"Fourth Madam, please don't be angry. I heard that the young master of the He family has always been like this. The eldest aunt dotes on this son the most. He has countless concubines at home, and he likes women the most. I didn't expect that he is now lawless. But don't worry, with Fourth Madam around, he dare not do anything." Chun Tao hurried to comfort her.
Just now, she saw that Mi Niang looked unhappy and became a little worried.
Mi Niang said coldly, "I think he drank too much cat urine and doesn't know how to be respectful. I am not another woman who would allow him to flirt with me. He dared to be so filthy in front of so many people. If I am left alone one day, who knows what despicable means he will use."
Chun Tao frowned: "What should I do?"
"No rush, my belly is my main concern these days, the baby is due in two or three months."
It would be better to talk to Fang Weiyan about what to do with He Tinglan. She is just a woman in the inner house now and has limited power. Just like in her previous life, there are limits to what she can do.
Fang Weiyan was very happy today. He went to two banquets, one of which was at the home of a scholar from Lu University. The scholar from Lu University has already started introducing him to people he knows. This is extremely good for him. Whether your superiors value you or not depends on whether they will introduce you to their connections.
There was another banquet that he and Weijun attended together. Weijun had performed very well these days, which made him very pleased.
However, when he came back, he heard some rumors. Two little girls seemed not to have seen him and were walking through the rockery. They were whispering to each other, and one of them said, "Today, Nanping Earl's cousin and Fourth Mistress were chatting and laughing in Yiran Pavilion. What do you think of this?"
Another person said, "They are all relatives, so it should be fine. What could possibly happen in broad daylight?"
"That's hard to say. I heard that Master He said something like moaning and Fourth Madam blushed."
Fang Weiyan felt more and more that it was outrageous. He was about to scold them, but he lowered his eyes and said nothing. He said to Chang Shou, who was already scared to death, "Go check who told them to say that behind their backs. Don't alarm them."
"Yes." Chang Shou was used to being around Fang Weiyan. He dared to bet that his master had never looked so ugly even when he was locked up by Cui Ti to write Qingci.
When he came back, there was still a light on in the room, emitting an orange glow. It was obvious that Mi Niang had left it on specially.
He felt really bad because the baby couldn't get enough rest due to the advanced pregnancy.
Mi Niang was snuggling in the quilt. When she heard the footsteps, she sat up quickly. Fang Weiyan was afraid that the smell of alcohol would suffocate her, so he hurriedly said, "Wait for me for a cup of tea, I'll go change my clothes and come back."
He went out to rinse his mouth and changed his clothes, then looked at Mi Niang and asked, "Did you suffer any injustice today?"
Mi Niang nodded heavily, "It's all because of He Tinglan." She told him what happened today, very angry, but pulled his clothes and said, "I'm just a little girl in the backyard, I rely on you to make the decision for me."
A woman doesn't have to be strong in everything. The main thing is that she doesn't even have the time to go out, and she's pregnant.
Fang Weiyan said, "I didn't expect him to be so audacious. In the past, I thought he didn't know your identity, so I let it go. But I never thought he would be so reckless."
"Before? What happened before?" Mi Niang asked.
She quickly grasped the key point: "Is this the reason why you told me not to go to Nanping Marquis's Mansion?"
"That's it." He hugged Mi Niang tightly. He couldn't bear to desecrate his own treasure, but he was actually made dirty jokes by her. She really treated him as if he didn't exist.
"When you went to Queyun Temple with the Ruan family, he took a fancy to you. I didn't know that you and I were talking about marriage at that time, but I also advised him not to have any ideas about you. He didn't listen and wanted to go to your house to abduct you. I even sent people to tie them up and hand them over to the Infantry Yamen. Later, when our marriage was announced, he vaguely told me that he would not do it in the future. I thought he should know his limits, so I didn't say anything. Besides, he was appointed an official last year, and I was only a scholar, so he didn't want you to go. By then, your status would be able to overwhelm others. Even if you are wronged, we are both the ones who are sacrificed."
He knew that Mi Niang had a fiery temper, but if she didn't have enough strength, she would lie low.
You can only plan carefully.
