Mi Niang was watching a play in the theater of the Dong'an Marquis's Mansion. This was a play written by Fang Weiyan himself. He had been working on it for so many days, and he wanted to show it to Mi Niang first. He also wanted to sit next to Mi Niang.
"You wrote the lines very well. You have great literary talent. Why can't I think of it? Normally I don't think I'm bad, but now I see that I'm far worse than you." Mi Niang said with a smile.
Fang Weiyan shook his head: "No, it's just that I've read too many books. You're not really like taking the imperial examination. We who want to take the imperial examination have to write poems for the provincial and imperial examinations. If we don't write well, it's not good. If you were like me who has studied for almost 20 years, I'm afraid you would write better."
"You are such a sweet talker." Although Mi Niang said angrily, she was very happy in her heart.
When she saw Fairy Xuelian giving the inner elixir to the scholar, Mi Niang raised her eyebrows and suddenly said to Fang Wei Yan: "I won't give the inner elixir to you. I'm not the kind of person who would die for a man."
"Cough cough, I know." Fang Weiyan put his fist to his lips and coughed lightly.
Although the Snow Lotus Fairy does not quite match her personality, Mi Niang knows that people in the world love to see acts of truth, goodness, beauty and pure filial piety. The scholar did not hesitate to travel a long distance and endure numerous hardships and dangers for the sake of his biological mother's illness. This is filial piety. People at this time value filial piety the most. Since ancient times, it has been said that filial sons must come from the family of loyal ministers and filial piety.
The noble act of Fairy Xuelian who sacrificed herself to save others is also highly praised. Those who are among the fairies have not only love but also great love.
When the scholar kept his promise and came back to marry Xuelian, he learned that the fairy Xuelian was gone, and his hair turned white overnight...
"Wei Yan, how did you turn your hair white overnight? It's so shocking to see..." Mi Niang really wanted to know.
Fang Weiyan was speechless: "Shouldn't you think that scholars are very affectionate? People only become like this when they are extremely sad or extremely happy. Wu Zixu's hair turned white overnight."
"Hmm, hmm." Mi Niang felt that she was a little unromantic and quickly pretended to be into it.
When she saw Miss Ruan, the reincarnation of the Snow Lotus Fairy, Mi Niang couldn't help but put her hands together, because the clothes on Miss Ruan were so beautiful, and Miss Ruan's paintings were exactly the paintings she had once made. At that time, Fang Weiyan himself was sick and had to run around for the Lu family, so Mi Niang painted a snow lotus for him so that he could have a good rest.
In the end, the couple had a happy ending. Even Fang Furong said, "It wasn't easy. I almost thought I had missed it. We had to go through so many setbacks before we were together."
Mi Niang smiled and said, "That's good. I hate the kind of plays that have too many excerpts. It takes days to finish watching them, and sometimes I feel sleepy while listening to them."
Old Madam Weng looked at the jade toad on Fang Weiyan's body and suddenly said, "Is this the jade toad? Let me see it."
Fang Weiyan quickly untied it and handed it to Old Lady Weng. Old Lady Weng rubbed it for a long time before saying, "What a good golden toad!"
"Madam, what's in the play is fake." Mi Niang couldn't help but say.
Is she the only one who can't get into the role?
Old Madam Weng was still unhappy and said, "Don't tell lies. I don't like to hear them. Aren't you Miss Ruan?"
Mi Niang was speechless, but Fang Weiyan was very happy. He deliberately pointed out that the lady's surname was Ruan, just to let know how good Mi Niang was. When he returned to the room and mentioned this matter, he also said: "Let's see everyone dares to make up stories about you in the future."
In "The Story of Yuchan", according to common sense, everyone should like the filial son and scholar more, but because the clothes she wore as Miss Ruan were so beautiful, she had to smile sweetly when giving the inner elixir to the scholar, and when she was reincarnated as a human in the end, she was even more beautiful and kind-hearted.
Then there was the loneliness she felt at first when the man expressed his displeasure and wanted to cancel the engagement through the door, and then in the end when she was recognized by the man, she remembered all the joys of her past life.
"I think there are too many clothes for Miss Ruan. The scholar has only two sets of costumes, but Miss Ruan has at least twenty." Mi Niang thought to herself that Fang Weiyan really grasped the essence.
