Chapter 032 Chapter 32
"Are you saying that elder sister gave a painting to the Prince of Qi?" Yao Niang raised her head from her embroidery and looked at Qingdai who had just returned.
Qing Dai nodded hastily: "There were quite a few people who followed the young lady out that day. If they hadn't mentioned it, I would have no idea."
Yao Niang stood up suddenly: "How could these paintings I drew at home be spread outside? What's wrong with this elder sister? I thought she gave them to her as a souvenir."
In conclusion, she suppressed her temper and asked the servant to invite Yan Ningxin over to verify with her whether this was true.
Yan Ningxin still didn't understand what was going on. When she came here, she was still wondering if she had asked her third sister to draw a picture for her and didn't give her any thank-you gift, so she got angry? But it was her third sister who had refused it herself and had always refused it.
But when she saw Yao Niang, she felt relieved to see that she was the same as before, and asked, "Third sister, is there something you want to ask me?"
Yao Niang smiled and said, "The family lessons have been suspended for a few days, and I haven't seen my elder sister for a few days. I just remembered that there was a flaw in the painting I drew for you before, and I want to take it back to make some corrections. So I invited you over, and you can take it back after I make the corrections."
Yan Ningxin was stunned. She had given this painting away a long time ago, but she didn't expect Yao Niang to still want it, so she laughed and said, "Third sister, why bother? I think it's good, there's no flaw."
This made Yao Niang feel even more depressed. If she was the one who admitted her mistake immediately, Yao Niang could still say that she was innocent because she could see that Yan Ningxin didn't care much about the distinction between men and women. But if she really gave the baby away and still pretended not to know, then she was lying, which would be a big problem.
So Yao Niang said, "Big sister, since I want to change it, it must be because I found something. It's not a big deal, you can just ask someone to find it out."
Yan Ningxin certainly didn't. She wanted to make excuses again, but seeing Yao Niang sizing her up, she told the truth: "Third sister, to be honest, I gave it to my cousin. He is going to his fiefdom, and I'm afraid we won't have the chance to see each other again in the future, so I gave it to him."
"You gave it to the Prince of Qi? Why didn't you tell me in advance?" Yao Niang was very angry.
Yan Ningxin spread her hands: "If I had told you in advance, you would definitely not agree."
Although this was true, Yao Niang could no longer treat her politely: "Big sister, you asked me to paint a picture, and I never refused. I spent a long time painting before giving it to you. But you gave it to someone else without saying a word. It will be difficult for us sisters to get along in the future."
She changed "外人" to "外人" because originally no one in the mansion knew that her painting had fallen into the hands of the Prince of Qi. If she shouted it out, it would make the matter worse and she would be the one who would suffer the loss.
Yan Ningxin sighed: "Third sister, it's my fault."
Yao Niang looked at her and said, "Alright, alright. If you borrow flowers to offer to Buddha again in the future and don't care about your reputation, I will definitely tell the adults."
Yan Ningxin assured: "Third sister, what I did was wrong. I will definitely not do it again in the future."
Yao Niang nodded slowly.
When Yan Ningxin walked out, Jin Li said, "Actually, this painting is yours now that I gave it to you. Why is the Third Miss so worried? I think she is afraid that you didn't mention her name."
"But I still gave it to a man outside of my family, so it's my fault." Yan Ningxin blamed herself.
Jin Lu said, "If the distinction between men and women is really that strict, wouldn't the third lady be playing music with the eldest master?"
"Okay, Jinli, I know you are wholeheartedly protecting me, but what will happen if others hear what you say? Besides, the third sister's temper is just as bad as the fourth sister's, but she is not as overtly rude as the fourth sister." Yan Ningxin reminded.
In fact, the third sister is more difficult to deal with than the fourth sister. If she has to, she really doesn't want to offend her.
Especially since everyone said that Yan Jingzhao was extremely talented and good at writing, if she passed the provincial examination, she would be a famous official with a bright future. As Yan Jingzhao's younger sister, the servants now tried to curry favor with her.
Fortunately, the third sister just said that she would not tell father and the second wife, so how could she be so foolish as to shout about it everywhere?
In fact, Yao Niang hinted at it that day, and Yan Yingqi happened to be free, so he had dinner with them.
"Dad, I didn't expect that my third sister gave the painting I gave her to the Prince of Qi? Originally, I thought there was a place that was not painted well, so I wanted to take it back to modify it. Now it's good, it's followed to Shandong." Yao Niang pouted.
