Mrs. Jian finished her meal at the Dong'an Marquis's Mansion and watched two plays. Now that her purpose had been achieved, she said goodbye.
The old lady of the Marquis of Dong'an asked Xu: "Is Wei Yan at home? Let him go and see the old aunt off. It will be a good opportunity for his aunt to test his knowledge and it will be helpful."
Xu pretended to be surprised: "Oh, but what a coincidence, he just went out, let Weijun send him off, he just happened to come back."
Jian Yuehua was just a little disappointed. If Mrs. Jian could see that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were not getting along, then Xu should have said to call Fang Weiyan back home now.
So she said, "That's not necessary. Yuehua and I will go back first."
The old lady smiled and said, "You must come on the day when Yaqing gets engaged."
Mrs. Jane responded: "That's natural."
It is easy to find a priceless treasure, but it is hard to find a lover. It is easy to find a man, but the men with good conditions have already been chosen, so it is not so easy to find.
Few of the children of officials were ambitious and most of them lived under the shadow of their fathers and brothers, leading a mediocre life. When the time came to divide the family property, they were only given a few acres of small land.
He could not pass the imperial examinations and had no official title, so he was no different from an ordinary person.
Fang Weiyan is a man of extraordinary talent. It would be a real honor to marry my granddaughter to him.
Mi Niang held the pen in her hand but couldn't put it down. She racked her brains thinking about Fang Wei Yan whom she knew in her previous life. In fact, the harem had limited access to people from the previous dynasty.
The only thing she knew about his name was the beautifully written imperial edict written by Fang Weiyan as a Hanlin when she was conferred the title of Consort Xian.
In addition, when Fang Weiyan was teaching in the inner study, there was a young eunuch in her palace who happened to be studying there. Many Hanlin scholars wanted to make friends with the eunuch. Fang Weiyan taught him but never accepted any letters of application from his students, which means that he was unwilling to make friends with the eunuch.
But this man climbed the career ladder very quickly, and was definitely not an ordinary official. Yet, he did not make friends with the eunuchs, which shows that he still had a bottom line.
Unlike many officials who talk about morality and justice, they actually fawn on the eunuchs in private.
"Miss, it's getting late. Why don't we go to bed early?" Chuntao reminded.
Mi Niang smiled and said, "Okay."
Xia Lian brought two maids, Baizhi and Banxia, to help Mi Niang wash and dress. After she finished washing and drying her hair, Mi Niang was already drowsy.
Xia Lian was the night shift today. After she tucked in the quilt for Mi Niang, she said happily, "I am so happy for you, young lady. That time when I was on the boat, I felt that the wife of the Marquis of Dong'an treated you differently."
Mi Niang smiled. She knew why Second Madam Ding was going to Baiyun Temple to worship Buddha, which was contrary to her usual practice. In fact, she had an appointment to meet the wife of Marquis Dong'an. The wife of Marquis Dong'an also brought her son to see Second Madam Ding.
But all this is done in secret. They first match the horoscopes with each other in advance, then investigate each other. If it is possible, they can propose marriage smoothly. Otherwise, they will go directly to the engagement house and then match the horoscopes. If they are not compatible, everyone involved will know about it, which is not good for both parties.
It seems that she had already made up her mind when Ding Erniang got on the boat from the beginning. If Fang Weiyan is a good person, of course she will continue to move forward. If he is not a good person, she can also say that their horoscopes are not compatible and refuse.
This way, neither party will be harmed, nor will the incident be exposed and affect the daughter's reputation.
After yawning, Mi Niang fell into sleep.
Little did she know that a group of people were lying in ambush outside her house, and the leader said, "Our prince said that we only need to get the person away, and no one should be hurt. Ruan Jiading was ignorant of the matter, and our prince went to him, but he said that his daughter would be betrothed to someone else."
"Hehe, the prince wants to have a spring breeze with her first, and then the Ruan family will have to marry her whether they want to or not." The man said with a lewd smile.
The leader nodded and said, "He is just a small official. It is a blessing for his daughter that our prince has taken a fancy to her. She is so ignorant of the importance of respecting him. When the matter is settled, she will probably beg our prince for favors!"
"That's right, that's right." Everyone echoed.
The Ruan family did not have strict guards, nor were they a wealthy family. It was just an ordinary house, so it was easy for them to take it.