In fact, when people go to the theatre, they don't really want to see stories of deep hatred or vengeance, they just like to see something lively and exciting.
The pictures are beautiful and the plot is novel, the men are handsome and the women are beautiful, and there are some beautiful scenery. There are not many loopholes in the plot, and the lyrics are catchy. It is much better than "Resurrection".
Fang Weiyan smiled and said, "Of course, I wrote this play just for Miss Ruan, and I spent almost all of the one thousand taels you gave me on it."
Another news came from the palace that the Queen Mother invited her to the palace for an audience next month.
Probably because he knew that Miss Ruan in "Yuchan Ji" was based on Mi Niang, he wanted to meet the real person.
As for "Moon Shadow" in Yuefu, the plot had to be cut because there were too many in the script. But hearing that the Queen Mother liked "Jade Toad Story", the people in Yuefu naturally would not make trouble for themselves, so they removed the part about the heroine Lu Mingzhu's childhood sweetheart Lin Qingzheng loving to wear Jade Toad. However, the effect of the rehearsal was not good.
On the first day of watching the play, the Queen Mother reprimanded her: "This mistress is too bad. This play cannot be performed. If it is performed like this, wouldn't all the mistresses poison their illegitimate children, and there will be a concubine who will be the one to take the blame, and the elder sister will steal her husband. This won't work. I won't watch this play."
Zheng Dou Niang actually guessed it right. This drama will hardly be accepted by the mainstream audience.
In particular, the Empress Dowager felt that this lyric was not as good as that in The Story of the Jade Toad, and she also said, "The Misses Ruan in The Story of the Jade Toad also have several sisters, but they all personally distribute porridge and medicine, unlike the ladies in The Shadow of the Moon, who quarrel all day long."
People in the palace are already tired of the daily intrigues and struggles, and the fights here are not like those between the daughters of officials, but rather like those in the backyard of a landlord's house, where people fight just for the sake of fighting.
Living is tiring enough, and everyone wants to watch something relaxing.
"Moon Shadow" played one play and was never performed again. Instead, "The Story of the Jade Toad" became a huge hit, especially because some flexible merchants started selling the Jade Toad immediately.
It is rumored that Miss Ruan is the fourth wife of the Dong'an Marquis's family, Ruan. It is said that she is an expert in both calligraphy and painting, and that the painting of snow lotus was painted by her.
When Mi Niang went to the home of a colleague of Fang Wei Yan to attend a wedding banquet, everyone rushed to sit next to her. Only then did she realize that she had really become famous.
"Are you Editor Fang's wife?" a lady asked cautiously.
Mi Niang smiled and nodded: "It's me. What can I do for you?"
The lady sat down, held Mi Niang's hand and said, "I really like you so much."
When people saw the real Miss Ruan, they thought she was even more beautiful than the one in the play. Since Mi Niang came to the wedding today, she naturally couldn't steal the limelight from the newlyweds, so she chose a lilac-colored jacket with a pearl white pleated skirt, and a pearl headdress on her head, which made her look very gentle.
In front of Fang Weiyan's colleague, Mi Niang was still able to maintain her image as a good wife and mother.
But this just happened herself to fit the image of Miss Ruan in "Yu Chan Ji", who was beautiful and kind-hearted. Mi Niang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She, who was called a demon concubine in her previous life, had now become a representative of good people. For a moment, she couldn't stand it.
And no matter what you do, even if it's just a simple action, there will be someone to explain it to you.
Suddenly, Mi Niang understood what Fang Wei Yan meant.
She doesn't care about her reputation, but Fang Weiyan will not allow her reputation to be violated in the slightest. A person with a good reputation will definitely have more advantages than disadvantages.
The troupe of "The Story of the Jade Toad" was even willing to lend it to ordinary people, and the only requirement was that the clothes of Miss Ruan, the Snow Lotus Fairy, must be exquisite.
Fang Weiyan really understands human psychology. Don't say that connotation is the most important. Most people look at appearance for the first time.
She was very touched, touched that everything Fang Weiyan did today was to protect her.
No one had ever thought so much about her before.
Anyone who has seen Mi Niang firmly believes in the story of Fairy Xuelian, because her beauty and demeanor are convincing enough.