Mi Niang nodded and said, "You are very thoughtful. The eldest aunt is in a good position and has only this son. If we really fight her, I am afraid there will be endless troubles in the future."
She didn't expect that Fang Weiyan had already helped her once before he even knew her.
No wonder he didn't let her confront He Tinglan head-on, because He Tinglan was too disorganized in doing things and was someone who could really commit murder and arson.
These people were not Aunt Xu and the others, so they still had some sense of propriety. Besides, the Xu family was much weaker than the Fang family, so they bowed their heads quickly.
To some extent, He Tinglan is stronger than Fang Weichang in the Nanping Marquis's Mansion. He has an actual job and is assigned by the emperor. Although he is not averse to women, it may be a good thing for the emperor.
A person without quirks is not worth making friends with, because he has no deep feelings; a person without flaws is not worth making friends with, because he has no true energy.
Compared with those perfect people with high moral standards, the emperor prefers people with some flaws, because people with desires are easier to control.
When the National People's Congress holds power, it is easy to decide the fate of others, but when people are in a low position, it is not so easy.
Mi Niang nodded: "You are right. There is a huge disparity in our power. If I tell others about the verbal advantage I have taken, I will suffer the consequences. But we must think long-term."
"Don't worry, I will definitely avenge you. I also want to see if there is anyone else in our house who wants to bring this matter up."
He then told me about the two little girls he met on the road, "I think someone must have said this to me specifically in order to alienate my relationship with you."
Otherwise, the maids in the mansion would not be able to chat with him on his way back.
Mi Niang probably already guessed who it was, but as the saying goes, to catch a cheating couple is to catch a thief and steal the stolen goods. She had to find out who was behind it and then make the decision.
"I guess she only dared to say it in front of you and didn't dare to spread it around. Otherwise, it would be stupid to spread it around."
If people outside knew that there was such a romantic affair in the Dong'an Marquis' Mansion, none of the young ladies in the family would be able to escape.
Fang Weiyan comforted him, "Don't worry, I have already told Changshou that if anyone spreads this news, the first person to be poisoned will be sold."
Poisonous drugs for sale?
Mi Niang looked at him and said, "I never thought you had such a method."
"You can't command an army with kindness. Servants can be kind to them on weekdays, but it's not good to spread rumors."
You have to know that once a woman's reputation is ruined, it is very likely that she will never be able to hold her head up for the rest of her life and will be criticized by others.
They both kept their composure, even Fang Weiyan didn't look for He Tinglan. He Tinglan felt very regretful after he sobered up. Although he was a reckless person, he still had high hopes for his little cousin Fang Weiyan.
Then he thought again, there was nothing wrong with having only one woman. It was obvious that he was the one who had set his eyes on that woman first, but she was snatched away by someone else.
But after all, beauty was still attractive. One of his men gave him a woman as a gift. She was very beautiful, but unfortunately she was far inferior to Ruan.
He was somewhat unwilling to accept this. He would have gotten any woman he wanted, but unfortunately Ruan refused to have sex with him.
There's nothing wrong with a romantic encounter between the two of them.
He is the eldest son of the Marquis of Nanping and the absolute heir to the Marquis's mansion in the future. He will definitely not treat her badly.
Ruan Siniang just brought some ginseng chicken soup. She had lost a child before, and now she wanted to get pregnant, and she had to win her husband's heart. Although He Tinglan didn't think much of this stupid wife, she still had to give her some face as the legal wife.
After the two of them made love, the Prince of Nanping suddenly remembered that his wife was also surnamed Ruan, so he smiled and said, "I remember that Wei Yan's wife is your cousin, right? You also have a cousin who is married to the Zhang family. If you feel bored when I'm not at home, you can ask them to come over to play."
Ruan Siniang naturally would not think of He Tinglan's dirty thoughts. She thought her husband was considerate of her, and quickly said, "One of them is pregnant and can't move around easily, and the other has a young child, so it's the same."
"Then when it's your birthday, invite them over to play. You were born out of wedlock in your family, but now you're married to me. You're the wife of the prince of the Bo family, and your status is higher than theirs. You should make them all jealous of you."
These words touched Ruan Siniang's heart, so she was very grateful to He Tinglan.
Little did He Tinglan know that after calculating the date, Ruan would be released in June, so that would be the perfect time.
