Chapter 83 (Combined Chapter)
The funeral of Old Madam Xiao was a grand affair. She was a titled lady, and her family had produced three Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), a truly impressive family. Everyone wanted to be involved. Even the Suzhou prefect, being a good man, offered to appoint his father-in-law, Xu Erpeng, as the Suzhou prefectural administrator. Xiao Jingshi thought about how his wife had worked hard for him for many years, and how his father-in-law was excellent in his work and extremely diligent. Moreover, he had also been a Linsheng (a student receiving government stipends) and later selected as a Jiansheng (a student of the Imperial Academy), so his status was sufficient. Therefore, Xiao Jingshi made the decision.
Little did they know that Miaozhen would immediately decline, saying, "That wouldn't be very good either."
“There’s nothing wrong with that. If my father-in-law were illiterate, that would be called favoritism, but his current status is sufficient. The Prefectural Magistrate isn’t a proper official,” Xiao Jingshi said.
Seeing her husband say this, Miaozhen agreed and even wrote a letter to her father to tell him the good news. Xu Erpeng never expected that he could become an official thanks to his son-in-law. He was afraid that the man would ask for something in return for his gift, so he declined at first. But Xiao Jingshi said, "Father-in-law, you are too kind. Qi Huangyang recommends people without regard to relatives or enemies. I am just following his example."
Xu Erpeng was pleased with these words, but he was obviously aware that Madam Lou had recommended someone who had been rejected, so he said, "I'm afraid that once I become an official, your sixth branch of the family will complain."
"Why should we be afraid of her? She's just a mere scholar who keeps asking me for salt official positions, as if I own the Ministry of Personnel. Later, she didn't even dare to go to the capital to take the exams. Does our Xiao family have to put up with her, the Lou family's attitude? I can do whatever I want."
The more cautious a person is like his father-in-law, who is always careful and afraid of causing trouble for others, and who has never sought personal gain since the marriage, the more benefits he is willing to give them. He doesn't care about someone like Mrs. Lou, who is a step removed from him, who acts arrogantly in front of the Lou family and Xiao Jingtang, but trying to control him is a pipe dream.
Seeing his son-in-law say this, Xu Erpeng stopped being coy.
On the day of the Xiao family's funeral, he specially set up a roadside memorial at the entrance of his house, and prepared a very lavish feast, with three kinds of sacrificial animals, wine, fruit, incense and candles, which filled two whole square tables.
Xu Erpeng and his eldest son Xu Jian were standing by the sacrificial table. When they saw the Xiao family members paying their respects, they stepped forward to return the greetings.
Before returning from the capital, Gao and Bian had always heard that the Xu family was just an ordinary gentry family. Now, seeing that Xu Erpeng was in his prime, honest but capable, and that Miaozhen's younger brother was also a scholar with a degree in the imperial examinations, handsome and well-mannered, and that their family seemed quite well-off, they lost some of their contempt.
It's common knowledge that wealth can easily lead to marriage, but the Xu family produced a female phoenix. Xu Miaozhen relied on her medical skills to navigate the palace, which was better than many daughters of officials.
Miaozhen didn't think too much about it. They walked out first, and the children followed. The two older ones were fine, but Zheng'er was too young and might catch a cold, so Miaozhen instructed his maid to take good care of him.
The burial ceremony was extremely complicated. Miaozhen and the others went out in the morning and the burial was not held until almost noon. Everyone returned only then.
The first thing she did after returning was to make ginger soup and have them all drink it. Then she went to Madam Ren's place to take her pulse. Seeing that Madam Ren didn't have any major problems, she felt relieved.
Madam Ren held her hand and said, "Don't worry about me. You should take good care of your children first."
“I also asked someone to make ginger soup for them, so you don’t need to worry,” Miaozhen said with a smile.
Madam Ren wasn't feeling well, so Miaozhen stayed with her. After she went to bed, Miaozhen said to Baozhu, who was serving Madam Ren personally, "You're also serving an elderly person. Madam is getting on in years, so if you feel unwell anywhere, you must send someone to tell me."
Baozhu hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Fourth Madam, I will definitely tell you."
"Oh, right, you're off duty now. Come over here for a bit; I've prepared some gifts for you," Miaozhen said with a smile.