Fan Yuzhen was really satisfied with the Queen Mother's reaction, but she didn't know why Zheng Dou Niang helped to speak for her. In fact, ever since Zheng Dou Niang regained the Emperor's favor, their relationship had been very subtle. It was not like when Concubine Cui was around, when everything was out in the open. Sometimes Fan Yuzhen thought that it was a good thing that Zheng Dou Niang was of such a background. Even though the Empress taught her to read, there was still a gap between her and the Emperor.
Zheng Dou Niang didn't care about these things. She had already been promoted to Zhao Yi and was extremely favored.
But people have to take it one step at a time.
If the Zhaoyang Palace granted to Fan Yuzhen was the first one, then the Yunxi Palace where Zheng Dou Niang lived was the closest palace to the West Six Palaces.
In Yunxi Palace, Zheng Dou Niang took a puff of water pipe and immediately put it down. The tobacco leaf was very good. Many women in the palace smoked water pipe. They were usually locked in this square box, and apart from watching operas and listening to cards, they had no other major entertainment. Sometimes they didn't even have anyone to talk to.
Most of the concubines were rivals, not friends.
If you get on top, they will get off. How can they possibly be nice to you?
"Empress Zhaoyi, I heard that a palace maid in Yongxiang went mad and jumped into a well."
This is Wan'er, a little maid under Liusu's care. Liusu heard that she did not serve Concubine De well and left the palace last year. Zheng Dou Niang couldn't help but feel sad about losing a helper, but fortunately she met this maid Wan'er, who was taught by Liusu and was as loyal as she was.
Zheng Dou Niang sneered: "She has finally gone mad. She is such a fool and has caused so much harm to others. If she had not entered the palace, I would have been the one to leave the palace today."
She is not as stupid as Zhou Furou. All she does is eat and drink and do some meaningless things. If it weren't for her, the Empress would not have gone so early.
Until the last moment, the queen was still telling them to facilitate her marriage with Han Qi, the son of Jinxianghou.
What does she know? What can she do?
The Empress died, but she didn't want to think about keeping vigil for her, and instead had to worry about her own love affairs. She deserved to be sent to Eternal Lane.
What lucky girl? Pah, she is nothing but a lazy glutton who relies on her good luck and is as stupid as a pig.
If you don't have the talent, don't do the porcelain work. Her family really thought she was Wang Zhengjun. They sent her to the palace without considering whether she had the ability.
The palace maid who was carried away to Yongxiang had swollen and pale faces, and her features were unrecognizable. She lived a miserable life forever, and most of them had to pound rice and do their own work. When this palace maid first arrived, I heard that she was from the queen's palace. She was so young and went there before she was even 18 years old.
Outside the palace, the Jinxiang Marquis Mansion was celebrating a wedding in a lively manner. The Jinxiang Marquis Mansion also invited the "Yuchan Ji" troupe from the Dong'an Marquis Mansion to attend the event. Mi Niang went there with her eldest sister-in-law Yu, as today was a good day. Xu and Xiangjun went to another house for a drink.
On the way, Mi Niang told Yu what she knew: "The prince of Jinxianghou was once planning to marry a maidservant of the queen. Later, something happened to the maidservant, so the prince married someone else. I heard that I am still not very happy about it."
Yu nodded: "I didn't expect this to happen."
After she got married, she got along very well with her sisters-in-law. Mi Niang thought she was good and was willing to tell her about it.
"Yes, I heard that the groom is not very happy about it. We can just come back after we finish drinking." Mi Niang said.
Yu said, "The prince of Jinxiang Marquis married someone who is not an ordinary person, right? I think he may not be happy now, but he may not be happy in the future."
"That's true."
Han Qi's wife was of no ordinary background. She was the daughter of the emperor's elder sister, the eldest princess. As an exception, she was granted the title of county lord. The title of this county lord was very nice, it was called Deyin County Lord. Mi Niang had actually met her once. It seemed to be Fang Yaqing's birthday at that time, and many children of nobles came. This county lord had been there.
Fang Yaqing said that because of her mother's relationship, Lady Deyin often came to the palace and the emperor doted on her, so she had very high standards. She once privately said something about Xu Jing's low status. Fang Yaqing was very unhappy when she heard about it from her good sister, so she stopped associating with her.
Later, although she broke off the engagement with Xu Jing, Fang Yaqing cut off all contact with her.
But Mi Niang would not tell these idle talks to Yu Shi. She would only talk about such private matters with Fang Wei Yan.
