Yao Niang was supposed to have lunch with Yu Shi, but as luck would have it, her father also came back, so the three of them sat at the same table. Yu Shi quickly stood up to serve the dishes, but Luo Zhizheng glanced at her and said, "You should sit down too."
"Yes." Yu sat down obediently.
Yao Niang originally wanted to talk to her mother about how to deal with the matter of Mrs. Shan, but since Luo Zhizheng had returned, it was not convenient for her to talk about it. She just focused on eating. In the middle of the meal, Yu insisted on serving soup to Yao Niang, and Yao Niang pouted and got angry.
"Mom, I don't like fish soup. Why do you always serve me fish soup?" Yao Niang was tired of eating fish, but her mother loved fish. Whenever she came over for dinner, there would be fish on the table. She had mentioned it many times. Especially, her mother believed in "like cures like", and always asked her to eat fish eyes, saying that they could improve eyesight.
Before Yu said anything, Luo Zhizheng immediately taught her: "Don't talk while eating or sleeping, and don't talk too much." But he also said to Yu: "You are the same. She didn't want to drink, but you forced it on her. If someone forces you to drink something you don't like, would you like it? Don't always say it's for someone else's good. You are not her, how do you know what she wants?"
Luo Zhizheng gave each of them fifty lashes of the cane, but both of them thought what he said was quite right and were convinced.
After the meal, Yao Niang personally poured tea for her parents. Luo Zhizheng knew at a glance that Yao Niang wanted to gossip. His daughter was born in the year of the dog, and she knew everything about the place. She wanted to know everything and gossiped about everyone every day.
He just wanted to listen.
Sure enough, when Yao Niang saw that Luo Zhizheng was not leaving, she whispered to Yu: "Mother, what are you going to do? Do you really want to persuade the second sister? I don't think there is any need to persuade her. She is now relying on her father's power, so the Shan family dare not really do anything. Otherwise, she can't even leave the house. Why bother to go to the government to file a complaint? Since ancient times, if a wife sues her husband, even if the complaint is true, she will still be sentenced to two years in prison."
Yu suddenly realized: "Yes, so what you mean is——"
"If she really can't live anymore, then just get a divorce. I have no complaints even if my marriage is implicated. What I'm most afraid of is that she has other purposes. You want her to ask the Shan family for 60,000 taels. You want to keep things peaceful, so are you willing to spend money for me? Wouldn't she be taking money from both sides then? Not only that, she relies on father's face to deal with the government." Yao Niang didn't want her mother to be controlled by Luo Shizhen.
Luo Zhizheng raised his eyebrows after hearing this, thinking that people's hearts have changed and the world is becoming more corrupt. They can actually come up with such a method.
Yu said, "You are right, but the Shan family can't seem to do anything to her now? If she doesn't file a complaint with the government, she can hand it over to her political enemies, right?"
Finally, Luo Zhizheng couldn't help it: "He has been exiled to the people, so how can he be a political enemy? The struggle between scholars will not end in death. However, what Yao Niang said is very right. We can't let her do whatever she wants by relying on my power. If she is really wronged, let her sue Shan Yujing herself. I won't stop her."
Yu nodded: "I will talk to my second sister-in-law now. Shi Zhen's matter must be properly resolved."
Yao Niang nodded and prepared to go back to her room, but Luo Zhizheng stopped her and said, "Why are you leaving so soon?"
Yao Niang turned around and looked at her father. She felt that he had also become a gossiper, so she asked, "Dad, what do you want to say to me?"
"You can also tell me what you usually talk to your mother." Luo Zhizheng said with a smile.
It was rare for Dad to be so kind, Yao Niang actually sat down and said, "Dad, it's just some family matters, your daughter and I just said whatever we thought."
"In that case, let's play a round of hands-on games." Luo Zhizheng smiled.
Yao Niang also nodded in agreement. In fact, she didn't like playing chess very much. Instead, she liked playing the piano, especially French music. She was even talented in painting, embroidery, and reading. However, it was easy to fall into a trap when playing chess.
But it's also good to be able to accompany Dad, so Yao Niang sat down.
Yu hurried to the second room. She first found Jiang and asked, "Second sister-in-law, what should we do? What happened to Shizhen's child?"
