"You didn't sleep well last night, right?" Fang Weiyan looked at her dark eye sockets and felt very distressed.
Mi Niang sighed: "Wei Yan, being a mother is so tiring."
The reason why Mi Niang dared to say this to Fang Wei Yan was because she knew that Fang Wei Yan could really understand her, and he was not the kind of person who would always say that other women can give birth, so why can't you? or that any peasant woman can give birth in the fields, so why are you so coquettish?
Mi Niang had long since become estranged from a man like this, and it would be better for her to remain a widow.
Fang Weiyan massaged her head and neck: "It's okay, just rest in the room later, I'll go tell the madam."
"Will this make me seem pretentious?" Mi Niang is really not the kind of person who would be spoiled.
Fang Weiyan laughed: "Just give birth to the child with peace of mind. In their eyes, you are a great hero. Why bother about these minor details? Anyway, in my eyes, you are the most humble and never boastful. Besides, Madam has no place for me."
Mi Niang smiled and said, "How can I thank you for praising me like this and covering for me with my wife?"
"I'll tell you after the baby is born." Fang Weiyan stroked her lips ambiguously.
Pregnancy is very sensitive, but Mi Niang doesn't care about that. She pulls his hand and puts it on her lips...
A virgin like Fang Weiyan, who had only started having sex a few days ago, could not resist such temptation. He felt himself trembling all over and wanted to kill her right there and then, but after looking at her belly, he held back.
Even a man like him who never said bad words couldn't help but pinch Mi Niang's cheeks: "Little rascal."
"I can help you with that, too."
Fang Weiyan quickly said, "No, your belly is so big, don't hurt yourself."
"Silly boy, this is also possible." Mi Niang's hand moved down slowly, and she curled her lips and smiled.
After a room full of romance, Mi Niang hit Fang Weiyan and said, "My hands are sore."
Fang Weiyan had never thought that being a husband and wife was actually very good. It was not about scheming against each other, nor was it about treating each other with respect. It was not just about having children, but about loving each other and caring for each other, which was better than anything else.
He hugged her tightly: "I wish I could be with you all day long."
Unfortunately, just as he finished speaking, someone came to look for him. Chang Shou said from outside, "Han Qi, the son of the Marquis of Jinxiang, wants to see you for something."
Mi Niang pulled at his clothes and said, "I can't bear to see you go."
"I'll be back in an incense stick's time." Fang Weiyan finally realized the unbearable lovesickness and didn't want to be separated for a moment.
Mi Niang also found it strange. She used to despise those clingy women who couldn't live without men, and even thought they were very hypocritical. But now, she seemed to have become such a person. However, this kind of emotion and heartbeat was very fascinating.
There's nothing wrong with it.
Sometimes you are not afraid of death because there is nothing left in this world for you to worry about and no one cares about you, just like she didn't like seeing a doctor in her previous life and even thought it was troublesome, because she didn't expect to live a good life every day while she was alive.
But when you have someone you love, you hope to live longer and be with the person you love until old age.
"Go ahead." Mi Niang looked at him and said.
Han Qisheng, the son of Marquis Jinxiang, is a man of outstanding appearance and talent among the nobles. However, due to the chaos caused by the side branches of the Marquis Jinxiang Mansion, he once lived among the people.
Fang Weiyan usually had some dealings with him, but not deeply. In his previous life, Han Qi and his wife Zhou were both the heirs of Queen Mother Ruan, who was the imperial concubine at the time. After Queen Mother Ruan came to power, the two were exiled three thousand miles away.
Of course, now that Mi Niang is his wife, she has nothing to do with the Jinxiang Marquis Mansion. He doesn't know what Han Qi wants him to do.
Han Qi was wearing a dark green round-necked robe. He seemed to be full of thoughts. He exchanged a few pleasantries first: "The late queen passed away and could not hold a banquet. You and I, brothers, could not meet earlier."
"Today is the first day of the new year. Brother Han, you come to my house like this. I wonder what you want to talk to me about?" Fang Weiyan was too lazy to beat around the bush with him.
Han Qi thought to himself that he didn't expect Fang Weiyan to become so straightforward.
Children of noble families like them usually spend little time on small talk before getting down to business, and usually explain their purpose in a tactful way at the very end.
But since Fang Weiyan said so, Han Qi smiled and said, "Perhaps my brother knows that there is a woman who saved my life, and she and I are in love with each other, and the queen is also preparing to arrange a marriage for her?"