Although Fang Weiyan was not very clear about He Tinglan's plan, he knew it for sure. There were people following him to protect him secretly. These were the funds that the Marquis of Dong'an had given him. He gave part of it to Mi Niang. At the same time, the people behind the two girls were also found out.
Shen had always done things in a very careful manner. She waited several days before asking about the matter: "How is it? Was there any quarrel in Fengwu Courtyard?"
Mother Shen shook her head: "I went to inquire about it, and everything is normal. Fourth Master went home as usual, and he remembered to take care of Fourth Madam every day. Sometimes he came back early from the Hanlin Academy, and personally helped her walk in the yard to digest the food. He even took the initiative to keep his mouth shut, and he didn't have any grudges against Fourth Madam."
This made Shen speechless: "Is Fang Weiyan still not a man..."
But she smiled and said, "Right now, Ruan is pregnant, so it's inconvenient to invite her to go anywhere. If she can go out in the future, it will be different. I will make a long-term plan then."
Mother Shen said anxiously, "There will be a martial arts competition this year. I heard that Fifth Master is very good at it, and Marquis specially opened up his joints for him. This is paving the way for him. If Fifth Master fails the martial arts competition, Fourth Master will deliberately avoid his younger brother. Moreover, the Jian family is eyeing him covetously. I think the situation of First Master and you will be even more difficult."
"Of course I know that the Jian family is not comparable to the poor families like the Ruan family. If not, I would have taken action long ago."
It is precisely because Fang Weijun has the support of the Jian family that the Jian family has more power in the court than the Shen family which has just entered the capital. It is also because of the marriage with the Jian family that the Marquis of Dong'an is willing to open up the relationship for his son. This is also the reason why Shen is anxious.
Whether it is Fang Weiyan or Fang Weijun, she now seems to have no idea where to start.
After knowing it was Shen, Mi Niang snorted coldly: "I knew it was her. Now she is not the same as usual. She used to be considerate and calm, but now she is desperate."
Fang Weiyan guessed, "It's probably because the old man has been doing a lot of things for Weijun these days, so she started to mess around."
After he finished speaking, he continued talking in Mi Niang's ear for a long time.
After hearing this, Mi Niang couldn't help but point at him and said, "You've become bad too. You actually came up with such an idea."
Fang Weiyan coughed lightly and said, "He who keeps company with vermilion becomes red, and he who keeps company with ink becomes black."
"You're looking for a beating." Mi Niang really wanted to hit him.
"However, this plan should be made after you give birth to the baby. Then you can also go and watch the fun, right?"
Fang Weiyan spread his hands.
Mi Niang clapped her hands: "You are very good at recognizing appearances."
After the spring, many young men have gone to Beijing to socialize. Fang Weiyan has good relationships with people, and soon after the academy is closed, he will be an editor, and maybe even a examiner for the imperial examination.
Now he is still a young Hanlin, and he spends a lot of effort for his sister.
Finally, he found two good candidates. He was telling his sister: "One is nineteen years old, from Kaifeng, Henan, and is unmarried. He is very talented and honest."
In fact, someone like Fang Yaqin, who has a carefree personality, is really not suitable for visiting a family with too complicated a background.
Fang Yaqing sighed: "You are already a man at such a young age?"
"Yes, in previous years, the sons who came to the capital, including your brother and I, were all engaged when we were scholars. I happened to find out about Liu Chen right after he came to the capital. He is really a young talent. His father is the prefect of Kunzhou, and he is the youngest son at home. His grandfather is also a prefectural teacher."
A prefecture teacher was also a Jinshi graduate. His father was also a Jinshi graduate. He passed the imperial examination when he was 19 years old. If he passes the imperial examination again this year, he will be truly a promising young man.
Mi Niang was also present. As a woman, she asked more detailed questions: "What does this Liu Ju look like? Do you think he is a philanderer?"
This is what girls care about most: appearance and warmth.
The reason why Mi Niang likes Fang Wei Yan so much is because of his outstanding appearance and gentle temperament. Not to mention that it is good for a woman to have a good appearance, even a man with a good appearance will benefit a lot.