It was late at night, and everyone in the Ruan family had fallen asleep. He Tinglan, the son of the Nanping Earl, was having a drink in his residence. He could drink a lot, but he was afraid that if he drank too much, he would pass out and would not be able to accompany his beloved, so he only had a few drinks and did not dare to drink more.
He was used to making trouble in the mansion, and no one dared to persuade him. Moreover, even if the former Crown Prince's wife was still in the mansion, she would not be able to control him.
At first, when he was little, He Tinglan only secretly had sex with the maids around him. Later, all the girls with a straight head and a decent face in the mansion were taken over by the He family father and son.
Afterwards, even people outside the palace began to be infected.
He had both a title and an actual job, and quite a few people wanted to marry into his family. Even though he had six or seven wives, he still felt it was not enough.
But this was not a rare thing in a noble family. He Tinglan took a sip of wine. It was already past midnight. He frowned and asked, "Why hasn't he come yet?"
The servant said hurriedly, "It will probably be dawn in an hour or so."
He Tinglan snorted coldly: "They are becoming more and more useless in doing things."
The servant pursed his lips and thought, Master is being too much of a fool this time. In the past he only had his eyes on commoner girls, but now this one is the daughter of an official.
But even though the boy thought so in his heart, he said, "The harder it is to get, the more it is your ability, isn't it?"
He Tinglan smiled happily when she heard this.
However, the group of people sent by He Tinglan were originally planning to ambush someone in the dead of night, but at the critical moment, they were all tied up.
His mouth was blocked, his hands and feet were tied, and he was sent to the Infantry Yamen as a thief.
The Ruan family was completely unaware of such a thrilling and stormy night, and Mi Niang even blamed the maids for calling her too early.
"You guys are such a jerk. It's too early. I can't even open my eyes. How can I eat breakfast?" Mi Niang yawned.
"Don't blame us, young lady. It was Second Madam who said that she would ask you to come earlier today to entertain the guests. She said that Madam Wei was coming." Chuntao said with a smile.
Mi Niang sighed, "That day I thought that Madam Jian was just saying it casually, but I never thought that she would actually let Madam Wei come."
Last time I met Mrs. Jian in Xiaoxishan, she was very friendly. When she heard that they had just arrived in Beijing, she introduced that several ladies had invested money together to make some money from cosmetics, and she specifically mentioned Mrs. Wei, saying that she was very good at business.
Of course, Second Madam Ding has been worried about money recently. The salaries of officials in Beijing are low and there is little benefit. The expenses for social favors are huge. Although Zhou has taken care of it, she can still cope with some of it.
But she was very worried about her daughter's dowry. In the capital, there was a custom of giving a generous dowry. If the dowry was too little, wouldn't she be laughed at?
It just so happened that Mrs. Jian introduced her, so Second Madam Ding certainly also wanted to do so.
Chun Tao was puzzled: "It's a good thing, why is the young lady sighing?"
"You said that if Eleventh Sister-in-law takes care of it for us, that's normal because Eleventh Brother works for our family. But Madam Jian, the wife of the Minister of Revenue, my mother doesn't have much capital either, why should others let her take advantage of this?" Mi Niang is not aloof, but she thinks something is wrong when it is abnormal.
Thinking of this, she hurriedly washed and dressed, then went to the main room and said to Second Madam Ding: "... See if what I said is true."
Mrs. Ding couldn't help but nodded: "It's amazing that you think so clearly. I was bewildered and thought that Madam Shangguan just wanted me to make up the numbers."
Mi Niang laughed and said, "There is no such thing as a falling cake in this world. This cake just happened to fall into our mouths."
"As for the dowry, there are still two years left, so we should buy as much dowry as we can. Daddy is a sixth-rank official, and if he buys a dowry worth thousands or tens of thousands of taels, he will be criticized."
Mrs. Ding was comforted by her daughter instead, and she knew what to do.
Therefore, when Mrs. Wei came over, Mrs. Ding just said that she had no money and was not enthusiastic, so Mrs. Wei returned empty-handed.
Besides, He Tinglan waited all night but not only did no one show up, his people were instead detained in the Infantry Yamen.
Although the Ruan family finally gave in to his face, He Tinglan was still not convinced, but he also knew that it was not appropriate to act rashly now.