Fang Weiyan had heard of this matter in his previous life. The noble families treated it as a joke at first, but the empress was the one who decided on this marriage, and Zhou had given birth to a pair of dragon and phoenix twins. It was said that her fortune was very good and she was a blessed girl. Of course, Fang Weiyan did not believe in these weird things. Queen Ruan was chosen because of the strange signs in the sky, and later she was forced to depose. What was the point?
Good fortune is even more of a joke. In the end, Queen Mother Ruan lost all her titles and was exiled. Even the envied dragon and phoenix twins are the sons of sinners. What's the use of them?
"I have heard about this, but why did Brother Shi come to me for this matter..." Fang Weiyan didn't understand why he was looking for him.
Han Qi smiled and said, "I heard that my sister-in-law has a very good relationship with Li Zhaoyi in the palace. She has the highest position in the palace now. If she had said a word to the emperor about our marriage, I think it would have been a smooth process."
Fang Weiyan was speechless. He said, "My wife is pregnant. Besides, she can't enter the palace."
Back then, Mi Niang almost entered the palace. With Mi Niang's looks, what would happen if the emperor took a fancy to her? No matter how powerful Fang Wei Yan was, he could not compete with the emperor. Besides, Mi Niang was pregnant. Now she could not even walk comfortably and could not sleep well at night. How could she have the time to care about other people's affairs?
Han Qi said quickly, "The Queen is still in mourning. I am not such an ignorant person. Although she cannot enter the palace, people from the Ruan family can. By the way, I heard from Lady Zhou that she and your wife were classmates."
"But why has my wife never mentioned Lady Zhou? I'm sorry, Brother Shi, I'm afraid I can't help you with this. Otherwise, you can go to the Hanhai Mansion and ask."
Fang Weiyan had only heard Mi Niang mention Guo and Tao Chun'er, and even mentioned Ji Jia, the daughter of Shang Jia. She also mentioned the Luo family who married into Hanyang, but he didn't know about Zhou Nuguan.
Han Qi continued, "I know it's very presumptuous to ask your wife for help, but you don't know that my parents don't agree with me marrying Lady Zhou."
It would be a real problem if the Jinxiang Marquis and his wife could agree to let Zhou Furou marry into their family. The life-saving grace can be repaid in other ways, and it is not necessary to repay her with one's body.
Now that Empress Ruan, Zhou Furou's biggest supporter, has passed away, she is just a farm girl, can she become the wife of the prince of the marquisate? If she is a continuation of the marriage, it is acceptable, but being the original wife is really not possible.
Of course, Fang Weiyan felt that he was being hypocritical. If Mi Niang was a female official, he might marry her.
Because she is different.
If Mi Niang liked her, she might have found a way to get her out long ago, just like the time when she was sent to the palace by the Ruan family. Even with his help, she could have gotten out on her own.
Fang Weiyan lowered his eyes and said, "I'm afraid my wife can't do anything about this matter. She is only from a branch of the Ruan family. Besides, I am a low-ranking official now, so she can't enter the palace."
"Brother, if this is accomplished, I will reward you handsomely." He took out a stack of banknotes from his sleeve and placed them on the table.
Fang Weiyan shook his head: "It's not that, it's that I can't do anything about it."
He rejected it very bluntly. Actually, this was not in line with Fang Weiyan's usual character. He had always been of a calm disposition and would not be like this even when rejecting others. It was rare for him to be like this today.
Han Qi stood up immediately: "In that case, I'll take my leave."
After saying this, he picked up the banknote and left.
When Fang Weiyan came back, Mi Niang heard about this and said with a smile, "I never thought you would refuse so completely."
"If the Hanhai Mansion doesn't help, why should you run for her? It's more important for you to take care of the baby." Fang Weiyan raised his eyebrows.
Fang Weiyan like this made Mi Niang feel particularly manly. This was probably because Mi Niang had discovered another side of him. Usually he was so gentle, thoughtful and meticulous that Mi Niang always had the illusion that he was the wife and she was the husband. But now, his expression made Mi Niang throw herself into his arms.
A little domineering, a little cute.
In short, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, and everything is good.
However, Mi Niang also agreed with Fang Weiyan's decision: "Although I say this for your honor, you don't understand Empress Ruan. She always says that the palace is a prison that restricts girls, but she herself enjoys the emperor's favor and even desperately takes fertility medicine for the emperor. She knows that the emperor wants a legitimate prince, and the reason why her body is so weak is mostly because of giving birth to a child. In fact, the emperor is not good to her at all. We only saw the emperor come once when we entered the palace, and she was very satisfied."