"Yes, she sent me a message saying that she couldn't live any longer. What could I do? She said that her son-in-law didn't care about them at all. He was so impulsive and adventurous right after passing the imperial examination, ruining his future. He also hung out with his cousin and spoke rudely to her. But this is fate. As women, don't we follow our husbands wherever they go?" Jiang had no solution.
What Yu wanted to hear was a solution, not this kind of fatalistic talk.
Jiang just shook her head and said, "Divorce, it's impossible. My husband and I don't agree to it. If this gets out, what will our Luo family do?
Yu had no choice but to return in dismay. At this time, Luo Zhi was instructing Yao Niang on how to play chess: "Look, you should move here. You were too impulsive just now. You should think more about it.
Luo Zhizheng was worried because his daughter's chess playing was so mediocre. She would think ten steps ahead when she saw the Prince of Chen make one move, but it was already very good that she could think of three steps ahead. Wouldn't it mean that she would be worse than the Prince of Chen in everything in the future?
"Okay, I get it, Dad." Yao Niang agreed obediently.
Seeing how well-behaved his daughter was, Luo Zhizheng could say nothing more. Forget it. Perhaps that was just her qualifications, and there was nothing else that could be done.
Yao Niang never thought about the image of herself as a fool in her father's eyes. When she saw Yu Shi coming back with an unhappy look on her face after playing chess with Luo Zhizheng, she guessed that Yu Shi must have hit a wall. To be honest, if it wasn't for her, Yu Shi would definitely not care.
Both sides have separated, and those are the affairs of the second house. Unfortunately, I am afraid that it will affect Yao Niang's reputation. After all, if people know that she is a girl from the Luo family,
Even though she was always coquetish and had a little temper with Yu, she cared about Yu the most, so she went back to her room and took the sachet she had embroidered and said to Yu: "Mother, look, this is the sachet I made, take a look, do you like it? This smells very nice. It is purple oil agarwood, which comes from India. It can cure chest tightness, qi stagnation and pain, wind and phlegm obstruction, and is better than agarwood. And this is Qianmu incense, which is produced in Persia. I heard that its fragrance can cure all diseases."
Smelling the fragrance was secondary to Yu's concern. She saw that the sachet was so delicately embroidered that she immediately fell in love with it.
Luo Zhizheng had never thought that his daughter was an expert at making incense, and each of her incense pieces was extraordinary. But what should he do with it for Yu Shi? Giving it to her would be like a cow chewing a peony.
I spent half a day with my daughter but got nothing.
Whenever Yu saw something beautiful and exquisite, her eyes would sparkle. Yao Niang liked to see her mother like this, so she said, "After the New Year, I will embroider a portrait for you. When you are old, it will be interesting to see your current face again."
Yu said angrily, "I'm not a big shot."
"No way, mother is the dearest person in my heart. In fact, I made a headband for mother, but because it was a pair with father, father's one was not finished yet, and mine was not finished yet, so I didn't bring it." Yao Niang smiled.
When Luo Zhizheng heard Yao Niang say this, he looked much more relieved.
There was no further news about Luo Shizhen for a while, but Yu Yan was about to move in. She was not an ordinary maid or concubine who could be bought and sold, but Yu's niece, who was pregnant. Jiang did not express her opinion openly, but privately arranged a very luxurious residence for Yu Yan.
Yu Yan was no longer the innocent girl she used to be. Her hair was all tied up in a bun, with a few red velvet flowers in her hair, revealing her oval face, which made her look more submissive and docile.
She used to live in the Xinghua Courtyard of the eldest house, and had little contact with the people of the second house, but she knew the reputation of Jiang Shi, who was a famous jealous person. Otherwise, she would not be thirty years old without any children.
From her aunt, she learned to be gentle, and as long as she was gentle, she could win the favor of men.
Little Jiang was also looking at Yu Yan. Yu Yan was in her twenties, with a slightly protruding belly. Her features were somewhat similar to those of the eldest daughter's aunt, but she was not as kind as Yu. Instead, she was more calculating.
Immediately, Xiao Jiang changed her strategy. She smiled and said, "Sister Yu, we are old acquaintances. I asked our Second Master to take you back several times. People outside said it was because of me. But think about it, at my age, I just want our Hui Jie to have someone to rely on. If Second Master can leave a descendant, I can meet the ancestors of the Luo family in my grave."
