Chapter 110 (This last part is a fragment and doesn't translate directly. It likely refers to a specific chapter or event.
When Miaozhen and the others went to the capital, Zhao Rui was away on official business. The Xiao family was also very low-key and rarely went out. If it weren't for the large number of people seeking medical treatment, Madam Ming would not have known.
Now that she knew, she felt obligated to reciprocate. She said to Second Madam Zhao, "Since the Xiao family has come, you should send someone over to check on them as well."
Although the second branch of the Zhao family lost a son and a daughter, both were born to concubines. Zhao Er Nainai's two children were well cared for. Her eldest son, in particular, was eight years old this year, a lively and intelligent age, and was greatly favored by the old Marquis. Last year, she gave birth to another son. Meanwhile, her sister-in-law, Yao, had no children and made a few minor mistakes, so the management of the household returned to Zhao Er Nainai.
Upon hearing Madam Ming's instructions, Second Madam Zhao smiled and said, "The Winter Solstice is coming soon, so I'll prepare some festival gifts for you."
In the past, the Xiao family was away from home, so it was not easy to visit them during the four seasons and eight festivals. This time, sending festival gifts was just right. Madam Ming had no objections. She also wanted to do it in broad daylight. She wouldn't dare to use any dirty tricks. After all, she had her own people. So she agreed.
As Granny Zhao came out of the door, she encountered Madam Yao. The two seemed very close, but those who knew Granny Zhao well knew that her smile didn't reach her eyes. To her, Madam Yao was of low status, hadn't conceived in the year or two since entering the household, and already had a stepson—how could she compare to her?
The second wife, now with two sons and a daughter, moved to a second courtyard on the east side because their original courtyard was too small. Upon her return, her maid, Zhang, said, "I heard the Xiao family has gone to the capital."
"That's right, Madam just asked me to send over gifts for the Winter Solstice. What do you think I should send?" Second Madam Zhao wasn't really trying to make friends.
Mrs. Zhang smiled and said, "The Winter Solstice is more important than the Lunar New Year, so it's just some cakes, pastries, and dumplings."
“You old hag, you’re right. I remember the lady’s maid’s daughter-in-law was looking for a job, wasn’t she? Let her be in charge of the funeral arrangements, you know how to do that?” said Granny Zhao.
Mrs. Zhang was too busy to finish.
Not long after, Miaozhen received the festival gifts from the Marquis of Yunjian's mansion. Everything else was fine, but the dumplings were terrible. Miaozhen ate one and couldn't stand it, so she gave it to the servants. Little did she know that Xiaoxi and the others found a hair in one of the dumplings.
"If it were just a single hair, that would be one thing, we've all lived through hard times, but some of the meat has a strange smell."
Miao Zhen sneered, "This was originally planned for us to cause trouble, they probably set a trap long ago. You've all worked hard. I have some hibiscus flower cakes here, take two boxes back for them to eat."
Xiao Xi quickly agreed and walked out.
Miaozhen looked at Fujie: "If we can't strike hard in one go, we have to lie low and wait for another day. Madam Ming personally went to propose last time and showed no displeasure. Someone must have acted on their own. You should write this down and tell your son-in-law. Don't tell anyone else yet."
"Mother, I understand." Fu Jie'er knew what her mother meant. Some people in the Zhao family were eager to ruin things and make a big fuss, which might end up backfiring on her.
Back then, Sister Xia Xian spread rumors about her and her servant, and she endured it silently until the final blow struck. Although Sister Xia Xian escaped unscathed, she had retaliated in kind, and the same applies to her daughter. Making a scene without clarifying anything only makes her a laughingstock.
The matter was handled calmly within the Xiao family, and it seemed that no one said anything.
After the winter solstice and before the Laba Festival, relatives and family members from Suzhou came over, and Miaozhen introduced them to each of them with her children. Master Xiao and Madam Ren, who had raised Zhao Ge'er, were holding Zhao Ge'er's hand tightly. They looked a bit older than when she had seen them before. Master Xiao was still fine, but Madam Ren's skin had started to sag.
Xiao Jingtang looked very energetic, Xiao Jingheng seemed to have lost even more weight, while Han Yueyao had become even more beautiful. In the next room, Xiao Jingyan had become very wrinkled and looked like a little old man.
Miaozhen looked Tingge'er up and down. The child had grown quite a bit taller, and his eyes seemed very affectionate as he looked at her. She quickly asked Zhengge'er to keep him company and talk to him.
After the Xiao family members had met, her maternal relatives became even closer. Madam Mei introduced Madam Zhang to her: "This is the woman your second brother married while your father was in office in Pengze."