"She herself is in a bad situation. She doesn't consider the people around her who work hard for her, but she is infinitely kind to those who are of no use and don't help her. She used to have a senior maid by her side, the one my family sent her to marry before, who did a lot for her, but she never mentioned letting her get married. But Zhou Furou, she and I were classmates in the girls' school for about a year, and she has no other advantages except for her sweet mouth. The queen also has a maid named Liusu by her side. Although she ran around a little, she was loyal to her, but the queen didn't make any arrangements for her, only Zhou Furou. I don't want to run around for them, anyway, it has nothing to do with me."
Sometimes Mi Niang didn't know what was going on in Queen Ruan's mind. She treated people who were obviously loyal to her like old shoes, but treated someone she had only known for a few days very well.
Although she was dead, the harm she had brought to her still existed. Mi Niang was too lazy to care about Zhou Furou because she knew very well that with the death of Queen Ruan, Zhou Furou's biggest supporter was gone.
Palace
The lights in Zhaoming Palace were bright. Emperor Yonglong had just come to the palace to have dinner with Fan Yuzhen. Fan Yuzhen was dressed very simply during the empress's mourning period, so they had a very affectionate meal. The emperor had always been interested in Fan Yuzhen, and Fan Yuzhen had no desires, so Emperor Yonglong would come to Zhaoming Palace to have dinner with her from time to time.
Fan Yuzhen wore a white robe and a crown on her head, looking like Guanyin, especially her temperament was as gentle as orchid, which was intoxicating.
"Your Majesty, I originally wanted to cook a few of the side dishes you used to like, but the maids stopped me. I will cook for you after the baby is born."
Emperor Yonglong smiled and said, "You, take care of yourself first. Is the baby well behaved in your belly today?"
Fan Yuzhen smiled and said, "Your Majesty, he is very well behaved."
The two of them admired famous paintings together again. They were both people with great appreciation ability and could talk to each other very well. Fan Yuzhen was very talented and even when she praised others, she did so without leaving any trace. After entering the palace for several years, she did not acquire other skills, but her ability to observe words and expressions was much better than when she was in the Ruan family.
This reminded her of a saying that men used to say when they were studying: learn literary and martial arts and sell them to the emperor's family. She learned so many things, and now it was just to please the emperor. Fortunately, she also liked the emperor.
"Your Majesty, the late Empress told me before she passed away that Liusu should come to my place, but she was a servant of the late Empress, and I dare not act on my own." Fan Yuzhen asked Emperor Yonglong.
"Well, then just let her come over." Emperor Yonglong didn't care.
He and Queen Ruan had a relationship. She was his first wife and she did a very good job. She was compassionate but never jealous. She was simple and self-reliant. Except for not giving birth to a legitimate prince, she was an impeccable queen, but that was all.
The so-called honor is given to her dignity.
Fan Yuzhen said seriously, "There is a maid named Zhou by your side. She also wanted to come to my place, but I heard that she broke several things when she went to the Queen's place. Your Majesty was kind and didn't blame her. When I went to pay my respects to the Queen, she said that this girl was very lucky. I think she is indeed lucky. When your Majesty was alive, she wanted to arrange a marriage for one of her maids, and she wanted to give her to the son of the Marquis of Jinxiang. But since she came to your side, your health has been getting worse day by day. I have been poor and unlucky since I was a child, and I am afraid that I can't bear such a blessing."
It is auspicious and good for a person to be blessed, but it is not good to absorb the blessings of others and strengthen oneself.
The emperor, in particular, worshipped Taoism and was very wary of these things.
Of course, Emperor Yonglong could not immediately believe Fan Yuzhen's words. When he returned to the Purple Palace, he summoned the eunuch to inquire, and someone responded soon after.
"The maid surnamed Zhou was sent by the Ruan family. They said she was a very blessed girl. I checked, but it seems that she didn't have a smooth life. Her aunt took her in for a year and then lost all the promising land and future she had. Later, she came to the Empress and learned the rules for a year. The Empress pitied her for being a blessed person and said that she was young and didn't let her say anything harsh, but..."
The eunuch paused at this point.
Emperor Yonglong said coldly: "What? Go on."
"It is true that after she came to the Empress's side, the Empress's health became worse and worse."
Now that Concubine Cui has been deposed, Fan Zhaoyi will be promoted to concubine sooner or later and will soon be the most honorable person in the palace. They are loyal to the emperor, but it won't hurt to give Fan Zhaoyi a little face.
