As the saying goes, the New Year comes after Laba. During this year's New Year, Yu brought Luo Jingrou with her and taught her how to manage the household and perform sacrifices. After Luo Jingrou gets married, she will be the mistress of the Wang family, so Yu's requirements for her will be higher.
From a very early stage, the dowries of the three sisters in the family were all gathered together, sixty-four pieces of dowry for each sister, without any partiality.
This was something Luo Jingrou could not find fault with, because Yu had been very fair on the surface. Even her biological mother Wang's dowry was now managed by her father, and a portion of it would be given to her after she got married. These stepmothers had nothing to do with it.
Luo Jingrou was very enthusiastic about housekeeping. She found that although Yu was not as strict as the second wife's sister-in-law, everything was in order and the home was more humane.
Shouting for war and killing may indeed shock people, but being too harsh will only lead to complaints from your subordinates.
"This is the indenture of a servant. This is a living indenture. No matter what, the fingerprints must be pressed. This is a dead contract and must be approved by a broker. In addition, these slaves are also human beings. They have no choice but to sell themselves into slavery. They can be punished, but they cannot be killed, and they must not be beaten or scolded at will. We come from a family of scholars and should be kind and benevolent." Yu warned.
Luo Jingrou nodded: "Madam is right."
Yu said sternly, "It's not that I'm soft-hearted. Don't you know that in years of disaster, farmers with a little land can't afford to eat and have to sell their children. Our lives are much better than theirs. Things in this world are hard to say. Good deeds may not bring good rewards, but not doing good deeds will definitely bring retribution. There are people in the capital who treat servants harshly. Even kind-hearted old ladies have lives on their hands and don't take it seriously. But as long as one thing is exposed, it will be a disaster that will destroy the top."
She knew this stepdaughter quite well. She had never had good intentions towards her own daughter in the past, but Yu couldn't really let her harm the Wang family in the future. If one girl in this family had problems, the other girls would also be suspected of having problems.
Luo Jingrou thought to herself that when she was in the Marquis of Yanping's Mansion, there were a lot of dirty things there. After all, her family was a scholarly family, and the children focused on studying. People like Ren who were somewhat abnormal were kept under strict supervision.
Besides, her father, who is the clan leader, is very strict with the clan members. Even her brother has been keeping a very strict watch on him recently.
On the 24th, during the Little New Year's Eve dinner, Luo Zhizheng asked Wang Zongmu to come specially to attend the family dinner. Yao Niang and Shi Yu sat aside holding hands, also waiting to see what their future brother-in-law would be like. Instead, it was Luo Jingrou whose face was blushing.
"Third sister, listen, there are footsteps outside. It's my third brother-in-law coming." Yao Niang covered her mouth and laughed.
"You silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about." Jingrou rarely showed her girlish shyness.
Yao Niang thought, I wonder what kind of person this Wang Zongmu is. From time to time, a young man wearing a royal blue collar came in from outside. He was about sixteen or seventeen years old. He was shy, cheerful and clear, and bowed.
Luo Jingxi stood up and introduced him: "Zong Mu, today is a family dinner. Now that everyone in our family is here, I will introduce you to a few people."
Wang Zongmu has gotten to know everyone in the Luo family's eldest branch today. Luo Jingxi first introduced the men in the family. In fact, apart from him, there are only two younger brothers, Luo Jingyuan and Luo Jinghao.
Jing Yuan looked like a teenager, and Jing Hao was just a child, but seeing the two of them performing the ceremony, Wang Zongmu couldn't help but nod.
There was only one beautiful girl in the room, Luo Jingrou. She had a beautiful sitting posture and was elegant and pretty. Wang Zongmu was secretly glad. Of course, he knew that Xiaoruo was a mediocre girl from the Luo family, but the two families had already agreed that he would marry her no matter what. However, Luo Jingrou completely exceeded his expectations, which made Wang Zongmu very happy.
Luo Jingrou glanced at him quietly again and was secretly satisfied. He did not have the slightest dandy air at all. He had the elegance of a famous scholar from the Wei and Jin dynasties and looked quite distinguished.
Seeing that they were attracted to each other, Luo Jingxi introduced Yao Niang: "This is my younger sister, the fifth child in the family, and this one is the sixth child in the family."