"Just wait, one day I will take care of you." From childhood to adulthood, he had never been humiliated like this.
On that day, it was Fang Yaqing's engagement ceremony. The maids were busy dressing her up. Ye Jiayin came quietly and looked at Fang Yaqing in the mirror. She saw how charming and seductive she was, and she couldn't help but congratulate her.
"I remember when I came to your house, you were still holding onto a chair and couldn't even walk. Now that you are engaged, I have nothing to offer you but my blessing."
Fang Yaqing looked at her cousin Ye Jiayin in the mirror and felt very emotional. Her cousin came to their house when she was very young. At that time, her grandmother loved her cousin Jiayin and her brother the most. Her brother was handsome since he was young.
Other children liked to cry when they were young, but my brother was always well-behaved and liked to laugh.
Because my brother and cousin Jiayin were both raised by my grandmother at that time, my grandmother naturally wanted to make them closer relatives. The reason was also ready. Ye Jiayin was already very pitiful and her health was not very good. If she married outside, she would probably die in a few years.
But not to mention that his brother is the legitimate son of the Marquis of Dong'an and has a good temperament, even if he doesn't rely on the Marquis's Mansion, Xu's dowry is enough for them to live on for a lifetime.
But how could my mother agree to such a thing? She asked my uncle to recommend a famous scholar, and took the opportunity to move my brother from the inner courtyard to the outer courtyard, cutting off all contact with him from then on.
Fang Yaqing has always been a generous person. She has no special opinion of Ye Jiayin and they often interact with each other. Later, because another cousin Jin Shuqin came to her house, she had a better relationship with cousin Shuqin because of her mother's relationship and cousin Shuqin's generosity and kindness, but she still had no opinion of either of them privately.
Therefore, when seeing Ye Jiayin congratulating her, Fang Yaqing shyly said, "It's not a big deal, but I did make you worry about me."
Ye Jiayin pointed at her and laughed, "You are shy too. Seeing is believing. Your aunt even said you are like a tomboy. I am going to tell her this today."
In fact, Mrs. Xu treats Ye Jiayin very well, and even privately subsidize her for food, clothing and housing. Her monthly salary is more than Fang Yaqing's, not to mention the doctor's appointments on weekdays, all of which use the most expensive medicinal materials. She is afraid that the family will cause mischief and use old medicine.
So even though Xu was against Ye Jiayin becoming her daughter-in-law, she could not blame Ye Jiayin. Just based on the half year she went back to her parents' home, as the wife of the prince, Ye Jiayin was not so comfortable.
Fang Yaqing is the protagonist today, so let her laugh and don't get angry.
Then a young girl came in again, holding a box in her hand. Seeing Ye Jiayin was there, she said, "I originally sent someone to look for you, thinking that we could come together, but I never thought that you would come alone first."
The girl had her hair in three buns, and she looked gentle, well-behaved, and always smiling at everyone.
Fang Yaqing saw this and immediately smiled and said, "Cousin Jin is here, why didn't you see your cousin? I saw her yesterday."
"She was not feeling well after getting up this morning. I told her to come back when she felt better. She said we were all sisters and we lived together. If she came to congratulate you tomorrow, no one would compete with her! I saw that she was dizzy, so I didn't force her to come."
Jin Shuqin opened the box in her hand. It turned out to be a very delicate dressing box, filled with exquisite jewelry and head ornaments.
Fang Yaqing sighed: "This is too expensive."
"It's not worth anything, just take it." Jin Shuqin said indifferently.
The Jin family, like the Xu family, is a successful example of a family that transitioned from business to literature. Jin Shuqin's father passed the imperial examination at the age of 26, but died of illness on his way to Beijing for the examination.
Jin's mother had only two daughters. Fortunately, her concubine gave birth to a posthumous child. Despite this, the widow and orphan had a hard time in the clan and wanted to go to her mother's house. However, her sister-in-law was unwilling to take her in because she had helped the illegitimate son of the family. So she had no choice but to come to the capital to seek shelter.
Otherwise, the mother and daughter of the Jin family have so much money, but whether they can protect themselves is no different from a little girl parading through the streets with gold ingots.
Fang Yaqing knew that the Jin family did not need this, so she accepted it with a smile.
