Originally, newlyweds were supposed to wear red, but because Mrs. Weng was seriously ill, Mi Niang specially changed into a lilac-colored jacket with a collar, paired with a skirt with pearl ripple patterns, and a layer of plain gauze on the outside to add a hazy beauty.
But she had no time to appreciate it by herself, so she asked the servant to bring the lantern and went with Fang Weiyan.
The night wind was a bit strong, Fang Weiyan handed her a cloak: "Don't freeze yourself."
Mi Niang nodded: "I'm fine."
Because they lived too far away and it was too slow to wait for the servants to come in the middle of the night, Fang Weiyan and Mi Niang discussed walking quickly, and Mi Niang naturally agreed. Thanks to her natural feet, walking is very painful for women with bound feet, but it has no effect on Mi Niang.
Fang Weiyan held her hand and walked away. Mi Niang said with some emotion: "I just came into the house and your grandmother became seriously ill. What should I do if others gossip about me? I know you don't think so, but others may think so."
There are few people in this world who wish you the best, especially when it comes to things that are meaningless. The more such things are, the more likely they are to be exaggerated.
Fang Weiyan obviously thought of this as well, and couldn't help but say, "Don't worry, she won't dare to tell anyone. If something really happens to grandma, she will be the first to suffer. My mother will be in charge of the family by then, and she's not stupid."
If Madam Weng passed away, Xu's relationship with her was average, so why should she support her? It would have been good enough if she had to provide her with food and protection? As for the people of Aunt Ding's lineage, whom Fang Furong had always favored, they haven't even come to power yet!
If Marquis Dong'an lives as long as the old marquis, he will have at least ten more years to live. As long as the marquis is alive, Xu will be the mistress in this mansion, and even if Shen wants to be the housekeeper, it will be impossible.
"But she is not someone who plays by the rules." Mi Niang was very worried. Anyone who was charged with such a crime was simply framed and had no way to resist.
Just like nowadays, men have five things they cannot marry, such as not marrying a widow or the eldest daughter. This is simply an unprovoked disaster. Does it mean that a girl with a mother by her side will be better educated than a girl without a mother? That is not necessarily the case.
Fang Weiyan comforted her, "Don't be afraid, if it really doesn't work, we can move out later."
She looked at Fang Weiyan, not understanding why he could do so much for her. They were clearly just a little better than strangers.
But she would never allow the two of them to be driven out in disgrace. Thinking of this, she glanced at Fang Weiyan and made up her mind.
No matter how difficult it was, she couldn't let him fall into a bad situation just because he married her.
"Don't speak for me. I have my own way to solve the problem. Besides, this is just my guess. Maybe she didn't say that!"
Fang Weiyan felt that a lot of things had happened in these three days. Fortunately, Mi Niang was calm and not like other women who would panic.
When they were walking halfway, they met the carriage of the third room. This was the advantage of living close to home. They walked for a long time, but the third room was still faster.
Mi Niang pulled Fang Weiyan's sleeve and said, "Let's run ahead of them and have a competition, okay?"
She seems to be always like this, never willing to admit defeat, very lively, and never sad.
Being with her, I never have any worries.
Fang Weiyan, who always looked mature, also went crazy inside. For the first time, his mouth spoke faster than his brain, "Okay, let's run."
He held her hand and ran together. The servants who followed him were extremely anxious and whispered, "Fourth Master and Fourth Madam, please don't run too fast."
The wind blew in his ears, and Fang Weiyan even felt a little happy. Mi Niang smiled and said, "Do you think we should elope?"
Fang Weiyan's ears turned red: "Don't talk nonsense."
"Humph, hypocritical."
But she also realized that what she said was inappropriate, after all, her grandmother was ill, so she quickly covered her mouth and said, "I was too reckless just now, I didn't mean it."
Fang Weiyan really had no feelings for Madam Weng. He was raised by her when he was a child mostly to keep Xu under control. But after he decided not to marry Ye Jiayin, all the illusions were shattered.
If it weren't for the connivance of old lady Weng, my aunt would not have given it to my third brother no matter how eloquent she was. If he hadn't made some progress in his studies over the years, where would their lives have gone?
All three sons of Aunt Ding were carefully selected by Old Madam Weng, so why did he insist on marrying his cousin who was an orphan?
He had already given up on competing with them and was ready to pursue a career in the imperial examination, but they still wouldn't let him go. It wasn't that he disliked his cousin Ye. Apart from anything else, Ye Jiayin had always been weak and an orphan, and she might not even have any children. It was really too much for her grandmother to do this.
But because of this, he did not marry his cousin Ye, and because of this, Old Lady Weng began to resent him.
Fang Weiyan is not a bad person. Even when others treat him like this, he still tries to curry favor with them.