Soon, the two arrived at the Jinxiang Marquis Mansion. They both lived in the inner city, so they left early and arrived early too.
The maid who brought them in first took them to see the wife of Marquis Jinxiang. There were already quite a few people sitting there, including the wife of Marquis Xinling and the wife of the Duke of Qi, who were the ones gossiping about the Marquis Dong'an's Mansion in Shoukang Palace.
Yu was the eldest and Mi Niang was the second, and they both saluted together.
The wife of Marquis Jinxiang said with a smile, "Why are you two here? Why isn't your mother-in-law here?"
Yu said hurriedly, "Our wife originally wanted to come over. Our aunt's daughter is getting married on the same day, so she asked me and my fourth brother's wife to come over to congratulate you."
Many noble families have relatives who are familiar to them. Lady Jinxiang Hou raised her eyebrows and said, "She must be the daughter of Nanping Bo He's family."
Mi Niang nodded: "You are right, it is Cousin He."
He Dizhu, who originally wanted to strengthen the relationship between the two families, was betrothed to the Zhenfu Envoy by the Nanping Earl's Mansion. She was a fourth-rank official at a young age and was said to have outstanding martial arts skills, but she had a violent temper. Fang Weiyan thought that He Tinglan might have taken a lot of advantages from her.
It's just that the relationship between their family and the Nanping Marquis's Mansion has become very delicate because of the Shen family's matter. Mi Niang basically never goes there now, so of course she can't say such things. If He Dizhu was a girl like Fang Yaqing who is still a little strong, it would be fine, but she is a girl who can't even be pricked by a needle. She has no way to resist, and then those who help her will be blamed.
Both Yu and she were young, but they had the face of the Dong'an Marquis's Mansion, so their seats were still very close to the front. Naturally, because they both had imperial edicts, Xu let them come out.
Among these nobles, the wife of Marquis Xinling was very arrogant and everyone flattered her.
Although the wife of the Duke of Qi was a member of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, she had long been unpopular in the Duke's Mansion and was considered a second-rate noble. She used to be able to get a chair near the front, but now she can only sit in the middle.
She happened to be sitting next to Mi Niang.
"The Story of the Jade Toad" was being sung in full swing. Lady Qi was very dissatisfied. She had originally wanted to embarrass the Dong'an Marquisate and then give the job to her own son. Unexpectedly, the Dong'an Marquisate and the Hanhai Marquisate broke the deadlock ahead of time. However, there was nothing she could do about it. They had been scheming and scheming, but they had forgotten that the Defei in the harem was from the Ruan family of the Hanhai Marquisate, and Fang Weiyan's wife, Ruan, was also from the same clan.
Compared to the wife of the Duke of Qi who was only dissatisfied in her heart, the wife of the Marquis of Xinling was even more dissatisfied. Not only did the Marquis of Dong'an's Mansion succeed in intercepting her, but her own son was beaten to a pulp because of competing with a playboy for a beautiful girl, and her daughter-in-law was making a fuss about getting a divorce. The family was a mess, and she had to come here to smile and not let others see that she was not decent at all.
I also heard someone flattering the wife of Marquis Jinxiang: "Your family and the eldest princess' family are relatives. This is a true match made in heaven, a man with talent and a woman with beauty. In the future, the emperor will also value you."
The wife of Marquis Jinxiang smiled and said a few humble words.
Compared to marrying a palace maid, marrying the county lady is of course the best. My son is infatuated and was unwilling to accept any previous marriage proposals. Now that the eldest princess is interested, it is a perfect match.
My son Han Qi is at the top among the nobles in terms of talent and appearance. The daughter-in-law he has married now is also of good status. It is true that good things are never too late.
As for the fact that her son still had feelings for the peasant girl, Lady Jinxiang Hou didn't take it to heart.
Husbands and wives cultivate their feelings after they get married. Princess Deyin's speech and literary talent are much better than that palace maiden.
Therefore, the wife of Marquis Jinxiang was very happy and never stopped talking.
The stage was singing the scene of a scholar's hair turning white overnight. Mi Niang didn't feel it so deeply the last time she watched it, but when Han Qi got married, she suddenly understood what kind of persistence this was.
Even though the scholar's mother was engaged to a young lady from a wealthy family, the scholar insisted on marrying the reincarnation of the Snow Lotus Fairy and would rather reject the so-called good marriage.