Yu Yan herself had lived in the Lin family. Her husband was only a descendant of a hundred households, so he always had to consider other people's opinions when doing things. He had great ambitions but little talent and was not motivated. Instead, the whole family was eyeing her dowry, but they were only concerned about her aunt. She spent all day watching other people living a glamorous life. Crown Prince.
She didn't want to live under someone else's roof anymore. In the Luo family, she and her grandmother lived in a remote garden outside the Luo family. Later, when she married into the Lin family, she had to follow her mother-in-law around to socialize with the host family and bow to everyone everywhere, which was even worse than when she was in the Luo family.
Now that she is pregnant and her aunt is the wife of the eldest son, little Jiang dare not do anything. Look, now even little Jiang has started to speak softly.
Yu Yan was somewhat proud, but she was not stupid, so she did not dare to show her pride. Instead, she said, "Second Madam, what are you talking about? I just want a place to stay and someone to protect me. I don't dare to think about anything else."
Little Jiang smiled and said, "Don't be polite. If you are polite, I'm afraid that the Second Master will say that I treat you badly. Forget it. You will know what kind of person I am in the future."
Yu Yan was accompanied by two maids. Little Jiang looked at her background for a long time and couldn't calm down. Then she said to Mingyue: "My mother's family has prepared two Yangzhou skinny horses. Go and tell my mother to send them over."
At the end, Jiang's voice became tearful.
Mingyue couldn't bear it: "Second Madam, why don't you let them come over? Aunt Yu may not be pregnant with a boy, what if it's just a girl? You don't have to be nervous, the most important thing is that you take care of yourself."
"There's no need to mention this again. I know the condition of my body. I got this illness when I gave birth to Sister Hui in my early years, and I didn't take good care of myself later. Now I'm in this state." She was determined not to let Yu Yan go.
Now, the Second Master can bring Yu Yan back from the nunnery. Since she has a certain status here, she may be able to be promoted to the official wife in the future.
Little Jiang had never learned the Thirty-Six Stratagems, but he naturally knew what it meant to kill someone with a borrowed knife.
How could Yu Yan know all this? She entered her own courtyard and nodded inwardly when she saw how well decorated it was. The servants were also bought by Luo Jingfa. They came here from the alley as if they were entering the imperial palace. They all envied Yu Yan: "Miss, this place is really nice. Look, even the embroidery on the chair cushions is so good."
"You are so ignorant. This is nothing." Although Yu Yan was not a girl from the Luo family, her aunt did a good job to save her face. The Xinghua Garden where she and her grandmother lived was still very good. Even after she married into the Lin family, she realized that although her husband was a centurion and a branch of the marquis's mansion, he was nothing compared to what she had in the Luo family.
Yes, my uncle was a high-ranking official, and his family had been famous for generations. I heard from my grandmother that the old lady of the Luo family who died before had an unusually generous dowry. My uncle was the only son in three generations, and he was very wealthy. My aunt was in charge of the household, so she must have taken a lot, but a little bit slipped out through her fingers for her.
As a widow, who could she marry again? Since she returned home as a widow, she knew that she wanted to stay in the Luo family and did not want to marry anyone else.
My aunt didn't understand herself. She was born into an official family. Even if she married as a concubine, she would marry into a family like my uncle's and enjoy wealth and glory. But she had been living under the care of others since she was a child and only wanted wealth and status.
She didn't want to be unable to afford silver frost charcoal or red carrot charcoal in winter, so she could only use some charcoal and cough all day long.
It’s not pleasant to use ice in the summer, it’s always hot and stuffy, making it hard to breathe…
She thought that after giving birth to a boy, she would be in control of the family and Jiang Shi would not dare to do anything. But Yu Yan did not know that Luo Jingfa had adopted a pair of twin sisters a few years ago and forgot about Yu Yan.
Yao Niang also heard about this, but Yu Shi said to her, "She chose her own path, I can't control it. Yao Niang, a girl must be upright. Your Jingfa brother can't help but cheat on the girl of his relatives, which shows that he is a person of changeable ideas."
"I understand. I won't do that." Yao Niang nodded.