Emperor Yonglong said, "This girl is really good at confusing others. She is just a peasant girl, but she is going to marry into a marquis's mansion. What a blessing! I may pretend to be a ghost and send her to the eternal alley. If you find anything unusual, don't report it to me. You know what to do."
The eunuch said meekly, "Yes."
Zhou Furou didn't know what had happened to her. She was sent to Yongxiang. When she was sent out, she was still struggling: "I want to find Fan Zhaoyi, I want to find Fan Zhaoyi."
The eunuch immediately blocked her mouth: "Shut up, you are the one who found Empress Zhaoyi."
Yongxiang is dark at night and is mostly where concubines who have fallen out of favor are imprisoned. This is the cold palace in the palace. Being a maid here means you will never have a chance to make a breakthrough. It is even worse than Zheng Dou Niang's laundry department.
At least the laundry department often irons clothes and delivers them to the mistresses of the palaces. Besides, the emperor is very interested in Zheng Dou Niang. If she can meet him someday, she will be able to come out. But how did she end up in Yongxiang?
Could it be that Fan Yuzhen did something bad?
But she and Fan Yuzhen have no hatred at all?
She couldn't figure it out, so she sat down on the cold ground, buried her head deep in her knees, and trembled all over...
Han Qi, where are you? Can you come and save me?
Little did she know that the person who was happiest about her being sent to Eternal Lane was the wife of Marquis Jinxiang. They had only Han Qi as their son, whom they treasured like a treasure. They hoped that he could marry a lady from a well-off family who was of equal status. Not necessarily a daughter of a rich family, but at least a well-educated and well-mannered young lady from an official family. But an illiterate peasant girl was not what they expected of a daughter-in-law at all.
Mi Niang also learned about this from Second Madam Ding. Second Madam Ding had always disliked this so-called blessed girl. Her aunt Zhou had mocked her daughter for not binding her feet and praised her niece as being born with a three-inch golden lotus. At school, she also heard Mi Niang mention that Zhou Furou always ranked last in every quarterly exam and thought she had no ambition at all.
Therefore, her impression of Zhou Furou has always been that she is a hopeless case. She could have gone to a girls' school under the recommendation of Madam Zhang, but she did a terrible job in her studies. She was favored by the Empress, but she was not pragmatic and was too ambitious, which caused trouble. Or she should have settled things quickly while the Empress was still alive. Her current outcome only shows that she was too greedy.
This is the fate of a person without ability who insists on enjoying the wealth.
Mi Niang knew that unless Zhou Furou was supernatural, she would not be able to get out. Life in Yongxiang was not a good life for a human being. She had offended Concubine Cui and was sent to Yongxiang. She pounded rice day and night, and many old maids wanted to flirt with her. Later, she climbed over the wall to get out and met the emperor by chance on the road he had to pass. She was favored by him.
But climbing the wall was something she had been planning for a long time.
It seems that many things are different in this life. Li Guan and Guan Huiqing did not end up getting married. Guan Huiqing was just a concubine in Li Guan's backyard. Zhou Furou did not become the wife of the prince of Jinxiang, but was sent to Eternal Lane. Queen Ruan died early.
"Mi Niang, can't you sleep? Is your mouth dry? I'll get you some water."
"good."
Mi Niang looked at Fang Wei Yan who ran downstairs to bring her tea, and a warm feeling surged through her heart.
She seemed happy, very happy.
After the New Year, Mi Niang's belly got bigger, and the elders stopped paying their respects to her, but she didn't really turn a deaf ear to what was happening outside. As a daughter-in-law, Chun Tao was freer than the maid before. She didn't have to keep watch here at night. She would often drink and chat with the maids from each room when she returned home at night. She was generous and nice, and everyone was happy to interact with her.
Therefore, she also found out a lot of information.
Of course, this inquiries were instigated by Mi Niang. When you are in the underworld, how can you really not know everything?
Chun Tao said, "Madam Mei is still very favored, but she is just a concubine and has no support. Although she can win over a few people, it is limited. The servants all know that the Madam is the one who is responsible. The eldest Madam can't find out anything, because they manage the courtyard perfectly. The third Madam is looking for a Taoist priest to perform a ritual, probably for the child."
Mi Niang thought that this was normal. Once people could not realize their wishes in reality, they would turn to ghosts and gods.
"How is the Fifth Master?"
Chun Tao shook her head: "I can still find out a little about the backyard, but I don't know anything about the masters' affairs."
She nodded and said, "Okay, I understand."