If Han Qi wanted to write a petition to marry Zhou Furou and had the strong determination to convince the Jinxiang Marquis and his wife, then it was not impossible for him to marry Zhou Furou.
Mi Niang may not like Zhou Furou, but she feels that the so-called true love of men is really not worth it. After all, Zhou Furou was the one who saved her life.
Everyone tacitly accepted the real betrayal and believed that the Jinxiang Marquisate was right. No wonder "The Story of Yuchan" was so packed with viewers. Even the wife of the Duke of Qi couldn't help but take out a handkerchief to wipe her tears when she saw the scholar's hair turn white overnight.
True love is hard to come by in this world. Perhaps this is what makes "The Story of the Jade Toad" so touching.
Someone even went to her and said, "Miss Ruan, you and the scholar must be well together in the future."
Everyone assumed that the scholar was Fang Weiyan because he often wore the jade toad, and Fang Weiyan was very talented and filial to his mother. Mi Niang also had Madam Li endorse her, saying that when she was living in the Li Mansion, Madam Li was almost burned by fire. Mi Niang sent a painting to her, and Madam Li miraculously recovered.
Yu joked, "Miss Ruan, let's go home."
Mi Niang laughed and said, "You are teasing me too."
The Jinxiang Marquis Mansion was definitely bustling today. When they left, there was still music and dancing inside. They were probably going to have a sleepless night.
The Lady of Deyin County had a pretty and dignified appearance and was said to be very well behaved. Han Qi felt quite uncomfortable when he lifted the veil of the bride, as he always felt that he shouldn't be like this.
He shouldn't have gotten married here. No matter how noble her status was, she couldn't compare to that man's cunning.
She would take herself to pick bird eggs. Every time she was by the river, it was strange that the fish would float over and she would jump around. She was so silly that she didn't know what to do in the palace.
He came to Beijing for him, but in the end he was helpless.
After removing the veil, Han Qi was about to go out to greet the guests. The Lord of Deyin County looked at him shyly, and Han Qi smiled faintly.
After he left the house, his personal servant said, "Master, Madam Zheng sent a young eunuch over."
When he heard that it was someone from the palace, Han Qi ran over quickly. The servant was shocked. Today is the master's wedding, so nothing must go wrong.
The men were still toasting each other at the table, and many of the nobles were waiting to have a wedding. The women had gone back first, but they were still drinking and partying here, and Fang Weiyan was even forced to drink several glasses of wine.
"Why hasn't Han University come yet?" someone asked.
"Maybe the bride has held him back. She will be out toasting later, and we'll see then."
After waiting for a while, Han Qi walked in.
Everyone urged him to drink, but unexpectedly, Han Qi took the wine, took a sip, and spit out blood.
Fang Weiyan was standing nearby and was startled: "Brother Han, are you okay?"
"I, I'm... fine."
She died, she actually died. Did she know that he was getting married, so she jumped into the well and died?
The bodies were soaked until they turned white, and there was no one to collect them.
She left alone like this.
Fang Weiyan saw that something was wrong with him and said quickly, "Brother Han, the bride will come over to toast the elders soon, so you should cheer up."
Although he didn't know what had happened, Fang Weiyan still said a few words of comfort.
Han Qi murmured, "She's dead, she's dead. She must have blamed me for her death. It's all my incompetence."
Fang Weiyan knew who this "she" was as soon as he heard the name.
It was Han Qi's cousin who saw something was wrong and said quickly, "Brother, the dead cannot be resurrected. You'd better cheer up. The county lord's wife will be here soon."
After saying this, he gestured to Fang Weiyan to say a few words of comfort, but Fang Weiyan was too lazy to do so.
If he really wanted to marry Zhou Furou, he would have to do his best, just like when he bribed the eunuchs and bribed Concubine Cui's family in order to rescue Mi Niang. If that didn't work, he would ask his father-in-law to issue an order, or he could pass the imperial examination as soon as possible and ask the emperor for the handover.
Anyway, I will never sit and wait for something to happen.
After all, Zhou Furou was a palace maid and her abilities were limited. If she really loved someone, why would she marry someone else?
However, Fang Weiyan also knew that his idea was shocking to the world and no one would believe it if he told others about it. Just like the plot where his hair turned white overnight, even Mi Niang thought he had made it up. But he felt that if he really lost Mi Niang one day, it would definitely be like that.