Miaozhen had someone bring out the gifts that had been prepared beforehand and presented them to Madam Zhang. Then she looked at her parents. Her father had lost weight, which explained why he was dressed more elegantly. Her mother had a good complexion and, although she looked old, she actually looked younger overall.
"I have already cleaned the house. A banquet has been set out outside. Everyone, please finish your meal first, and then go back to freshen up."
In the dead of winter, everyone who had traveled here was starving. Fortunately, Miaozhen had anticipated their arrival and had already arranged for someone to buy groceries.
The second courtyard's flower hall was well-lit, so Miaozhen arranged for them to have their meal there. A charcoal brazier had already been set up, with a screen separating the two sides. Xiao Jingtang was in charge of the men's side, as he was the youngest among Xiao Jingshi's generation. Master Xiao was clearly trying to promote his youngest son, so Miaozhen naturally said, "I'll leave this side to Sixth Uncle."
"Don't worry, Fourth Sister-in-law," Xiao Jingtang said with a smile.
As for Miaozhen's side, there weren't many people. Ren Shi and Han Yueyao were her husband's family members, while Mei Shi, Luo Shi, and Zhang Shi were her maternal family members, and they all had good relationships with each other.
"Why didn't Sixth Sister-in-law come?" Miaozhen asked.
Madam Ren said, "Next year, Wei-jie will be of marriageable age, and there are still many things to take care of at home. However, Miao-ge'er is here; you didn't see him just now, did you?"
Of all the people in the room, Miaozhen didn't see them at all. Madam Ren whispered, "This child is very shy now."
"All children are like this at this age." Even Zhao Ge'er is like this.
Madam Ren then looked at Fu Jie'er. In her memory, this granddaughter was a well-mannered and dignified young lady from a prominent family. Now, however, she looked noble and majestic. Even though she was at home, she did not wear much makeup.
Thinking of Miao Ge'er again, his face, which used to be covered with pimples, is now full of pits and scars. Then I think of Zhao Ge'er, whom I just met. He was only seventeen years old, just past twenty, tall and slender, handsome and dashing, with a straight nose, pearly teeth, and a graceful figure.
Appearance and figure are one thing, but the main thing is that when he speaks, he has a clear and bright spirit, like a white crane.
Not to mention Brother Zhao, even a young boy like Brother Zheng is handsome and dignified.
She no longer mentioned her daughter-in-law, who was originally less beautiful than Han Yueyao, but now she was calm and composed, which made her skin appear even more like white jade, with bright eyes and white teeth, and her black hair as smooth as clouds, like Guanyin descending to earth.
Miaozhen laughed too much and her cheeks hurt a little. After the banquet, she asked everyone to go back and rest.
When she came out at this time, she saw Miao Ge'er. If Miao Ge'er only had acne, she could still treat it, but the acne scars had already formed, and it would be difficult to change them. In addition, the acne marks on her face were dark and didn't look clean.
No wonder her mother-in-law said she was shy.
Their residence in the capital had five courtyards, which was not small. Fu Jie lived in the side room of the main house, which was in the third courtyard. Miao Zhen let Zheng Ge live in the side room for the time being, leaving two courtyards for her husband's family and her own family to live in. Zhao Ge lived in the second courtyard, and then arranged for Miao Ge and Ting Ge to live there.
With more people, the first thing to do is to send over the toiletries, charcoal braziers, and hot water to each room, etc.
All of this had been prepared in advance, and Xiao Xi was sent to make the arrangements. Xu Erpeng and his wife lived in the fifth courtyard, which had a flower pavilion and corridor in front. The main house had three rooms, and the east and west wing rooms each had three rooms. The rooms were already lit with incense.
The old women brought over hot water, while the maids brought over two kinds of pastries: chestnut cake and imperial concubine red pastry.
Even the hot water bottle was already warmed up in the quilt, making it cozy and cozy.
Xu Erpeng then said to his wife, "Our daughter has made such a good arrangement."
Anyone who didn't know better would think their daughter had just become a nun. Miaozhen is almost thirty-five, and even Xu Erpeng is fifty-three. Madam Mei found it amusing: "Our daughter has been an official's wife for fourteen years, and she's already a third-rank official's wife. You still think she's a newlywed in her teens."
Xu Erpeng chuckled twice, then looked around. It was his first time in the capital, and he was curious about everything. Although Madam Mei had been here more than ten years ago, her daughter and son-in-law had taken her out to play before, so she had a certain air of "I know more than you" in front of her husband.