People like them have a weak sense of family affection, but they just pretend to be nice on the surface.
No matter how hurried they were, when the two arrived, the people from the third room had not arrived yet. Mi Niang and Fang Wei Yan were adjusting each other's clothes at the door, but one could tell from the sweat on their foreheads that they had come running as soon as they heard the news.
A woman's sharp voice was heard from inside the house: "Mom, you were fine when I came to pay my respects this morning. How come you are not feeling well after noon? Has a disaster happened in your family?"
Mi Niang and Fang Wei Yan looked at each other and saw that she had guessed it right.
When they came in, Xu heaved a sigh of relief: "You guys came quickly. We just got here not long ago."
"Madam, what's wrong with grandma?" Fang Weiyan walked in quickly and asked.
Xu led the couple to the bedside. At this time, there were already quite a few people standing there. Except for the prince who had gone out to ask for a doctor, everyone else was here.
Old Madam Weng's mouth was crooked, which looked like symptoms of a stroke.
Mi Niang stood obediently next to Yu. She was of the same generation as the grandson's wife, and she skipped over several sisters-in-law to show her courtesy, which others thought was too aggressive.
Yu glanced at her and thought to herself what a pity. This girl had bad luck. As soon as she entered the family, her elder fell ill, and she also happened to offend the old lady, who would accuse her of a crime even if she had nothing wrong.
There are many people in this mansion, and if anyone has any problems, it will probably be blamed on her.
Thinking of this, Yu even felt a little sympathy for Mi Niang. She was different from Shen. Shen was the Crown Prince's wife, so she would be happy for all the good and bad things that happened to Xu. She could immediately become the housekeeper, and it was all legitimate.
But Yu Shi didn't get any benefit from this. Although she knew that her husband often cursed Xu Shi as an old hag behind her back, she didn't have any deeper feelings for Aunt Ding.
She also comes from a wealthy family, so of course she knows a little about the affairs of wives and concubines. Your concubine Ding is very smart, but she is not a real master. When a real master comes into the house, you should give way to her.
Otherwise, with Xu coming into the family and Aunt Ding still in charge of half of the family, you would really treat the old lady as your own grandmother if she gave you a date.
Therefore, Yu was very conflicted. Among the grandsons and daughters-in-law in the Marquis's mansion, the eldest sister-in-law had no illegitimate children, the third daughter-in-law was not pregnant, and the fourth daughter-in-law had just entered the house. Only she and Shen entered the house one after another. Shen's room was clean, while her room had a lot of illegitimate sons and daughters, all of whom were smart and pampered more than her own children. She had always been compared to a loser by Shen, and the servants would secretly say behind her back that she was not as good as Shen.
So, even if Shen Shi won, she would not benefit much, as she would still be dependent on others. Even if Shen Shi lost, she would still be dependent on others. Moreover, Mrs. Weng did not pay much attention to the children of her great-grandsons, and Xu Shi was not her real mother-in-law. The second master had the final say in her backyard. Yu Shi hated those concubines and those illegitimate children who were good at currying favor, so she was very conflicted with Xu Shi.
Although she obeyed her husband and followed Shen's lead in everything, she also felt that if she were Xu, she would not be able to tolerate seeing her husband's beloved concubine's son inherit the family business while her own son became a side branch.
Therefore, she is conflicted.
Therefore, she did not go all out to oppose Xu like Shen did, but she thought Shen acted with propriety. Although Shen did not directly instruct the aunt to divert trouble, she was still able to cause trouble for Xu.
Although Shen Shi did not manage the household, it was obvious that Madam Weng was the real richest person. The next richest person was Marquis Dong'an Si. He did not want to give up his title, but felt sorry for Xu Shi's son, so he was secretly preparing to divide his private property and public wealth equally between Fang Weiyan and his brother.
How could Shen tolerate this?
Even if her husband were to obtain the title in the future and get much less, if the Marquis of Dong'an passed away, how much money would be left after the funeral?
In addition, the younger brothers in the family need to get married, and both of these require money.
But my husband's two brothers are unreliable. The second and third brothers are big spenders and have no future. The most promising one, Fang Weiyan, is not on the same page with them.
She hated her father-in-law for his dishonest behavior. Since he had given the title to the prince, he should have considered him more. Therefore, she was happy to see this happen. In fact, Yu really blamed Shen. Shen had just learned about the illness of Mrs. Weng and had just arrived a short while ago.
It is even more impossible to instigate Fang Furong. Her emotions are out of control. If you cooperate with her, you may end up being cheated by her in the future.
But it was impossible for her to stand up and speak for Mi Niang. Her performance yesterday showed that this fourth sister-in-law was not like the third sister-in-law. Although she had some schemes, she could not accomplish anything big. The fourth sister-in-law had the upper hand in the conversation with the aunt in a few words. She was good at singing and reciting, and she was bold. What's more, she was also very much liked by Fang Wei Yan. Such a person was a powerful enemy.