Baozhu thought to herself that of the three wives of the second wife, only the fourth wife cared about the servants and was very generous to them. She genuinely cared about the second wife, and it couldn't be faked.
After returning from her mother-in-law's house, Miaozhen told Xiao Jingshi that Ren was alright. Xiao Jingshi was grateful to Miaozhen, saying, "We men are often away from home, so you have to worry about things at home."
"Why bring this up? When something good happens to you, you think of my father. Isn't that how it should be? Husbands and wives should think of each other," Miaozhen said with a smile.
The couple were exhausted and soon fell asleep.
The commotion at Haitangxuan was far from over. Mrs. Lou said, "I knew they really didn't take us seriously. Look, even a bookseller like Fatty Xu went to Suzhou Prefecture as an official, while your cousin, a scholar, was completely ignored."
Lou Qiongyu was already exhausted. Today she had to go through the funeral procession, kneel and pay respects, and travel such a long distance by sedan chair to come back. Now, hearing Mrs. Lou say such things, she couldn't help but say, "Master Xu is Fourth Brother's father-in-law. Our cousin is still a step away from him."
This is the truth. Everything is divided into close and distant relationships, and Mrs. Lou got angry again.
Just then, Bitao from Furongwu delivered some ginger soup. "Our mistress said that the young ladies and gentlemen all caught a cold today. She was wondering if you had any prepared, so she asked me to send some to prevent them from catching a cold."
"Please thank Fourth Sister-in-law for me. I haven't had time to have anyone cook it yet." Lou Qiongyu thought of Miao Ge'er and Wei Jie'er, and quickly thanked them. After Bi Tao left, she sent bowls to her son and daughter respectively.
After finishing all this, Lou Qiongyu said, "Mother, look at my fifth sister-in-law, the daughter of a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue. That's a fifth-rank official, and even she can't compete with me. You always tell me this, but what can I do? Now my fourth sister-in-law's father has become a prefectural clerk. Although he's not a high-ranking official, he's still an eighth-rank official. I've heard that her younger brother is also very learned and might be able to pass the imperial examination in the future. Not to mention herself, what can I possibly compete with now?"
After hearing what her daughter said, Mrs. Lou finally gave up on the idea.
More than a month after the funeral, everyone's spirits had recovered considerably. One day, Miaozhen's daughters-in-law were chatting with Madam Ren. Miaozhen, who had gained a lot of insight from studying the Diamond Sutra over the past few years, was telling Madam Ren a verse: "The Sixth Patriarch Huineng once said, 'Do not seek the Buddha far away on Vulture Peak, for Vulture Peak is only in your heart. Everyone has a Vulture Peak Pagoda, so cultivate yourself beneath it.' This means that the human heart is Buddha. Madam, you often distribute porridge and grain, and do good deeds. Buddha is already in your heart."
Ren liked Miaozhen reciting Buddhist scriptures. Her voice was pleasant and smooth, and her reading had a solemn Buddhist feel to it. Hearing Miaozhen say this, she was even happier and said modestly, "It's nothing."
Miaozhen and her daughters-in-law flattered her a few more times before Ren said, "Thanks to your aunt's reminder, I realized that my grandchildren are all getting on in years. There are several empty seats in our main courtyard, so why don't we have them move to the front courtyard?"
In fact, Miaozhen also felt that the family was indeed very crowded living in Furongwu. Moreover, Fujie and Zhaoge were both grown up and had to learn to be independent. Now that Madam Ren said this, she said, "Mother is indeed wise. I was just thinking that Furongwu was a bit crowded. Since you say so, let's see where you suggest they live."
Seeing that Miaozhen supported her opinion, Madam Ren was delighted and said to her, "Miss Fu and Miss Wei will live in the back building behind me, each with six rooms, and they can arrange them as they please. Zhao will live in the east wing of the second courtyard, and Miao will live in the west wing. How does that sound?"
Neither Miaozhen nor Lou Qiongyu objected to her arrangement.
On the way back, Lou Qiongyu said to Miaozhen, "I was a little worried when the children suddenly said they wanted to leave us. Wei Jie'er is fine, she's been sensible since she was little, but Miao Ge'er, sigh."
“I think Miao-ge’er is fine.” Miao-zhen didn’t think Miao-ge’er was bad at all.