In fact, when getting engaged, it is nothing more than inviting relatives and friends to a banquet, and there is no need to give gifts, but Jin Shuqin has always been so thoughtful, surpassing Ye Jiayin's calmness.
Fang Yaqing sees through the lawsuit between the two of them but won't reveal it.
After a while, Mrs. He from the Nanping Marquis's Mansion came with her daughter. He Dizhu was He Tinglan's biological sister, but the two were completely different. He Tinglan was a domineering figure, while He Dizhu was a gentle, quiet and even somewhat cowardly girl.
Fang Yaqing knew that her eldest aunt, Madam He, had always only loved her cousin, and because her cousin often vented her anger, she regarded her son as her lifelong support. Moreover, she was injured when giving birth to her daughter and could no longer have children, so she ignored her daughter even more.
"My aunt and cousin are here. Our wife just said that she asked the kitchen to make your favorite rose lotus paste cake today." She looked at her aunt with a smile.
Mrs. He was too impatient to say anything to the little maids. She casually gave Fang Yaqing a few instructions and left He Dizhu behind.
After Madam He left, Fang Yaqing asked, "I heard that someone from your family was handed over to the Infantry Yamen. What's going on?"
He Dizhu shook her head: "I don't understand either."
Fang Yaqing said angrily, "You, I don't know what to say to you. Just because you cover your ears, does that mean nothing will happen in the world?"
"I'm a lady from a noble family. Even if something happened outside, I shouldn't ask. I know you think I'm useless, but what good will it do if I ask?" He Dizhu felt that Fang Yaqing was very unkind.
It was Jin Shuqin who smoothed things over: "Forget it, forget it. I heard that this time it's Miss Jian, right? My mother went to watch the show with me the other day and she said that this girl is from a noble family and is different from the others."
This is Jin Shuqin's flexibility. Fang Yaqing thought to herself that in the past, cousin Jin tried every means to befriend me. She even took over the maids in Fourth Brother's room and spoke well of her every day.
Now that she knows her mother has other plans, she has started to make friends with her future sister-in-law, but unfortunately, you can never guess what she will end up with.
Fang Yaqing smiled and said, "Sister is right. She will probably be here soon. But someone else is coming today."
Seeing that she was keeping the secret, Ye Jiayin pointed at her and said, "Why are you still keeping it a secret with us?"
"She is a girl we met on the way back. She is beautiful and dignified, good at poetry and prose, and gentle and lovely."
A maidservant outside said that Miss Ruan was coming. Fang Yaqing smiled and said, "Speak of the devil and he will come."
But Mi Niang got up early today and dressed up. She couldn't steal the limelight from Fang Yaqing, but she also couldn't be overshadowed by others.
It was rare for her to do her makeup herself. In her previous life, she went from being a person who didn't even know how to put on powder to being very good at showing off her beauty, all thanks to her own learning.
Of course, because she always put on makeup, her face often had eczema. When people from the mansion came to visit her, they didn't care about these. What she remembered most clearly was what the wife of the Duke of Hanhai said: "You are now the virtuous concubine, and the emperor favors you more than the queen, and now you are spoiled. Serving the emperor is the first priority. With your high status, you can do whatever you want in the future!"
This is really ridiculous. Even the emperor has no control over many things, so what can a little girl like her do? In her previous life, she had become an imperial concubine, and her health was getting worse day by day.
The Ruan family didn't care about her, they only cared about the illusory power. They wanted to see the Ruan family give birth to a prince to ensure their wealth in the future.
Seeing Mi Niang putting on her makeup herself, Chun Tao couldn't help but say, "I usually think that Miss is very beautiful, but today I think even Mudan would be embarrassed to see her."
Mi Niang shook her head: "You little bastard are the one who can talk."
"Why don't you wear this plum blossom makeup? I heard that it came from the palace. Concubine Cui likes to wear plum blossoms on her eyebrows the most."
"I prefer peony flowers."
She put a finely cut peony flower on her forehead and looked at it carefully in front of the mirror before changing her clothes and coming out.
Mrs. Ding was also new today. Both mother and daughter were going to the Dong'an Earl's Mansion for the first time, and they were a little nervous.
"Mom, why did you marry Dad?" Mi Niang asked her mother with her chin in her hand.