Yan Yingqi put down his chopsticks and frowned, "What?"
Yan Yingqi thought that she was thinking too much. Could it be that Yan Ningxin was secretly acting as a matchmaker to make the Prince of Qi and Yao Niang have an affair? Otherwise, as an elder sister, how could she just take her younger sister's work out of the palace?
Yao Niang saw Yan Yingqi's expression and felt happy for a moment. She was not someone who could be easily bullied. Why did she act like Ying Niang? Behaviors like Yan Ningxin should be controlled by someone who could control her.
"Dad, what's wrong with you?" Yao Niang pretended not to know.
Yan Yingqi shook his head: "Nothing. It's really inappropriate for your elder sister to do this. I'll go ask her later."
Yao Niang spoke up for Yan Ningxin instead: "Dad, please don't tell big sister about this. If you do, she will definitely know that it was me who told the story, and then there will be a rift between us sisters. Anyway, I won't send her paintings in the future."
"The matter of Yao Niang is unusual. Let me ask you, do you have your signature?" Yan Yingqi asked.
Yao Niang quickly shook her head: "I'm not a famous writer, nor do I have a name, so how dare I sign my name casually?"
Hearing that his daughter did not sign her name, Yan Yingqi breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, that's good. Yao Niang, you have to keep this in mind and don't give paintings to others casually in the future."
"My daughter understands." Yao Niang said with a smile.
Yan Yingqi said to Jie Shi in a serious tone, "You must teach our daughter well. She should be on guard against others, no matter how close they are. She should not be too innocent and kind, or she will be cheated and sold out without knowing it."
Xie seemed to have just reacted: "Okay, I understand."
Yan Yingqi couldn't help but poke her: "You, how can you and your daughter survive without me by your side?"
Yao Niang quickly turned her face away.
I heard that after a few days, Yan Ningxin sent two nannies to teach her etiquette. She no longer had to study with her sisters, but instead had to learn more about etiquette and manners.
In the school, Yingniang described it vividly: "Those two maids were both big and strong, blocking the door, and even the two maids, Jingou and Yindan, were punished."
Yao Niang felt a little guilty, but when she thought of how Yan Ningxin had cheated her, she hardened her heart again.
After school, Qianniang said to Yaoniang, "My elder brother will be killed tomorrow, and I, as his younger sister, can't help him much, so I sewed a scent bag to ward off evil spirits and asked my third sister to pass it on to him."
"Second sister is so thoughtful." Yao Niang said with a smile.
Yingniang, who was walking behind, was startled and immediately stepped forward to ask, "Second sister, why didn't I know when you did it? And you didn't even invite me to join you."
Qianniang said calmly, "Of course not. I told you about it when I came back from the polo field that day. I guess you didn't take it to heart."
Yingniang's face turned red. She was so absorbed in Shen Linfeng's charm at the time that she naturally didn't remember what her second sister said.
"Fourth sister, my brother has everything he needs." Yao Niang smiled.
Xie helped prepare Yan Jingzhao's examination basket, and Guan also assisted. Yao Niang took a quick look and saw not only pens, ink, inkstones, paper weights, and water jugs, but also rolls of cloth, oilcloth door curtains, examination tables, candles and candlesticks, small stools, footboards, pillows, washbasins, clothes poles, bamboo nails, hammers, water barrels, and small stoves.
Ying Niang said, "My mother was in the small Buddhist temple yesterday praying for my elder brother."
Of course Zhen was praying. She was praying that Yan Jingzhao would not pass the exam, and she was praying very devoutly.
Yan Jingzhao was at his ease. Seeing Jie putting ginseng slices and peeled longan pulp in the bookcase, he said, "Mother, I also fast from time to time. Please don't prepare too much food, or it will all be wasted."
"It's not going to be a good three days. Don't you like the halved chicken your mother makes? I'll get up tomorrow morning and cut them all up to avoid them being messed up by the soldiers." Xie didn't even trust Guan's preparations, so she prepared everything herself.
Yao Niang smiled and said, "Brother, are you nervous today?"
"It's okay, I'm not very nervous." Yan Jingzhao is conceited and has the capital to be conceited.
In fact, Yan Yingqi did not sleep well that night. Xie was already like this, and many people were even devastated because of failure in the imperial examinations, let alone someone like Jing Zhao.