If she helped Xu, perhaps the prince's title would be lost, so how could she speak for Mi Niang?
Dong'an Hou paced back and forth anxiously: "Why hasn't the prince come yet?"
Mi Niang couldn't quite remember whether the old lady of the Marquis of Dong'an was still alive at this time, because in her previous life, she was really an unimportant person. She knew a little about Xu from the occasional new things that other ladies of high rank would tell her when they came to the palace. She could only listen to a little bit of what they said.
Another reason is that the reason why Fang Weiyan did not enter the palace in his previous life was so strange that she remembered it.
Xu then asked the maidservant who was serving Madam Weng, "I came to see the old lady in the afternoon and she was fine. How did her mouth suddenly become crooked? How did you serve her?"
In fact, Mrs. Xu didn't quite believe that Mrs. Weng was sick on her own. She went mountain climbing last month and was in better health than herself. How could she suddenly fall ill?
If Ye Jiayin suddenly fell ill, it could be said to be normal. She had been ill for many years, and taking medicine was like drinking water.
It was Old Madam Weng who beat the maids.
The one who answered was Rong Xin, the person whom Old Madam Weng could not live without for a single day. She cried, "This afternoon the old lady went to the Buddhist temple and struck the wooden fish for half an hour. She has always had the habit of taking a nap, and the servants served her while she took a nap, and then... then..." She glanced at Fang Furong.
Fang Weiyan hurriedly asked, "What happened next? Tell me quickly. If you tell me even a lie, I'll take you all away and beat you with a stick."
Fang Furong was frightened. Before the maid could say anything, she immediately said, "It's because your wife pissed off the old lady yesterday, so I came to check on her. I didn't expect that just when I got to the room, someone said that the old lady was ill. I'm not blaming you, Wei Yan. Just think about how many things have happened since your wife came into the house."
"I can't see it all. Aunt, why don't you let Rong Xin speak?" Fang Weiyan looked at Rong Xin who was kneeling, "You don't have to look at anyone, just tell the truth. If you don't tell it, even if the old lady wakes up, we will not let you go."
This was the first time Fang Weiyan acted so loud and fierce. Normally he rarely cultivated his temper and rarely got angry. Even Mi Niang had never seen him angry.
I didn't expect that he would stand up at this time.
After hearing his voice, Dong'an Hou also felt that something was fishy, and hurriedly said to Rong Xin: "Hurry up and tell me."
Rongxin shrank her head and said calmly, "My aunt went in to see the old lady. The servants were waiting outside. I don't know what they said inside. Later, when I went in, the old lady looked like this."
To be honest, Rong Xin also secretly hated Fang Furong. She was so old, but she still caused such a scene. Not only did she not admit her mistake, but she also pushed the blame onto the new Fourth Madam.
Everyone probably understood what Rong Xin meant. This matter was most likely related to Fang Furong.
Fang Furong took the initiative to win the favor, but she hadn't thought that in this mansion, although Mi Niang had just entered the house with little experience, Fang Wei Yan had already achieved fame. Although he was only a scholar in the Hanlin Academy now, the Hanlin Academy was the place where the prime minister was appointed. When she and Fang Wei Yan confronted each other, most of the servants in the mansion would be more afraid of Fang Wei Yan.
In the past, Fang Furong favored Aunt Ding's sons, especially the Crown Prince who would inherit the title in the future, and she did not take Fang Weiyan and Fang Weijun seriously. Now she realizes the gap.
She said nothing, and the Marquis of Dong'an snorted coldly: "If mother is well, that's good. If not, you can go to Baiyun Temple to pray for her."
Fang Furong wanted to argue again, but Zhenniang pulled her sleeve. She immediately played dead and said nothing.
Seeing this, Shen thought to herself that it was a good thing that we had nothing to do with this person, otherwise it would be bad if her actions implicated our grandfather. But at the same time, she also clearly discovered that Fang Weiyan's status in the family was not comparable to that of others.
Just when everyone was thinking about their own things, the prince came with a doctor. This was Doctor Zhang, who was specially invited from Huichuntang and had the miraculous ability to bring people back to health. Doctor Zhang was very famous, and even someone like Mi Niang who was afraid of illness and doctors had heard of her reputation.
I heard that Mrs. Wu had a problem with bleeding and that she was able to recover thanks to Doctor Zhang.
When the doctor came over, everyone looked closely at Old Madam Weng on the bed. Mi Niang was the one who least wanted anything to happen to Old Madam Weng. Although everyone knew it might be related to Fang Furong, it might not be blamed on her. What's more, if the old lady was really in trouble, Fang Wei Yan would also be worried.