Luo Jingrou knew that her two younger sisters, although younger, were better looking than her. Wang Zongmu looked at them intently and immediately took a liking to them.
Seeing that he was polite and well-behaved, other people looked up to him. During the time Wang Zongmu stayed at the Luo family, he did not even look away when he saw a beautiful maid. This is what a gentleman does.
Of course, it is not unforgivable for a young man to be romantic and have affairs in brothels. Occasionally sleeping with prostitutes is enough to show his romanticism, but he should be sensible at home.
Although it was a family dinner, after they met, they were still separated by a screen. Fan stood behind them and served the dishes. Yao Niang, her two sisters, and the little child Jinghao all ate here.
The women spoke little during the dinner, but the men talked a lot. Wang Zongmu spoke eloquently and insightfully, and even Luo Zhizheng couldn't help but praise him, which made Luo Jingrou feel proud.
Wang Zongmu also found out the situations of several future brothers-in-law of the Luo family. His eldest brother-in-law was a typical yamen son without much talent. The second brother-in-law was in his teens, had some talent, and was quite courageous. This boy might have great ups and downs in the future. As for the youngest one, he was still very young, so it was hard to tell for the time being.
After eating this meal, Yao Niang thought that this life was different from the previous one. Luo Jingrou would no longer marry into the Zhongjing Marquis's Mansion. Not only that, she might marry far away in the future and stay away from them completely. Yao Niang no longer cared about Luo Jingrou.
After the Little New Year, Yao Niang sent Wei Feng a wedding invitation, but Wei Feng sent a letter saying that she couldn't come because of something at home. She could only feel regretful.
The Lin family of the Marquis Zhongjing's Mansion also arranged a marriage, and the person chosen was Wei Feng, Yao Niang's friend.
"No wonder Sister Wei said she had something to do. It turns out she went back to get engaged." Yao Niang and Yu said with a smile.
Yu thought to herself, is the Wei family giving up so quickly?
Wei Feng is the granddaughter of the Minister of Personnel, and her family background is no worse than Xu Qingrong's. Why did she quit so quickly?
Given the relationship between Yu and the Lin family, and Yu Yan was going to marry into the Lin family, Yu would have to take someone to the Marquis Zhongjing's mansion for an engagement. Yao Niang thought that it was no wonder that Wei Feng spoke so casually that time and even made herself fat. Perhaps from that time on, she no longer had any hope of marrying into the palace.
In the evening, Yu mentioned Wei Feng to Luo Zhizheng: "I once heard that the Wei family was not even in the Lin family's choice range, how could I have known that they would suddenly get engaged."
"This is also normal. The Lin family is the maiden family of the Crown Prince's wife."
Luo Zhizheng knew in his heart that the Minister of Personnel was now on the side of the eldest prince, and marrying into such a noble family would also be a first-rank imperial decree, which was not a bad thing.
Wei Feng is a girl who wants to leave her home all the time. She even thinks that being in the palace is better than being at home. Now she has got engaged so quickly.
In Shangjing, the marriage of Marquis Zhongjing was also a very prominent one. When Yu brought Yao Niang to celebrate, the place was already crowded with people and cars, and everyone was praising this good marriage.
But Yao Niang felt that this marriage was arranged very hastily. However, she remembered that Luo Jingrou's marriage in her previous life was also arranged very quickly, which was different from the time it took for other people to get engaged.
Just like the Wang family and the Luo family have already sent their invitations, but the engagement ceremony is next year, and both sides need to prepare for the date, and even time, but the Lin family and the Wei family are in a hurry to get married. Mrs. Lin started to choose a man very early, but she only has this one son, so she wanted to choose a fairy from heaven. Every time she chooses a good candidate, she will find faults in others and then choose the next one.
With these thoughts in mind, Yao Niang entered the Marquis' Mansion and found Mudan to ask, "How come your family has decided on the Crown Prince's wife so quickly?"
Mudan had a lot of dealings with Yaoniang and they had a good relationship. When she heard Yaoniang's confusion, she smiled and said, "This marriage was told by our princess, who said that Miss Wei was good, and our wife was also very happy when she saw her. They both said it was fate, so the marriage was settled."