Lou Qiongyu was worried because Miao Ge'er was completely unable to take care of himself and always needed to be fed. He was also very delicate and frail. She looked at Miaozhen with a puzzled expression and asked, "Aren't you worried about them, Fourth Sister-in-law?"
“When I was eleven or twelve, I started learning medicine from Master Tan. I was far away from my parents. At thirteen, I went to Jinling to work as a servant. Gradually, I gained experience.” Miaozhen taught the children to dress themselves, comb their hair, and even sew and wash themselves from a young age. They could live independently, not to mention having a whole house of servants to take care of them. There was nothing to be afraid of.
After returning home, Miaozhen told Zhaoge'er and Fujie'er about it: "Your grandmother is very thoughtful. You are all grown up now, and it is indeed not good for you to live with your parents anymore. Besides, Zhaoge'er can live in the east wing, where a study and painting studio can be specially prepared. As for Fujie'er, she can live in your grandmother's back building, which has six rooms. People can live upstairs, and the downstairs can be used as a music room or for needlework. I thought it was a good idea as soon as I heard it, so I agreed."
Sister Fu pouted, "I don't want to leave my mother."
"This doesn't mean you're leaving me. We'll still be living in the same house, won't we? Now you need to learn how to manage the maids and servants around you. Besides, the place is bigger, and it's cheaper to get up and stay there," Miaozhen comforted her daughter.
As for Zhao Ge'er, although he was also reluctant, he was a boy and couldn't say it out loud. He also felt that it was something that couldn't be changed, so he accepted it quickly.
However, Miaozhen also privately advised the two of them: "Your grandmother is very good to you, but you also know about the slander my fifth aunt from next door has made against me. I'm afraid she can't deal with me, so she might want to deal with you instead. Therefore, you must have someone guard your own courtyard and not allow others to enter casually. You should also be careful."
Although children should retain their innocence, Miaozhen would not hide anything from them about family matters. She would tell them the details, some things separately. To Zhaoge, she would tell him that studying was the most important thing for him now, and if any beautiful girls or maids tried to seduce him, he should tell her, otherwise things would get out of control and he would go astray.
Furthermore, despite his handsome appearance, Miaozhen did not allow him to go out alone with male elders, but insisted that he continue practicing archery.
As for Sister Fu, she educated her about menstruation, telling her not to be afraid when her period came, and taught her how to make a menstrual belt. She also taught her not to trust others too easily and to only speak three-tenths of what she knew.
After Ren Shi chose a date, Zhao Ge'er and Fu Jie'er moved into their new courtyards. Xu Erpeng also sent housewarming gifts: a three-tiered bamboo bookshelf with ice crackle pattern and a three-legged rosewood lamp stand for Zhao Ge'er, and a height-adjustable embroidery frame carved from nanmu wood for Fu Jie'er, along with twelve colors of silk thread and two embroidery pattern books.
He even gave Miaozhen bamboo-woven butterflies, a covered box with pine and grape patterns, and a Song Dynasty celadon ewer, all of which were exquisite, delicate, and lovely.
"Father is really something, sending it to them is one thing, but I'm an adult now," Miaozhen said with a smile.
Xu Erpeng said nonchalantly, "Although I'm not a person of any status, you're practically a princess in our family. I'm only nice to them because of you."
This is her father. Miaozhen heard him say, "The reason I am willing to take on the role of Prefectural Administrator is twofold. First, I have never done it before and want to see how the government operates. Second, my son-in-law is now an official, and I am afraid it is to elevate our family. I cannot go against his wishes. Look at how the Emperor elevates the Empress's family when he appoints her. Although our family is far behind, I think the intention is similar."
Miao Zhen hadn't thought of this yet. She thought Xiao Jingshi probably didn't mean it that way either, but considering that her father had already taken office, she didn't explain further. She simply said, "Anyway, now that Sister Fu and Brother Zhao have been assigned courtyards, half of the people in my Furongwu have left, so things are much more relaxed now."
Madam Mei looked around and smiled, "I was just saying that it feels much quieter here."
Miao Zhen smiled, and then saw Xu Erpeng give her a wink. Miao Zhen told them to go down first. After they had been gone for a while, Xu Erpeng said, "Your aunt died in poverty."
"Father, how did you know?" Miaozhen asked.