Compared to Xu Erpeng, Xu Jian and his wife, and Xu Kun and his wife, were much happier. The environment was comfortable and not crowded, and the hospitality was even better than at home. Luo Shi had previously had contact with Miaozhen, so things were fine. Zhang Shi had never met this sister-in-law before, and seeing her so amiable today, she couldn't help but feel relieved.
The next day, Miaozhen first had breakfast delivered to each room, and then had someone summon Xiao Jingtang.
Xiao Jingtang was escorting the dowry, so Miaozhen naturally had to talk to him. Xiao Jingtang suffered from rhinitis, and his nose was very stuffy at night. He used up countless tissues to blow his nose. He finally made it to dawn, ate his breakfast, and came over with the gift list.
"Sister-in-law, please take a count."
Miaozhen smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Sixth Uncle." After saying that, she noticed that his nose was red and asked about his illness. She quickly said, "I will write a prescription for you later."
Xiao Jingtang thanked him repeatedly, deeply moved.
Miaozhen then took Fujie'er to see the dowry that had been transported from Suzhou. First came six beds, then antique and elegant furniture, and some fine tea and silk. After checking everything, she said to Fujie'er, "It would be good to put some sachets in here to prevent moisture and insects, otherwise they will all spoil. Look how thoughtful your sixth uncle is, packing everything in silk bags."
After the mother and daughter rewrote the gift list, they returned to the main room. They were told that Madam Gao had come to pay her respects. Miaozhen then instructed the kitchen to prepare a banquet. She told Fu'er to go and pay her respects to Madam Ren first, while she sat down to make overall arrangements.
With so many people suddenly arriving, and several months to go, we need to arrange everything from firewood and rice to oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. We can't afford to spend money only to have them complain later.
So he called Xiao Xi over again, asked about things in various places, and even went to the kitchen himself. He picked out some ghee-fried abalone and snails, sprinkled them with gold powder, and had someone bring over a tall plate to hold dried and fresh fruits.
"Besides those heavy meat dishes, we also need to make some light seasonal side dishes."
The term "middle-housekeeping" refers to the housewife's duties of preparing meals and managing household affairs. Although Miaozhen is not particularly competitive, her parents are here, and if she doesn't do a good job, they will definitely lose face. Besides, this is also a good opportunity to train Fujie.
There might be even more relatives in the Marquis's household, and they might not be as easy to talk to as family members. I don't know how they'll find fault with me then.
You don't need to do everything yourself, but you must be clear about everything so that you won't be fooled.
At noon, Gao and the others had lunch here. Miao Zhen had something to ask her: "I would like to ask you to be my sister-in-law's wife. Would you agree?"
“Even if you hadn’t said anything, I would have come.” Madam Gao said with a smile.
Miaozhen then invited Han Yueyao, Luo Shi, and Zhang Shi to make beds at the Marquis's residence, and they all readily agreed. Miaozhen felt relieved to have settled the arrangements first.
Madam Gao added, "On the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, everyone should come to our residence for a lively celebration."
Miaozhen agreed; that's how it is with reciprocity.
However, they couldn't go to the Gao family's place because Governor Lu had passed away. Miaozhen and Zhaoge'er were supposed to go to the Lu family to deliver the funeral gifts. Governor Lu had died suddenly while on duty, and his passing was so sudden that the Lu family hadn't even had time to react. Xiao Jingshi was currently just an official outside the capital, so Miaozhen and the others could only deliver some funeral gifts and then return.
An era has finally passed...
Previously, they had Governor Lu as their backer; now, they can be their own backer. Fortunately, Xiao Jingshi also had merit in land reclamation; he is now a hidden dragon in the abyss, and may well be of great use in the future.
Miaozhen appeared very calm. When she delivered the festival gifts, she sent quite a few to the Prince Yu's heir, and also sent some to Commander Lu, who had come to the capital with them.
Speaking of Commander Lu, Miaozhen also told her parents about it, and also mentioned Miaoyun's situation: "Before, when he was in Xuanfu, we thought he was just a corrupt official. But when he was in Jining, he really did embezzle disaster relief funds and drove all the disaster victims to the surrounding prefectures."
"How come no one is going to punish such a person?" Xu Erpeng was the most righteous and indignant.
"What do you mean, nothing? Nothing at all. This guy is good at currying favor with those above him, so he doesn't care about the lives of those below him. I heard that all the money he embezzled was sent to those above him. Jing Shi said that someone like him is just a petty thief. 'He who steals a hook is punished, but he who steals a country becomes a prince.'" Miao Zhen curled her lip.
When Madam Mei heard that Miaoyun had started pretending to be a lay Buddhist, she couldn't help but say, "She really is..."