"So that's how it is. Do you know what kind of person this Miss Wei Xiao is?" Yao Niang asked.
Mudan said, "To be chosen to study with you in the palace, you must be extremely talented. Moreover, you are favored by our prince's wife. They are truly a perfect match."
Mudan not only had no aversion to the new young lady, but was very much looking forward to it.
Wei Feng's opinion is quite different.
Yao Niang complained, "Sister told me nicely that she wanted to come over to play, and I begged my mother to send me an invitation, but you said something was going on at home. What did I say? It turned out to be our sister Wei's marriage."
"Everyone, it's my fault. When I came here this time, my family decided that it would be his family. The marriages of my eldest sister and second sister were not as good as the ones I arranged, so they kept complaining. If you had come to our house on that day, you would have heard a lot of gossip." Wei Feng was also helpless.
Cheng Shaojin said: "I heard that the son of the Marquis of Zhongjing is a rare nobleman who is not a playboy. This marriage is really good for you."
Lin Weinan, the son of the Marquis of Zhongjing, was also Yaoniang's first husband. He was a man with deep thoughts. He clearly hated her body and obesity, so he didn't want to touch her, but he said he missed his late wife. Also, it was said that he had a confidante when he was in the army, and she was a good girl, and even had a son, but he never brought the child home, let alone taking a concubine into the mansion.
Such men like women who are virtuous and kind, and who have the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children and the superior and inferior of society engraved in their bones.
Once upon a time, Yao Niang felt inferior because of her obesity, but later she realized that when she got married, her father was already the Minister of Rites. According to her status, she was taller than Wei Feng is now.
After all, Wei Feng was only the granddaughter of the Minister of Personnel.
But she still felt that although she was framed after marrying into the family, perhaps it was Luo Jingrou's good intention. She also accepted her fate and prepared to lose weight so that she could be intimate again.
From this we can see that on the surface Lin Weinan seemed to be schemed by the Luo family. He felt aggrieved and even said that Madam Lin originally wanted to marry her niece from her maiden family. What he said was just as true as what he sang. But now think about it, the title of Madam Lin's maiden family had long been an empty shell when it was passed on to her nephew. How could it be compared with the Minister of Rites and even Luo Zhizheng, who was rumored to be entering the cabinet.
Now, I think I was really naive.
"You two are good to me. I will always remember the days when we studied and ate together. But now I can't enter the palace anymore." Wei Feng was also quite regretful.
After getting engaged, the bride will have endless embroidery to do. Luo Jingrou has already started preparing her wedding dowry at home, which will take one or two years.
Yao Niang and Cheng Shaojin expressed their understanding and walked out of the Wei residence. Cheng Shaojin frowned and said, "This happened too quickly. It's like a dream."
Yao Niang also nodded: "Who said it wasn't true?"
Cheng Shaojin is still studying with Princess Yongqing. I remember that in the previous life, after the eldest prince ascended the throne, Prince Heng committed suicide with his wives and concubines. I don't know what will happen to Cheng Shaojin in the future.
But I couldn't remind him, and Cheng Jia might even have taken refuge with the Third Prince.
She was just an eight-year-old girl. As her mother was open-minded, she was lucky enough to be able to go out. If she told outsiders about seizing the throne, it would be bad if the Imperial Guards heard it.
The undercurrents that seemed to be hiding beneath the prosperity in the capital were first reflected in the opera and wine. The Luo family had invited opera and wine last year, but they were cancelled this year. Even Old Lady Dou did not go to Fenyang Palace again.
Luo Jingrou and Luo Shizhen were unaware of this. They were doing needlework together. Luo Shizhen thought to himself, "I originally thought that the Shan family was wealthy and Shan Yujing was ambitious. Little did I know that the family that Luo Jingrou was proposing to marry into was a truly good family. The Wang family is not only a well-known family of officials, but Young Master Wang is also extremely talented."
Therefore, she was quite jealous and asked, "Third sister, I heard that you guys held a family dinner for the New Year's Eve?"
"Yes." Luo Jingrou felt very sweet. Her husband was outstanding, a rare and elegant man. What could she be dissatisfied with?
Luo Shizhen said, "I really envy you for being able to go to Huguang in the future. If not Huguang, then Jiangxi. People like me who just want to go out for a walk can't do that."