Second wife Ding smiled and said, "Because your father is easily soft-hearted. In my situation at that time, no scholar would marry me. You see Li Guan seems to think that he is heartless, but I tell you that most men in the world are like this. Some men have wives who are still lying in bed and have not died yet, but they have already found another wife."
"I know everyone wants to find a rich son-in-law who is handsome, has a good family background, is talented, has a high status, loves women dearly, and even wants to make the loyal parents give up on him."
When she said this, she saw her daughter laughing. Second Madam Ding hurriedly said, "Don't laugh. I'm telling the truth. But for a man of high status, even if he doesn't look for someone else, there are countless women chasing after him, fat or thin. After a long time, who will still care about you? Even if you have that status, what's the use if there's no one who understands and loves you?"
"So, even though your father is sometimes soft-hearted and makes me feel bad, if he were like Li Guan, wouldn't I just marry a landlord and become his concubine? You wouldn't be there."
Mi Niang understands what this means. Most people think they are special, and that is their downfall. They will say, "Oh, it doesn't matter if he is cruel to everyone in the world, as long as he is good to me."
But he is so cruel and ruthless, with only calculation in his bones and no sense of justice. I am afraid that you will be killed in advance before you can do the only thing he wants.
"Mom, have you heard about Fang Weiyan?" Mi Niang asked, deliberately not looking at the Second Mistress.
Mrs. Ding was very happy, because after she told her daughter about the marriage, she acted too calm. She was not shy like a new bride, and she didn't have any expectations. She was very surprised.
After all, a daughter cannot live in her parents' home all her life. She will eventually get married. If her parents do not marry her off now, she will only be chosen by others when she is older.
It will be too late then.
Some people are always dissatisfied with the current situation, probably because they think the next one will be better. However, being too greedy is not necessarily a good thing.
Mrs. Ding Er laughed and said, "His teacher said that he is well-educated and has never used his status as a nobleman to cause trouble. He is very ambitious. He is not the kind of person who orders people around. He is very knowledgeable and gentle."
"So is he good-looking?" Mi Niang asked shyly.
Gentle people are the best. Mi Niang never liked those who were bossy and loud. She would not accept it if they acted like male chauvinists all the time! It is said that it is okay for capable people to have a bad temper, but it is a good thing for capable people to control their temper!
Mrs. Ding was speechless: "I have never seen such a good-looking person in my life."
In fact, Second Mistress Ding didn't say it, but when she saw Fang Weiyan, she felt that he had a similar aura.
"If she's pretty, then there must be a lot of girls in his family. My daughter doesn't care about those people anyway."
Seeing her daughter's hypocritical expression, Mrs. Ding said, "He moved to the outer courtyard when he was five years old. How could he come into contact with any beautiful girls? The people around him are either maids or servants."
"It doesn't matter if the maids or servants have anything to do with it."
"Why are you so jealous, kid? That depends on you. Your father wouldn't dare to do that anyway. Whether you can control your future son-in-law depends on you."
These words instantly ignited Mi Niang's fighting spirit. He's just a man, isn't he? What can't he get?
Someone like Li Guan doesn't want to get it, otherwise she would have gotten it long ago. She wouldn't be crying like Guan Huiqing!
When she arrived at Fang Yaqing's place, the place was full of people. Mi Niang said embarrassedly, "I'm late."
Everyone had only heard Fang Yaqing's praises but had not seen the real person. When they saw the real person, not to mention the men, even the women felt half numb.
Fang Yaqing's eyes widened, and she only had a trace of rationality left to know what her mission for the day was.
"Sister Ruan is here. Last time you said you wanted to read the Complete Works of Duke Lu. I just got here. Can you ask my maid to take you to see it? Is that what you said? If so, you don't have to rush. Just read in the library and come over when you want to listen to the opera."
Mi Niang understood what he meant and slightly, "Thank you very much, you still think of me."
Adults create opportunities for men and women to meet each other, so that they can get to know each other in advance.
After the maid took Mi Niang to the study, she said, "Miss Ruan, I will take my leave now."
Mi Niang stood outside the door, took a deep breath, and went in, lifting her skirt.
I saw a man in a bamboo green robe with cloud patterns and a round flower lake pattern brewing tea. He was very patient and in the curling tea smoke, it seemed as if he was in the fairyland of Penglai.
Fang Weiyan heard footsteps and raised his eyes slightly.
Their eyes met.
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