Han Qi's condition made the originally happy Jinxiang Hou couple suddenly feel that something was wrong. Everyone present was a smart person, and Fang Weiyan also took the opportunity to say that he had something to do at home and hurried back.
When he came back, Mi Niang was sending the servants out and dancing. In her previous life, she maintained a slim figure because she ate less and danced. At a banquet, it was inevitable to eat big fish and meat. The Jinxiang Marquis Mansion also prepared many delicious dishes. When Mi Niang was full, she could not help but start dancing.
Although Fang Weiyan didn't dislike her, she couldn't stand being too fat, and being fat was not good for her health.
She was a little unfamiliar with the dance at first, but she got better and better at it later. This dance is called the Bent Waist Dance, and it makes her waist look slender when she dances it. It is Emperor Yonglong's favorite dance. Mi Niang dances this dance not because of any other dance, but because she has danced this dance so many times that she is very familiar with it.
She seldom paid attention to others when she was doing things. It was the first time that Fang Weiyan saw Mi Niang like this, with her sleeves fluttering in the wind. She looked fragile and yet full of strength, which reminded him of what Cao Zhi said in The Goddess of Luo River: "She is as graceful as a startled bird and as gentle as a swimming dragon."
He didn't say anything until Mi Niang finally noticed him. "Wei Yan, you're back so soon. I thought you would be back a little later today."
Mi Niang's face was as red and plump as a steamed peach, but moist. Fang Weiyan took out a handkerchief to wipe her sweat: "It seems something happened to Han Qi. The palace maid named Zhou Furou you mentioned before seems to have died."
"What?"
Zhou Furou is dead.
Mi Niang was a little stunned. Queen Ruan was dead, and Zhou Furou was also gone. It turned out that if she had not entered the palace in her previous life, they would have had no chance of survival.
Seeing Mi Niang was stunned, Fang Weiyan asked, "What's wrong?"
He was too lazy to care about Han Qi or anything like that; Mi Niang was more important.
Mi Niang shook her head: "Nothing, just very sad. Zhou Furou was about my age, still very young, less than 18 years old. When you said that, I remembered my childhood in the girls' school. She was not good at studying, and I always thought she was lazy and unmotivated, but I never thought she would die so early."
At most, she would die of old age in the palace. She heard that Fan Yuzhen had released Liusu, so she thought Zhou Furou would be like that. She didn't expect that the news of her death would be so sudden.
"Han Qi looked very regretful and even vomited blood."
Mi Niang sneered: "Although I don't like Zhou Furou, Han Qi is too fake. If he really likes someone, how can he just sit there and wait for death? He is obviously married to someone else but still pretends to be nice. He is not doing justice to both women."
At this point, Mi Niang sighed again: "Look, Su Ziqing wanted to remarry only because his fiancée had passed away. He gave up on his career and fame, and took the exam again three years later. After marrying Yaqing, he was devoted to her and never had two minds. I asked Yaqing, and she said he never mentioned his previous fiancée in front of her. This is true love and loyalty, not when Zhou Furou hadn't died yet and was still in the palace, he married someone else, and now that Zhou Furou is dead, he vomited blood at the wedding."
This is not a good sign.
It was so embarrassing for the bride, especially since the Lord of Deyin County was such an arrogant man who always acted high and mighty. Yet, something went wrong in her own wedding.
Fang Weiyan also agreed: "This is really a hypocritical attitude."
"It's rare that you can judge others like this. You usually think everyone is good." Mi Niang smiled.
She also knew that if she were to encounter such a thing, Fang Weiyan would definitely do it at all costs.
Fang Weiyan also laughed: "Am I not a human being? I just don't want to reveal my preferences too much." Scholars value tranquility, and after all, he had been the chief assistant for many years in his previous life. Except for people who are slightly close to him, he should not let others know his likes and dislikes.
Politics will not be done based on your likes and dislikes.
After saying that, he pinched Mi Niang's nose and said, "Go take a shower quickly. Let's go to bed early. We still have to send my mother-in-law to the ferry tomorrow."
"Um."
The two most painful things in the world are separation from loved ones and separation from death.
It happened that Mi Niang learned about Zhou Furou's death yesterday, and today she was facing the departure of Mrs. Jian.