He is only a Shujishi now, and it will be difficult for Ding Xun to stay in the Hanlin Academy in the future.
"This is a symptom of a stroke. If snake blood can be used as medicine, I will prepare it tonight. If you use it in the second half of the night, you will get better."
"Fresh snake blood?" The prince frowned, "We do have a snake at home, but it's a venomous one, and it happened to be the one who handled the snake. Do you want me to prescribe some Ma Fei San to numb it and then draw blood to activate it?"
Doctor Zhang quickly denied it: "No, no, it's best if the blood is not coagulated and has no impurities. Otherwise, it might be detrimental to the old lady's condition."
Dong'an Hou said: "Why not let someone shoot it to death first and then take its blood."
Mi Niang suddenly stood up and said, "My Lord, let your daughter-in-law go get the blood. My daughter-in-law's hometown is Huguang, which is full of jungles. I encountered snakes when I was a child, so I know how to deal with them."
"No." Fang Weiyan scolded, "Don't try to show off. You won't be able to take blood then."
The prince also felt that something was wrong: "Yes, this is the only snake we have in our house now. Why don't you let me shoot it with an arrow?"
Doctor Zhang frowned: "Absolutely not. If you shoot into the snake's gallbladder, it will be bad."
"Let me do it. I can do it." Mi Niang nodded to Fang Wei Yan.
Fang Weiyan really didn't know where she got such courage from, but she insisted, so he couldn't ignore her: "Okay, I'll go with you."
Mi Niang smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, I will definitely get the snake blood to cure grandma."
The prince had the snake cage taken outside the courtyard. Mi Niang took off the hairpin on her head and turned to Wei Yan and smiled, "Don't worry, I've encountered more poisonous bamboo leaf vipers and fire-burned roots before, and I'm not afraid of them."
"Sister-in-law, be careful." Fang Weichang didn't expect his fourth sister-in-law to be so fierce.
"Brother, please rest assured that I will not do anything without a purpose."
The moment the cage was opened, she immediately caught the snake's head with her foot and thrust the hairpin straight up at lightning speed. Blood splashed onto her face, but she didn't care. She immediately waved to Wei Yan, "Wei Yan, bring a bowl, let's put it in."
The snake blood was successfully removed, but the servants in the yard and even the prince Fang Weichang looked at Mi Niang as if she were a giant.
Mi Niang's face was splattered with blood, and Fang Weiyan was wiping it for her, but it was not completely wiped clean. Mi Niang did not care. She whispered, "If the old lady wakes up, you can go to the Hanlin Academy normally."
She is very loyal. People don't have to care about feelings, because that is too illusory, but they must be loyal. Fang Weiyan is so good to her, and she must repay his kindness.
But Fang Weiyan remained silent all the way and even ignored her.
It was not until midnight that Doctor Zhang prepared the medicine and fed it to Old Lady Weng. She woke up, and the doctor took her pulse and wrote another prescription, saying that there was no danger anymore. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Mi Niang finally let go of the worry that had been weighing on her mind.
Everyone knew that she was the one who killed the snake and took the blood. Dong'an Hou and Xu Shi praised her, but also said: "Although you are filial, you should not take such a risk, otherwise the old lady will be unhappy even if she knows."
In addition to them, her sisters-in-law also asked her in an inquiring tone how she knew how to catch snakes.
"You are a lady from a wealthy family, how come you can catch snakes?" The local officials were curious.
Mi Niang smiled and said, "It's nothing. Although I was born in the Ruan family of Jiangling, my family fell into poverty when I was young. My father went to school, and my mother and I were often hungry. Over time, I got used to it. It's nothing."
The county lord's opinion of her changed greatly, and he praised her, "You are really amazing."
"Yes, I was shocked when you said you could just now." Yu had thought she was incredibly beautiful before. Her father was a double-imperial scholar, she was the daughter of an official, she was liked by her husband and loved by her mother-in-law. She felt that there seemed to be no flaws in her. Now that she saw how frank she was, she developed some liking for her.
Even though Shen treated Mi Niang like a formidable enemy, she knew that from today on, Ruan had become the old lady's savior, and that her power would become more and more important in the future. However, even so, she only praised her lightly.
Mi Niang felt that she had achieved many goals at once. Not only did she help the old lady and clear her own reputation of being unkind, but she also allowed Fang Wei Yan to go to the Hanlin Academy to learn a job without any worries. Moreover, it also dealt a blow to Fang Furong. She was afraid that no one would listen to her nonsense in the future.
But she didn't expect that when she returned to Fengwu Courtyard, Fang Weiyan's face turned livid. She even smiled and said, "Why don't you praise me for how great I am today?"
But she didn't expect that he would put her horizontally on his legs and spank her buttocks.
Mi Niang is so angry.
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