you do this again, I'll leave now."
He Tinglan was startled and wondered to herself why her cousin looked like he had seen a ghost.
How could he know that Fang Weiyan was really like seeing a ghost, and that the person just now was the future Empress Dowager Ruan.
This woman had been in charge of government affairs for many years and was notoriously narrow-minded and vindictive. When the previous emperor was alive, he banished the powerful Concubine Cui to the palace cold and imprisoned three princes for her. Later, he deposed the innocent empress and made her the new empress.
After that, she ruled the country from behind the curtain for many years, and all the officials in the court and the public had to live in fear and watch her face.
Fang Weiyan once petitioned the Empress Dowager to return power to the Emperor, but the Empress Dowager immediately threw the petition in his face.
In his previous life, this cousin of mine drank some cat urine at home and then scolded Empress Dowager Ruan for being a hen crowing at dawn. The next day, he was arrested by the Imperial Uniform Guards and his back was broken in the imperial prison.
Even though she is still young, Fang Weiyan once heard a palace secret that said a young maidservant of the deposed queen had bullied her and was later killed by a snake poisoned by the Empress Dowager Ruan.
Everyone outside is more like Daji than her. Fortunately, she is illiterate, otherwise they might have another Empress Wu Zetian in Yong.
Even if this woman had ten cousins, they would not be her match. Yet she still dares to covet him. I'm afraid that in the future he will not only have his back broken, but even if his back is broken he will still have his life and can continue to breathe. I'm afraid that he will be pushed into a snake pit.
Thinking of this, Fang Weiyan felt his scalp tingling.
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