Mrs. Jian's hair was still neatly combed. She wore a duck egg blue blouse with a pipa collar and a golden Buddha on her chest. She looked simple, yet hard to ignore.
Because Ruan Jiading was sent to supervise the river works again, he was not at home. Fortunately, Mi Niang and Fang Wei Yan sent Second Mistress Ding and Madam Jian over.
The three of them were in a carriage. Madam Jian looked at Madam Ding Er and said, "Thank you for still taking care of me."
Second Madam Ding said, "Don't say that. You gave me a great gift, so I have to repay you. Besides, you are my biological mother, and you loved me in the past. When you left, you left me half of your dowry. I have always remembered it."
"Well, Shujun, you should be good in the future. Your aunt is an honest person, and Mi Niang is obedient and filial. You are much more fortunate than me. I have only realized many things in life at this age. No one knows what is going on until the last moment. But I know that you must be living a better life than me. A simple life is a blessing. I understand this truth too little."
Mrs. Jane was filled with emotion.
These words touched Mrs. Ding Er very much: "I will take care of everything when you go to Wuchang, don't worry."
Although Second Madam Ding was smart, she was far inferior to the old fox like Madam Jian. Mi Niang didn't believe that Madam Jian regretted anything. She had never thought about living an ordinary life. She probably felt that she shouldn't get too close to Zhang Xiang, but these were the only ways to impress Second Madam Ding.
Therefore, Mi Niang didn't believe a word of it.
Mrs. Jian was so good to Mrs. Zhang in the past, it’s still a ploy for her to plot against her.
However, Mi Niang would not be too demanding of her mother. After all, Mrs. Jian was the biological mother of Second Lady Ding. Her mother was also spoiled by her parents when she was young, and Mrs. Jian really loved her at that time.
To Mi Niang, Mrs. Jian only said, "Your mother is troublesome to you."
Mi Niang smiled slightly: "You don't need to tell me about this."
At this point, Mrs. Jane felt that she really didn't like this granddaughter. No, she hated her.
She was too smart, too smart. She knew human nature very well. No one could hide from her. Even Second Mistress was not as smart as her.
Look, Fang Weiyan has been completely dominated by her, not to mention the Dong'an Marquis Mansion, the same is true.
Mi Niang didn't need her love. After the boat sent her back to Huguang, Mi Niang just wanted to go home.
After getting off the carriage, Fang Weiyan avoided Mi Niang and talked to Mrs. Ding Erniang for a long time. Looking at Mi Niang not far away, he asked: "Mrs. Jian has been talking about this for a long time..."
"No matter how long she talks, she specially sent us two away. I guess she wants to curry favor with my mother. She is not the kind of person who can really live an ordinary life after going to Wuchang. Don't listen to her nice words. Now she wants to control my mother." Mi Niang said unhappily.
Fang Weiyan smiled and said, "That's normal. She's old now, and what she fears most is that no one will take care of her when she's sick or in pain, and no one will hold a funeral for her when she dies. Isn't that what she's talking about? A cunning rabbit has three burrows. I think she might give money to your mother."
Mi Niang also smiled.
Anyway, as the couple are not greedy for the money, it doesn't matter.
After seeing Madam Jian off, Mi Niang was summoned to the palace, and all the relatives knew about this matter.
Jin Shuhui heard Aunt Xu say, "I don't know how Wei Yan made up a play, saying that it was based on Ruan. The Queen Mother was very happy, so she asked Ruan to enter the palace, wanting to see the real person."
"That's really a blessing for my cousin's wife." Jin Shuhui was very jealous.
I heard that the Queen Mother didn't like "Moon Shadow" and felt it was full of intrigue, which was really a pity. Moreover, the people in the Yuefu changed her storybook into a mess and even deleted the character Lin Qingzheng.
Zhao continued, "Moon Shadow is actually quite good, but The Story of the Jade Toad is better. Moon Shadow is not bad on its own, but the lyrics and music of The Story of the Jade Toad are really good. Even the emperor praised the Qingci in it. When you put the two together, you can understand the difference between coarse porcelain and fine porcelain."
Jin Shuhui was listening in but was angry but dared not say anything.
If she were not a woman, her literary talent would really be inferior to Fang Weiyan. Fang Weiyan is really something, a man who is so petty. If "Yuchan Ji" is not good, he would specifically mention Miss Ruan, promoting his wife so obviously. What if the emperor values her? What will he do?