During this year's Spring Festival, Zhu became pregnant again. She was truly a virtuous wife. Not only did she take care of Luo Jingyuan meticulously, she also had a harmonious relationship with Aunt Qin.
The Luo family did not have the habit of giving concubines in advance, but after Zhu became pregnant, she gave her personal maid to Luo Jingyuan, which Yu admired very much, so she took the initiative to say to Yao Niang: "You have to remember, this is to be considerate of men, and men will respect you. It's useless to be on guard against people like your second sister-in-law, because men are taking more and more concubines now, aren't they?"
This is a warning to Yao Niang not to rush into fire and to trust men.
Yao Niang certainly didn't believe it. She thought that everyone has bad nature, and if a woman could marry multiple husbands, she might become indecisive.
Unfortunately, what she pursued was single-minded devotion, and she certainly wouldn't tell this to Yu. Adults have their own ideas, and she has her own ideas too.
Unexpectedly, she ran into Yu Yan in the garden that day. Yu Yan's eyes were red as if she had been crying. She didn't expect to see Yao Niang here. She seemed to be more beautiful.
"Niang Yao, I heard that you became the prince's consort, and I haven't had the chance to congratulate you." Thinking of this, Yu Yan even wanted to kneel down and kowtow.
Yao Niang shook her head: "You are too polite. It is windy outside. I will go back first."
Now the identities of the two are different. Originally, Yu Yan was Yu's niece. Because of this matter, Yu was afraid that the second house would think she was doing it on purpose. If she became too close to them, that would be a big deal.
Besides, Yu Yan has never thought about Yu's situation, so why should I sympathize with her?
She is not a broad-minded person.
Yu Yan said dimly: "Cousin, do you dislike my identity now?" She gradually lost her support in this family. She asked someone to find her aunt, but her aunt ignored her. If she could make friends with the future Princess Chen, she would have support at home.
Yao Niang glanced at her and said with a smile, "So what is your status now, cousin? I don't know. I just know that once you have chosen a path, you should not complain. Okay, I am leaving now."
It's useless to win other people's sympathy. If you have done something wrong to others, it's impossible to expect others to be nice to you.
Yu Yan had never thought that Yao Niang was so heartless. She was angry for a moment: "My cousin has a good family background, is loved by her parents, and has a good future. Of course, she doesn't understand my distress."
Yao Niang just wanted to laugh after hearing this. In her previous life, she married the son of a general without any clear reason. She cooked and mended clothes by herself, and even became a wet nurse for her son and herself. She was a daughter of an official, her father was the Minister of Rites, and she had once been a marquis' wife, but she didn't feel wronged at all.
As a human being, no matter how dark and narrow the path you choose is, you should turn it into a smooth path.
Therefore, she was too lazy to say anything and just left. Of course, this was heard by Xiao Jiang. Xiao Jiang clenched her fist and said, "It's really easy to get it. If someone from the eldest house took care of her, I could have thought of other ways. Who knew she was useless, hum."
Mingyue opened her mouth but still said nothing.
In fact, she still wanted to let Yu Yan give birth to the child before talking about it, but unfortunately Xiao Jiang just wanted to vent her anger.
Yao Niang could already predict what Yu Yan's ending would be. She was evil but not completely evil, and she always complained about her poor background.
After returning, Yao Niang told Mrs. Yu about what happened to Yu Yan. Mrs. Yu nodded and said, "Well, you did the right thing. It's not good to keep pulling like this."
Sometimes, Yu would admire her daughter's behavior. She was very straightforward and could refuse directly without dragging her feet. She would just say directly if she didn't like something.
"Well, mother. Will my second sister come back for the New Year this time?" Yao Niang asked.
Yu nodded: "He will come back, but I can't take care of it. Your second uncle and second aunt have to take care of this matter. Otherwise, it will be difficult for us to take care of the people in the next room. But your father has sent someone to get his post back. Last year, Yujing got into trouble, and your father was afraid that they would be embarrassed in the future, so he left the post specially. This time, he got it back."
The post of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was very powerful whether in Beijing or in other places, because the Ministry of Personnel was in charge of the promotion of officials all over the world, and everyone had to give some face. When Luo Zhizheng was the Langzhong of the Ministry of Personnel's Selection Department, he was on equal footing with the third-rank officials from the outer vassal states, not to mention that he is now a second-rank official.