Xu Erpeng said, "After you told me about Miaoyun, I happened to know a bookseller from Nanjing. He often came to Suzhou to buy storybooks to sell along the Qinhuai River. You know, I may not have much else, but my storybooks are among the best in the whole of Suzhou. We got to know each other over time, and I asked him to help me inquire. I didn't have high hopes, but it was quite a coincidence. Your uncle often bought books from some boat merchants. They told me that your uncle's family was poor, and the two of them were often dizzy from hunger. In the end, your aunt passed away, but your uncle became rich. I don't know where he moved to, but I heard that he was taken away to enjoy a life of luxury."
So that's how it is. Miaozhen said, "I think she was taken in by the eldest sister later. But didn't she take care of her own parents before? You don't know that she can give fifty taels of silver to a random person on the street."
“That’s easy to explain. She considers herself to be the daughter of Magistrate Xu, so how could she associate with your uncle?” Xu Erpeng could figure it out, and an idea immediately came to him.
Sure enough, real life is even more dramatic than in the books. He now works in the government office during the day and writes stories at night, and he actually has more inspiration than before.
Miao Zhen, unaware of her father's thoughts, said, "Zhang Shihua has now pledged allegiance to Yan's faction, made a comeback, and been appointed as the prefect of Wanzhou. I'm afraid we'll hardly see each other again in the coming years."
"It's better to offend a gentleman than a petty person. My son-in-law and Zhang Shihua were classmates. My son-in-law impeached him before, which was within his duty. It's inevitable that Zhang Shihua will hold a grudge." Xu Erpeng thought a lot.
“That’s a murder case, who would cover it up?” Miaozhen shrugged.
Xu Erpeng waved his hand: "You don't talk about these things in officialdom. Offending ordinary people is nothing, but offending your colleagues makes your career very difficult. So most people who become officials have to act against their conscience. I'll just finish this term and that'll be enough to qualify me. After that, I'll continue writing my novels."
Ke Miaozhen looked at Xu Erpeng and said, "But you were so evasive that day—"
“I’m worried because your older sister has gone to great lengths to maintain her status with Zhang Shihua. If she’s discovered one day, her fate might not be good. A cornered dog might do something rash. I’m afraid that in order to protect herself, she might implicate you. You must remain calm and not get involved.” Xu Erpeng said these words with a heavy heart.
Mei couldn't help but say, "I wasn't really doing anything real anyway."
“If Zhenzhen were just an ordinary person like Miaolian, it would naturally be none of her business. But now that she’s doing so well, Miaoyun is using Zhenzhen’s name to threaten Zhenzhen and her son-in-law in the future,” Xu Erpeng said.
Miaozhen nodded: "I won't interfere."
"That's right. Whatever the consequences of your own actions, you have to bear them yourself. Also, remind your son-in-law to be careful with Zhang Shihua."
Seeing that Miaozhen had taken his words to heart, Xu Erpeng suddenly stood up and said to Madam Mei, "You stay here with our daughter, I'll be leaving now."
Madam Mei asked in confusion, "Isn't today a day off? Your grandson and granddaughter are coming over later, where are you going?"
"Go back and write storybooks!" Xu Erpeng's mind was filled with these wonderful stories, and he couldn't sit still, so he quickly ran away.
The mother and daughter were used to Xu Erpeng's behavior and didn't mind. Zhao Ge'er was a little disappointed when he heard that his maternal grandfather had passed away: "I haven't even spoken to my maternal grandfather yet."
“Then you can personally deliver the meal to your maternal grandfather later. His house has a lot of books, and you love reading, don’t you? That’s perfect,” Miaozhen said.
Since the two houses are quite close, Zhao Ge'er immediately agreed.
Madam Mei praised, "Zhao-ge'er has such a good character."
“I also think he’s naturally gentle and calm. Sometimes he even comforts me, but he’s not the kind of person who lacks his own opinions. Oh well, I can’t be like other people’s mothers and praise them endlessly, otherwise people will say I’m just self-promoting.” Miaozhen laughed heartily.
It was also said that Fu Jie'er and Wei Jie'er's rooms had already been tidied up long ago, with trunks, clothes, and furnishings all moved over. Ren Shi also came to take a look. Fu Jie'er was still a little girl after all, and she showed Ren Shi the lifting embroidery frame for the first time, saying, "Grandpa is so kind, he even specially sent over an embroidery pattern."