In the past, she did have feelings for her cousin Fang Weiyan, but after he got married, he became less and less manly, like a henpecked wife slave, without any masculine energy.
But she was also thankful that every time she went out to submit a manuscript, she would ask someone to conceal her identity, and no one knew that "Moon Shadow" was written by her.
Mrs. Cui is really something. She pushed her own script up without any hesitation just because the Queen Mother said it was not good. Then everyone started criticizing "Moon Shadow" again. Only a fool would believe in such a fake story as "Jade Toad Story".
Shoukang Palace
Mi Niang performed a grand ceremony, and she did it very politely, without any mistakes.
She was brought in by her mother-in-law, Xu. The Queen Mother knew Xu very well. When she saw Mi Niang finished her greetings, she called out to her and then said to Xu, "I never thought this was your daughter-in-law. She is so pretty."
"Thank you very much for the compliment, Your Majesty." Xu said with a smile.
The Queen Mother asked Mi Niang to come closer. Mi Niang was actually revisiting the old place. She had no idea how many times she had paid respects in Shoukang Palace in her previous life, so she was not afraid in this life. Fan Yuzhen was sitting next to the Queen Mother, smiling at her. Zheng Dou Niang was already wearing the clothes of a concubine, but she was thin and small, and looked like a child wearing adult clothes.
She approached generously, and the queen mother's eyes lit up instantly: "I think you are more beautiful than Miss Ruan on the stage."
Mi Niang could only act shy.
I'm not really going to show off when I enter the palace today. The type of girl that old men like is quiet and dignified, and their requirements for women are not to be too outstanding.
Mi Niang was very good at it, which made the Queen Mother very impressed. She even asked her if she really knew how to paint. She said, "I just paint for fun."
The aunt beside the Queen Mother said, "Since the Fourth Madam Fang has entered the palace, our Queen Mother is eager to see the paintings, so please come and see her."
Seeing this, Mi Niang had no choice but to paint Snow Lotus and the Snow Lotus Fairy. Her painting skills have always been superb and she never fails, especially the scene where the Snow Lotus Fairy spit out the inner elixir. She painted it vividly. Of course, this was not a spur of the moment painting. She had practiced it many times at home. She never fights a battle unprepared.
While Xu was talking to the Queen Mother, Mi Niang had finished in less than an hour. The Queen Mother put on her crystal glasses and watched with everyone. Fan Yuzhen didn't know why she burst into tears, especially when Fairy Snow Lotus spit out her inner elixir. Her sincerity and her devotion to her lover made her cry uncontrollably.
The Queen Mother also showed a hint of surprise: "Good boy, you draw very well."
"Thank you, Queen Mother. I just follow my heart. I was just pretending. I just thought of the experience of Fairy Xuelian and was inspired to write this. I am afraid that I will offend the Queen Mother."
"No way, you paint very well. Miss Ruan, you and the scholar should live a good life." The Queen Mother herself and the late emperor were monogamous, and the late emperor treated her very well. It is not easy to find someone who treats you well in your lifetime.
Mi Niang should be.
Finally, the Queen Mother said, "I asked you to come to the palace today, and you painted a picture for me. What reward do you want?"
Xu said hurriedly: "She is just a little girl, she shouldn't be treated like this by you."
She was worried that her daughter-in-law didn't know the seriousness of the matter and would really ask for something.
Who knew that the Queen Mother said, "That won't do. I must give you a reward. Girl, tell me what you want. You can tell me anything you like."
Mi Niang smiled and said, "Thank you, Queen Mother. I am happy with whatever you give me. It is a great honor for me to see your face today when I enter the palace."
She still understands that flattery never wears out, no matter how many times it wears out.
The Queen Mother presented a pair of jade ruyi, which were very valuable. Mi Niang thanked her again.
Today, all the concubines finally got to see the so-called "Miss Ruan". Some of them thought that it was a good thing that she didn't enter the palace, otherwise, with such a likable and talented person, they would have no place to stand in front of her.
Zheng Dou Niang thought to herself, she is a very sensible person. When she had urged Qingfen to leave, everyone thought that Qingfen had betrayed the empress and that she was confused. But now it seems that Qingfen's husband has been promoted, and everyone is very happy.
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