Fang Weiyan didn't expect that Mi Niang would focus on this. He said helplessly, "She has a naturally good appearance. Did I choose to find an ugly one for my sister? Oh, by the way, there is another one who is not bad either."
"The other one is also a young talent, a little older, twenty-seven this year, exactly ten years older than you. His character is impeccable, his talent is even more superior, and he values friendship very much. He used to have a fiancée, but she died a few years ago, and he went back to mourn for three years. Otherwise, he should have passed the exam in my subject."
Mi Niang quickly waved her hands: "That won't do. I already have someone in my heart. How can I want a man like this?"
Fang Weiyan laughed: "I think he is good."
In terms of talent and knowledge, the latter is better than the former; in terms of being a person and doing things, the latter is also better than the former.
Fang Yaqing, however, agrees with Fang Weiyan: "A man like this is so affectionate to his fiancée, so he will definitely be good to his future wife."
Young, handsome and talented people are capable of great things. Fang Yaqing doesn't think she can control herself, but she prefers a man who is affectionate and has good character.
Xu Jing is her cousin. He is young and talented, but his character is very bad.
Mi Niang also couldn't have imagined that Fang Yaqing had her eyes on a man named Su Ju.
Marquis Dong'an and Mrs. Xu had met these two young talents respectively, and they all agreed that Su Ju was the better choice. Fang Yaqing also had the honor of meeting him. Her face turned slightly red, and she agreed at the same time.
Mi Niang had not expected this result. She rested her chin on her hand and said, "If it were me, I would definitely choose someone younger."
"It's not necessarily a good thing for young people to be unstable." Fang Weiyan smiled.
"Tsk tsk, so old-fashioned." She knew that Fang Weiyan was the most reliable person. No matter whether he was from Liu Ju or Su Ju, they were all picked out of thousands. It all depended on which one Fang Yaqing chose.
Perhaps because she was bitten by a snake once, she was afraid of the rope for ten years. She chose Su Juren, thinking that he was affectionate and righteous. In a way, a woman who chooses someone older than her is more tolerant.
It is rare to find someone as young and good-tempered as Fang Weiyan in this world.
Anyway, since these two are both good, and Fang Yaqing has chosen Su Ju, why would Mi Niang say anything more?
It has been three years. No matter how painful it is, Su Juren should have gotten over it.
The Marquis's Mansion certainly would not be as ugly as those unruly families who would make a scene by picking a son-in-law under the list of candidates, but would marry their daughter off in advance and have the good character of not looking down on people's poverty.
Su Juren was twenty-seven years old in name only, but he was actually twenty-five last week, still in the prime of his life. It was said that the family of the Secret Envoy also wanted to marry their daughter to him, but he and Fang Weiyan already had a good relationship. Moreover, Fang Weiyan was a well-known person, had a high reputation among scholars, and had a wide range of friends, so Su Juren was persuaded without hesitation.
Otherwise, Su Ju would never want to marry a woman from a noble family. It was not for any other reason, but, firstly, they were too old to be a good match, and secondly, in official circles, marriages were arranged between civil officials and civil servants, and military officers between military officers, and there was rarely any connection between the two.
If it weren't for Fang Weiyan, the generosity of Marquis Dong'an and the reasonableness of Mrs. Xu, he might not have agreed.
Moreover, it is said that Fang Weiyan did not discriminate when marrying a woman of any family background, and his wife's father was just an ordinary official, and was only a Jinshi at that time. This is enough to prove that the Marquis's Mansion does not despise the poor and loves the rich.
Xu was even more concerned about her daughter's marriage. Her daughter was about the same age as her daughter-in-law, Mi Niang, who was about to give birth to a child, but Xu still had no one to marry off, which really worried her parents. But now, Su Ju was young and promising, with excellent character, so what was there to complain about?
Fang Yaqing's dowry was complete, and she even included a house and land as a dowry. All of these had been prepared long ago.
It was so fast that it seemed unreal to Mi Niang. Sometimes a wedding takes a long time, like her and Fang Wei Yan. Jian Ning Chu and Fang Wei Jun will not get married until next year, but Fang Ya Qing's wedding was completed within two months.
Naturally, Liu Ju would not treat him badly. Fang Weiyan gave him generous gifts so that he could study hard. After all, Liu Ju was a very talented person.