As for Sister Wei, Mrs. Lou didn't send anything. Firstly, she lived far away, and secondly, she didn't think it was a big deal for a child to move.
It's clear that the Xu family values it more, because for Xu Erpeng, it's about saving face for his daughter. If he values his grandchildren, then the Xiao family will definitely not be outdone.
Even now, it seems that Madam Ren is more inclined to favor Fu Jie'er. However, Fu Jie'er is a well-bred young lady who grew up in the capital and often goes out with Miao Zhen. After showing off for a while, she felt it was inappropriate and said with a smile, "My place is a mess. I'll ask Grandmother to come over when it's settled by tomorrow."
Mrs. Ren smiled and said, "Alright, Grandmother will come to your place for tea then."
“My other granddaughters aren’t good at it, but I’ve actually learned how to make tea,” said Sister Fu.
She then said that Fu-jie had finished getting ready and went to Furong Garden first. There, Miao-zhen was talking to Madam Mei and instructing people to prepare a meal. She also asked, "Why can't I see my younger brother?"
"Your younger brother went to deliver food to your maternal grandfather." Miao Zhen suddenly understood her father's meaning after she finished speaking. If Fu Jie'er and Zhao Ge'er often went to the Xu family, people would inevitably say that the Xu family were just merchants, but now Xu Erpeng was the Suzhou Prefecture official, and had a minor rank, so it sounded much better.
Sister Fu gritted her teeth: "My brother is really something, he didn't even invite me to come along."
Seeing that her granddaughter was unhappy, Madam Mei said, "I'll take you all out to play in a few days."
“Mother, we are still in mourning,” Miaozhen said reproachfully.
Mei covered her mouth: "I'd almost forgotten."
Miaozhen then inquired about Xu Laoguan'er and her third uncle's family. When the topic turned to family matters, Mei had a lot of complaints: "What a mess your third uncle and his wife made! They just left the two old people in Fengqiao and quietly went out. If your grandparents hadn't come to our door asking for money, we wouldn't have known. Your father was furious, so he came up with an idea. Didn't we buy twenty acres of land in the countryside? He spent twenty taels to buy someone's old courtyard nearby, renovated it, and let your grandparents live in the countryside. He hired someone in the countryside to take care of their daily needs, and they eat and drink what they produce themselves. We bring them over for every festival and send them clothes and snacks. Everyone around praises your father for being filial."
"In the end, it was Father who suffered the loss," Miaozhen sighed.
Madam Mei shook her head: "They've completely lost their shame, what can you do? If our family were nothing, we would naturally have to fight them. But your father and you have your current status. If rumors of your father being unfilial spread, how much of an impact would that have?"
Miaozhen thought about it and agreed. Household matters are the most difficult to explain, and those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose.
It is said that when Zhao Ge'er went to deliver the meal, Xu Erpeng took advantage of the time after the meal to take him to the bookstore first: "The books in Suzhou are the most exquisite. Although the books here cannot compare with those big bookstores, they are very complete, and the business is one of the best here. Just pick what you want to see and take it back."
Zhao Ge'er said sensibly, "Grandpa, I want to study here."
"Alright." Xu Erpeng was very tolerant of others.
The servants of the Xu family knew that Zhao Ge'er was Miao Zhen's son. In the official residence, tea and snacks were always served to the best of the best. When Zhao Ge'er arrived, he was like a mouse in a rice jar. His maternal grandfather's place not only had the Four Books and Five Classics and various selections from previous years, but also all kinds of storybooks. He read them with great interest. It wasn't until Mei Shi returned in the evening that they sent him back.
Miaozhen didn't forbid him from reading storybooks, but she told him he could only read them in his spare time and that it shouldn't interfere with his studies.
"My mother is so good."
"Anyway, you need to remember to keep your distance."
It's better to guide than to block; simply prohibiting will only lead to a stronger backlash.
It is said that Miaozhen had just lamented the troublesome household affairs during the day, and soon she encountered it herself. At the 100-day memorial service for Old Madam Xiao, she noticed that her eldest aunt seemed to want to arrange a marriage between her family and her family, and even had a somewhat unquestionable attitude.
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