Yao Niang nodded: "Dad, just take the post back. If she really can't get along with the Shan family, she should divorce normally instead of deceiving others."
"You're right. Anyway, we and the Shan family are old relatives, and your second sister is also our daughter. It's just that we don't help either side." Yu also thought it through.
"As for the fact that she and Li Ying have no influence on me, I can't be so selfish. Should I let them be like a couple of resentful lovers just because of me? Besides, our two families have been separated for a long time." Yao Niang knew that if Shi Zhen's affairs were really ugly, others would definitely make a big fuss about it, but they couldn't force Luo Shi Zhen.
In fact, removing Luo Zhizheng's post is already like cutting off the source of the problem. Seeing Luo Zhizheng's attitude, the Shan family will certainly not be as fearful as before.
At this time, Luo Jingrou came anxiously. She said to Yu: "I know about the second sister's affairs. What is this? How can she divorce? Wouldn't divorce harm our whole family? I'm fine, but Yao Niang has already arranged such a good marriage. What if the news gets out?"
Yu Shi did not think that Luo Jingrou was kind, she just thought that Luo Jingrou was afraid of affecting her, so she said: "Don't worry, this matter will be handled by Second Uncle and Second Uncle."
"I know, but what if they really get divorced? There has never been a girl in our family who got divorced. If the news gets out, relatives will say that she despises poverty and loves wealth."
"I originally thought so too. The Shan family is our oldest relative. But Yao Niang advised me that I couldn't let my second sister become a resentful spouse. She is not afraid of being affected." Yu sighed.
When Luo Jingrou heard that it was Yao Niang who said that, she thought, could it be that she was so confident that she felt that she was already the third prince's consort? This incident made the Fuguo Mansion where her husband worked have some complaints about her because the incident had already been exposed.
Of course, there were also people in the palace who mentioned this matter to Concubine Hong, and some tried to sow discord, saying, "If you had known earlier, Your Majesty, you would have made a decision earlier."
"Yes, Madam Noble Concubine, you see, Mrs. Luo wants to divorce her husband because he has lost power, and she can't tolerate her husband taking a concubine. How can such a woman be so rude?"
…
Of course Concubine Hong was a little unhappy when she heard this. Although she defended the Luo family in front of outsiders, she told the matter in front of Gao Xuance.
Gao Xuance smiled and said, "You know, the Luo family also has a daughter who married into the Fenyang Palace. They have always had a good reputation. How can you say these things just because of a distant relative in her family? Every family has a few such people."
"That's true. In any case, your father-in-law, Minister Luo, has a bright future in his career. I have known Miss Yao for many years." Concubine Hong nodded.
Gao Xuance stood up and said, "Mother, you must not mess things up. Some people are hoping for us to mess things up. If the girl from the Luo family has a grudge against us now, then Lord Luo will never help me in the future. Besides, you also know the character of Yao Niang after she has been in the palace for so long. Her character and appearance are rare in the world, and my son loves her to the bottom of his heart."
Seeing her son's expression, Concubine Hong joked, "I know. Don't worry. The imperial decree has been issued. There will be no problem."
Gao Xuance seemed to be relieved, but in fact he was thinking, why is there so much trouble in the Luo family, and he still has to bite the bullet and express his love to Luo Yao Niang, alas!
But he recalled the day when he went to Luo's house and met Yao Niang, she still had sweat on her forehead, and he was a little crazy for a moment...
Yao Niang was playing the piano at home. Because she liked Buddhist music very much, her playing sounded like the sound of Buddha coming to life, and everyone around her was mesmerized by her. Just then, she saw Yu coming back from the Shan family, and she stopped playing a song in peace.
"Mom, how is my second sister doing?" Yao Niang asked.
Yu said angrily, "Your second sister lent money privately and the Shan family found out about it. Your father took back the letter, and the second branch refused to support her. The Shan family and she each had something on their side. Now she is not clamoring for a divorce. Instead, she said that she was jealous and she even apologized to your second brother-in-law in person. Your second brother-in-law still has feelings for her, and they reconciled and poured tea for us again!"
Yao Niang heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this and loosened her clenched fists. She had finally made the right bet again. She got her father's invitation back and her second sister had no cards to play at all.
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