If you act uprightly and behave properly, no one can harm you.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, during the Lantern Festival, Fang Yaqing gave her a revolving lantern and a cute rabbit lantern. She couldn't go out either, so she could just look at these cute rabbit lanterns to satisfy her craving.
"She's so cute. It's a pity that your brother has to go to a banquet today, otherwise I would have asked him to bring me a lamp." Guo Xiao was out, and everyone was so excited that they started drinking. Fang Wei Yan could only join in two of the drinks out of politeness.
Fang Yaqing was very envious. Everyone in her family said that her eldest brother and his wife had a good relationship. But if she really wanted to say that they had a good relationship, they shouldn't have brought a few maids with them to serve as a front. It's possible to take just one scoop out of a drowning population of three thousand.
Now Fang Yaqing was in the mood to tell Mi Niang: "Cousin Jin's child was born prematurely. She ate a lot and the child was big. I heard that she almost lost half her life. I heard that the child couldn't cry or laugh when it was born..."
"I should have hated her, but after hearing what she's like now, I don't hate her anymore."
Mi Niang is a mother herself, and she felt pitiful when she heard the news.
"Yes, Xu Jing can still have three wives and four concubines, but she can only do this. She may not even be able to save her life."
This is the difference between men and women. If Jin Shuqin had been smart, she would have aborted the baby early and chosen someone else to marry, and she would not have ended up in this situation today.
Fang Yaqing nodded: "Sister-in-law, it's a good thing that this happened before marriage. If it happened after marriage, I would have to accept it with a pinch of my nose."
"So your brother and I hope you can find a good man. It doesn't matter if he is noble or handsome, but he must have good character." Mi Niang looked at her and said.
Fang Yaqing said gloomily, "People from the Duke of Qi's Mansion and the Marquis of Jinxiang's Mansion seem to be interested in me, but the Marquis of Jinxiang's son is said to be deeply in love with a palace maid. Although the youngest son of the Duke of Qi's Mansion looks handsome, my brother said that he has a weak personality and is not a good candidate. But my parents..."
For Dong'an Hou and Xu, the women they chose before all had accidents. Instead of choosing from these, it would be better to choose those with good family backgrounds. Those with good family backgrounds are not easily troubled, just like He Tinglan, who was not picky about women, but his position as the main wife was stable and would not affect anything.
Mi Niang patted her shoulder and said, "It's okay, don't worry. When you bring your son to Beijing this year, your brother will definitely pick the best one for you."
"Yeah." Fang Yaqing nodded and still trusted her brother and sister-in-law.
Although Fang Yaqing didn't let Mi Niang send her off, Mi Niang was now older and needed to move around. Staying still was bad for her health. She was a little plump because of pregnancy, but she was afraid that the baby would be too big and difficult to give birth to, so she paid attention to her figure. From the back, it was almost impossible to tell that she was pregnant.
After sending Fang Yaqing off, Mi Niang turned around and happened to meet the eyes of a tall man. She seemed to have seen this man before, named He Tinglan. He Tinglan was drooling over her. He liked women more than young girls. Mi Niang saw that he looked strange, so she immediately held the hands of the maids and left.
But He Tinglan was so obsessed with sex that she stepped forward and said, "Sister-in-law, is Wei Yan at home? I need to see him for something. Ah~"
This thong is very long and has a bit of ambiguity.
Mi Niang just recalled why Fang Wei Yan didn't let her go to the banquet at the Nanping Marquis's Mansion, and she was afraid it was because of this matter.
He Tinglan was given a job last year and was commended by the emperor for his good performance. He felt that he was no less capable than anyone else and was a little carried away by his complacency.
"If he comes back, I will tell my cousin." Mi Niang said lightly.
He Tinglan smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, it's still chilly in spring, you have to take care of yourself, especially since the spring water is gushing, you need to -"
"Cousin, I'll take my leave first." Mi Niang became angry immediately when she heard that he dared to make dirty jokes to her. She looked at him deeply and was sure to teach him a lesson in the future. Fang Wei Yan was a gentleman, but she was not.
The relationship between He Tinglan and Mi Niang was known to Aunt Mei and Mrs. Shen, who were always meddling in other people's affairs. Mrs. Shen despised He Tinglan's character, but then she thought, Ruan Mi Niang is also a fickle person. She should have turned around and left when she met a strange man. You were flirting with him all the time. How could you not be seducing others?
It's just right to announce this matter to Fang Weiyan.
Shen narrowed her eyes. She had heard that Xu wanted to wait for Ruan to give birth to a child and then raise the child with the Marquis of Dong'an. In this way, the title would never be given to them.
This is the handle you gave me.
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