The Wang family was originally from Shanxi, but later moved to Jiangxia to avoid disaster. Even though Mr. Wang later became a patrol officer in Huguang, although Mr. Wang's hometown was not in Huguang, the Wang family had settled here for generations. Luo Shizhen meant that Luo Jingrou should not be so proud, because you are also a person who should marry far away.
Since ancient times, girls who marry far away from their parents’ home cannot take care of them. This is good now, but the future is uncertain.
Luo Jingrou laughed and said, "Second sister, originally we, the daughters of the imperial family, should not say these things, but since you mentioned it, I have to say it. All officials are at home everywhere, unless they are Hanlin from the beginning, and Hanlin can also be demoted. Unless they fail the examination, they will stay in Beijing for the rest of their lives."
One was mocking the other for marrying far away, the other was mocking the other for living a commoner life, yet they still acted affectionate on the surface.
Prince's Residence
Concubine Hong was talking to her third son about something: "I had originally told your father that Wei Feng was to be betrothed to your second brother. She is one year older than your second brother and although she is plain looking, she is a decent person and has a good family background. I had just mentioned her and she was sent to the Lin family without knowing it."
As a concubine, she had not seen many wives of officials, and there were no girls she liked in her family. She thought Wei Feng was good, but she was sent away before she had any plans to marry her. This Princess Lin looked honest, but in fact, she had her own people everywhere. During those years when Princess Duan was still in power, she relied on the housekeeper to plant countless hidden nails.
Gao Xuance thought to himself, didn’t the Lin family marry the sisters Big Luo and Little Luo in the previous life?
It is interesting to know why he married Wei Feng in this life. Did many things change with his rebirth?
He comforted Concubine Hong, saying, "Why are you so anxious? Big brother's marriage hasn't been decided yet, and Uncle Nine hasn't been decided either. Even if you tell Father, Father can't do anything. It's better to relax, maybe good things are still to come."
Concubine Hong was indeed in a better mood. She smiled and said to her son, "Every time you finish talking to me, your mother, I always feel better."
"It's because mother is worried about her son. Yesterday, he brought a parrot from outside. It can talk better than the one that flew away before. They trained it very well."
"You're thoughtful."
Gao Xuance patiently had someone bring the parrot over and fiddled with it. When he saw that Concubine Hong was happy, he was about to leave, but then he heard that his second brother Zhou Xuanmu was coming.
When Gao Xuanmu entered the room, he clearly heard his mother laughing, and then he told the servants, "The Third Master likes to eat shredded radish with sauce, but he doesn't like meat, so bring another vegetable dish."
"Mother, my son does not eat here."
"Nonsense, what could you possibly want to do? Why didn't you eat the red sand steamed bread I gave you that day?"
…
Gao Xuanmu heard all this chatter and felt that his mother was extremely partial.
When Concubine Hong saw the second son coming over, she just smiled and said, "What have you been busy with these few days during the New Year holidays? No need to be polite, just sit down and talk first."
Gao Xuanmu smiled faintly: "My son and my elder brother have been studying with Uncle Jiu these days, and the Royal Grandfather even asked about Xuan Ce." He felt that his mother was simply too soft-hearted and only cared about the trivial matters of the disputes between wives and concubines.
This has been the case since ancient times, if you are not the eldest son or the legitimate son, you must accept your fate and not expect things that do not belong to you. The old man is not very old, his mind is too active, and he does not follow the right path.
But his mother doted on him.
I don’t know what kind of evil person he is, and how much trouble he will cause in the future.
Gao Xuance said, "Second brother, I am a lazy person, you know that too. Since I have already rested in the study, why should I go there again?"
The second elder brother always put himself first and regarded himself as the eldest brother's study partner, but he would not do so.
Upon hearing this, Concubine Hong said, "Yes, the New Year is only two days away, why don't you take a rest?"
Silly boy, even a daughter-in-law from a better family was torn away by someone else, but you still follow someone else's ass, really thinking that Lin Zhengfei is a good person. If she is really a good person, would she pretend to be a god and say that she is a person of good fortune?
People will be very competitive.
"There's nothing much to do. Just read more books and calm your mind." Gao Xuanmu said meaningfully.
Gao Xuance smiled and said, "Second brother, you are right. I have learned your lesson."