“She’s very shrewd; she only does good deeds. Zhang Shihua is greedy for money, so she uses that money to do favors for everyone. Everyone praises her for being generous, magnanimous, and chivalrous.” Miaozhen was speechless.
Xu Erpeng propped his chin up: "Sigh, she can even manipulate villains, she's no ordinary person."
After a few sighs, Xu Erpeng thought that since he had come all the way to Beijing, he would take his sons out to have some fun, and they might not necessarily be going out with the Xiao family.
Xu Erpeng also bought several books for Miaozhen. After Miaozhen finished all her work, she would set out a pot of warm tea, a book, and a plate of snacks on the table and enjoy reading time.
Xu Erpeng always heard amazing stories from Miaozhen. Now that he was in the capital, he had visited many ancient temples and scenic spots, and he would write furiously at night.
This prompted Madam Mei to say, "Be careful not to catch a cold."
"How could it be cold with the incense burner right next to me? Zhenzhen will have someone bring me rock sugar and pear soup to soothe my throat later," Xu Erpeng said with a smile.
Looking out the window, Madam Mei couldn't help but say, "This looks just like Zhenzhen before she got married..."
Xu Erpeng was not a materialistic person. Over the years, he had accumulated a modest fortune. As long as he had enough money and didn't squander it, he was in a good mood.
That evening, Miaozhen indeed sent soup to everyone. Ren Shi was turning over frequently and prone to leg cramps, so she had someone make a tangerine peel and old duck soup. Xiao Jingheng was said to have a cold stomach, so she stewed a cinnamon, walnut, and mutton soup...
Even Xiao Jingtang's rhinitis was treated with medicine delivered to him on a regular schedule.
As the year draws to a close, we specially hired someone to come and tailor clothes. Almost all the relatives who came each received four sets, all made of the finest fabrics. The same was true for the Luo and Zhang families.
The two women came to the main room early in the morning to express their gratitude. Miaozhen asked them to sit down: "I've been busy these days and haven't had time to talk to you. If there's anything wrong and I haven't taken good care of you, just let me know."
Ms. Luo and Ms. Zhang expressed their gratitude once again.
Both of these younger siblings are good people; one is clever and the other is straightforward.
Miaozhen and the others didn't hide anything. They brought up the story of how the Marquis of Yunjian's family had deliberately sent rotten dumplings as gifts for the Winter Solstice. Miaozhen added, "You are my family, so I won't hide anything from you. There are villains interfering in this marriage. Since you will be going to make the bed for Fu'er's wedding next year, you must be careful."
Zhang was simple-minded and thought that Miaozhen had treated her very well, so she quickly said, "Sister, don't worry, I will definitely take good care of my niece."
If we tell Gao about some things, Liu and the others will find out and might even cause trouble, creating internal strife. After all, there's no real conflict of interest between the maternal family and the paternal family.
"Sister, that Second Madam Zhao is now in charge of the household, and she married into the family many years ago. After my niece marries in, it's best not to compete with her for the time being," Madam Luo said after much deliberation. She was born out of wedlock and raised by her stepmother from a young age, so she was very good at reading people.
Miaozhen listened to her and said happily, "You're right, that's what I said to Sister Fu too."
In any case, Sister Fu is the wife of the heir apparent, with the status of an imperial consort and a generous dowry. As long as she can calm herself down and has Zhao Rui's admiration, sooner or later the people under her will change their minds.
Seeing that Miaozhen had adopted her suggestion, Luo felt a growing affinity for her. Miaozhen then brought out the newly made ear warmers and let each of the sisters-in-law choose one.
After her two younger siblings left, Fu'er came out from behind the screen: "Mother, my eldest aunt is usually quiet, but I didn't expect her to be so calm and composed in the face of trouble. My second aunt is young and warm-hearted, and very kind to me."
“If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have personally given them these instructions today. You must remember that while you should be wary of people, you shouldn’t be opportunistic. Things always need to be done by people. Cultivate good relationships, and if you can find one or two people among those relationships to use, that will be a blessing for you,” Miaozhen said.
The Xiao family's New Year's gifts were quickly delivered to the Marquis of Yun Jian's residence. It was Xiao Xi who personally delivered them. It seemed that the people who delivered the gifts were all very happy and did not have a single complaint. Zhao Er's grandmother couldn't help but feel regretful.
If the Xiao family's daughter causes a scene, and the blame is placed on Madam Ming's maids, then Madam Xiao will have offended her future mother-in-law before even entering the household. And those maids, who have lived in the mansion for generations, will surely try to sabotage her behind her back.
Unexpectedly, the Xiao family swallowed their anger.
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