Li Mi Niang's death was just a few days away, so she couldn't go out. Fang Ya Qing came to see her, "Sister-in-law."
"What's the matter? Are you reluctant to leave?" She could hear the reluctance in Fang Yaqing's tone.
This is actually very normal. When Mi Niang was going to marry Fang Wei Yan, she was also reluctant to leave her familiar home and people and go to another unfamiliar place. Although she thought that man was good, she was still afraid.
Fang Yaqing nodded and smiled, "But I'm still very happy."
This is the real Fang Yaqing, who can take it or leave it.
Mi Niang looked at her face carefully, smiled and nodded: "I can see that you are very happy."
"When he came that day, I was standing by the lotus pond in our house. My handkerchief accidentally fell to the ground, and he picked it up effortlessly. He didn't say much, but everything he did was to protect me."
Mi Niang knew that she was talking about the day before the engagement, when Su Ziqing and Fang Yaqing met. She smiled and said, "In fact, I originally thought you would choose Liu Juren, the son of an official, a young man with a bright future -"
"Sister-in-law, people should know their own limitations. I like simplicity by nature. Su Ziqing's family background is very simple. He is kind and talented. It's good for me to live a simple life."
"You can't necessarily live a simple life."
"What does this mean?"
Mi Niang smiled and said, "I heard from your brother that he is a top scholar. You are going to be the wife of a top scholar in the future. How can you say that this is simple?"
This Su Ju was the top scorer in the imperial examination in Nanzhili, which could be said to be the most valuable top scorer in the world.
"Your brother has really put a lot of thought into you."
Fang Yaqing covered her face, she didn't know what to say because of the teasing.
She had never thought that one day she would marry such a man, and he was a man of integrity, talent and learning, many times better than Xu Jing. This was something she had never thought of after she broke off the engagement.
The Xu family was actually also discussing marriage with Xu Jing. With Uncle Xu's current official position, it would be nice to find a daughter of an official for his son, but it would be difficult to find an extremely good one. Civil officials do not care about family background when marrying off their daughters, but they do care about talent.
Xu Jing has no hope in his business until now, and although the affairs of the Jin family are kept strictly secret, Aunt Xu finally found a young daughter of a third-rank official. When she was feeling proud, she suddenly heard the news that Fang Yaqing was going to get married.
"Who is she going to marry?" This is the question that Aunt Xu is most concerned about.
She didn't want Fang Yaqing to marry well. How could a woman whose engagement was broken off marry a good man?
If she marries well, then it means that the marriage was canceled.
But Aunt Xu didn't want others to criticize her son.
Uncle Xu said, "She is marrying a heir."
He did not say that this was Su Jieyuan from Nanzhili, who was highly talented and learned. The prime minister and the secretary were a step behind in recruiting him as a son-in-law, and Fang Weiyan snatched him away in advance. The Marquis of Dong'an personally added 30% to the dowry for his daughter.
Aunt Xu and Xu Jing were delighted when they heard that it was just a boy. Aunt Xu even said, "Well, when your aunt insisted on breaking off the engagement, I told her that you wouldn't find a family like ours in the future. It's a pity that Jing'er has found a good marriage now, and she's the daughter of the Minister of Public Administration."
Xu Jing also said generously: "The past is the past, mother, why are you still talking about it. We have to deal with the Jin family's affairs quickly."
What he was most worried about was that this matter would get out and affect his marriage.
Even though he once had some romantic thoughts about Jin Shuqin, with the Jin family's greed and laziness, and the stupid son Jin Shuqin gave birth to, he despised his former self very much. Every time he thought of the Jin family, he was reminded of a rat in the ditch.
Looking at the happy mother and daughter, Uncle Xu didn't know what to say.
Aunt Xu was smiling, and seemed eager to watch the fun. After all, the Jin family's affairs had been settled, and it was unclear what the two nieces who loved vanity could do. It was the jokes of the sister-in-law and niece who insisted on canceling the engagement that were fun to watch.
She also had a strong sense of superiority: her son married the daughter of a third-rank official, while her niece married a poor boy.
How can this not make people happy!
She couldn't wait.
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