With a helpless look, Concubine Hong thought her eldest son was too eccentric. Since he didn't have to study, why bother talking about this.
"No advice, my elder brother also said that we should go together. If you want to go, we can go together." He felt that what was the point of his younger brother always following the biological mother of a concubine?
After all, the concubine's knowledge is not as good as that of the principal wife. People should follow the right path. This is his logic.
Gao Xuance smiled and said, "Second brother, please let me rest more these few days. We will go to the study room when it is open again." He could not forget the countless poisons that Concubine Lin Gao Xuanzhan and her son had sent him.
Gao Xuanmu couldn't help but feel bored.
…
On New Year's Eve, with the addition of a new member to the family this year, Mrs. Fan also felt that she had someone to rely on. She put all her thoughts on her son and was no longer so confused in this mansion.
Yao Niang thought that maybe Fan didn't really like her son, but was just looking for someone to rely on.
There are few women in this world who can rely on their husbands, as husbands are prone to being disloyal and then abandoning them. However, it is rare for sons to abandon their mothers, so due to filial piety, they have to respect their mothers.
Perhaps one day, they will usher in an era where women no longer have to live only in the inner chambers. Even if Yao Niang cannot see it, it is good that someone can enjoy all of this.
After New Year's Eve, there was a rare banquet of opera and drinking at the Dongyang Marquis' Mansion. People from both branches of the Luo Mansion went there together. Old Madam Dou also brought Shi Fang with her. After the new year, Shi Fang's face became even rounder.
She was clearly only one year older than Yao Niang and Shi Yu, but she was twice as big as them and even shorter.
Yao Niang reminded her, "Fourth sister, I see that you eat too much snacks and meat. Not only will you get fat, but you will grow horizontally but not vertically. You should eat less."
These words were originally meant for Shi Fang to hear, but Luo Jingrou was shocked when she heard them. She used to think that she had no plans out of the ordinary and no matter what she did, no one would catch her. There were some plans that she would not even reveal to her confidants.
But Yao Niang's words showed that she clearly knew.
Luo Jingrou suddenly felt fear instinctively. What if others knew your plan completely and looked down on you while you were playing tricks? They even thought about how to deal with you, but you were the only one who was still stupid and didn't know what to do?
Just like this marriage.
Is this a good marriage? Very good.
The man's grandfather was a governor, his father was a famous scholar, his mother was a local lady, and his family was wealthy and talented. But their family was in Huguang, which was far away from Beijing.
Even if I want to come back to be an official in the future, it won’t be that easy.
Moreover, Wang Zongmu is the eldest son in the family, and she is the clan wife. She may have to stay at home for many years, and the couple will be separated.
In an instant, Luo Jingrou felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured on her in the middle of winter. This marriage was just like Yu, you couldn't find any fault with it, but you knew that she was definitely not sincere to you, and there were even some tricks on her.
"Fifth sister, you're right. I don't know why, but I just want to eat sweets. Even when I drink porridge, I always put honey or icing sugar in it. It has become a habit for me. I'm almost addicted to sweets." Shi Fang knew that she was fatter than her peers.
The so-called blessed appearance means slightly plump skin, not being obese. With Shi Fang's love for sweets, she will definitely be similar to herself in her previous life in the future.
Now I'm just fat. If I get a little fatter, my chest, thighs, and calves will have fat lines, and they may even become sunken, as if the skin is torn.
In her previous life, she gave up on herself for this very reason.
"Fourth sister, you'd better have your meals with the old lady. Put aside the food that is too nutritious and too sweet. Otherwise, your condition will become more and more serious." Yao Niang warned.
It was only after she finished speaking that she realized that Luo Jingrou's expression was not right. Yao Niang also knew that Luo Jingrou liked to think a lot and was full of conspiracy. Normally, she would want to pick out and think about what others said. Today, she said everyone in front of that it was not good to eat snacks. There was no need to guess to know that Luo Jingrou must have thought of it.
But it was useless for her to think about it. She had cut off the source of the problem. In the future, she would marry far away. No matter if she deliberately gave her snacks and storybooks to make her fat and stop studying, or she had cheated herself in the marriage and was too far away in the future, it would be difficult for such a thing to happen.
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