Before daybreak, the Yan family came to see off the examinee. Even Yao Niang was lifted up by the servants and asked to escort her brother out.
The women escorted them to the second gate and stopped. Xie held Mother Song's hand and said to Guan who was standing beside them, "It's still early. You should go back and rest. You don't need to come over to my place."
Guan bowed and seemed very respectful: "Yes."
Because Yan Jingzhao was going to die, there was a lot of noise in the mansion, and even Yan Ningxin knew about it. She had been having a bad time these few days, like a puppet. The teaching maids didn't beat her or scold her, but repeated the same boring rules over and over again for her to learn, but Yan Ningxin couldn't hate anyone.
She probably knew that it might be Yao Niang who did it. After all, it was because of Yao Niang's incident that Yan Yingqi asked Zhen to give her two more maids to discipline her.
This third sister is really hard to get along with. It's okay to quarrel with the fourth sister, but if you don't deal with this third sister, she will really not let you go. Because her reputation has been ruined by my father, her future treatment may be reduced.
She might never learn such a method in her lifetime.
**
There were three sessions of the provincial examination, each lasting three days. These days were a torment for both the candidates and their families. However, at this time, Mrs. Guan came to the house.
Mrs. Guan was supposed to arrive before the Mid-Autumn Festival, but because there were some problems with the boat on the way, her arrival was delayed for several days.
This was also the first time Yao Niang looked at Madam Guan. Even though the weather was not cool, the blue woolen coat she was wearing looked so thick. Xie even introduced herself to her: "Madam, this is my daughter Yao Niang."
Mrs. Guan was a little absent-minded: "Oh, so this is the third girl."
"I was originally planning to wait for Jingzhao to come back and then invite my in-laws to come over to visit, but I didn't expect you to come here in person. I wonder if you have settled in?" Xie greeted.
Mrs. Guan quickly adjusted herself and said with a smile, "Everything is fine. I shouldn't have come to your house. As the saying goes, a daughter who is married off is like water spilled out. Your family is a rare philanthropic family. It is a great blessing for her to have such a kind mother-in-law like you. But before I went to the capital, the old lady of your mansion asked me to bring a lot of things to the capital, and I thought of sending them over first."
After Xie thanked her hurriedly, she asked someone to take Mrs. Guan to talk to Guan. She did not have the habit of preventing her daughter-in-law from meeting her family.
But Yao Niang couldn't help but say, "Last time you stopped your sister-in-law's supplements, I thought she would definitely complain."
"Then let her sue. Her parents understand better than she does." Xie didn't care. The more trouble Guan made, the more disadvantageous it would be for her.
Yao Niang propped up her chin and couldn't help asking, "Why is it that the Guan family is also a family of scholars for generations, so why do some of my sister-in-law's actions make me feel unbelievable?"
Xie smiled and said, "Your elder sister is still the eldest daughter of the Yan family. Does that mean she must behave like a noble lady?"
"That's right." Yao Niang suddenly realized.
Xie said, "So you should remember the saying that one should not judge a person by his appearance. Many learned people may not necessarily have good character. For example, when we went out that day, we saw dandy young men wearing flying fish suits given by their elders on the street. Those people were not from noble families."
"So this is why the first lady would rather marry dad as her successor? No matter what, dad comes from a noble family, is extremely talented, and holds a high official position." Yao Niang said.
Xie nodded, "That's true, but it's nothing. Don't you like Ouyang Xiu's articles? Ouyang Xiu's first wife, Xu, was the daughter of Xu Yan, the prefect of Kaifeng and a scholar of the Imperial Academy. She died at the age of seventeen before she finished her confinement. Soon, Ouyang Xiu married Yang, the daughter of Yang Daya, a scholar of the Jixian Academy and a counselor. Yang was beautiful, but she also died at the age of eighteen. Then he married the third daughter of Xue Kui, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Even after Ouyang Xiu married this Mrs. Xue, she died within a few years. Ouyang Xiu married Xue's fourth sister, Xiao Xue. Look, when the elder sister died, the younger sister married next. Su Shi was the same. He married the elder sister, and when the elder sister died, he married the younger sister."
"Do you mean that I shouldn't be so surprised?" Yao Niang asked.
Xie smiled and said, "No, what I mean is that your sister-in-law hasn't seen the situation clearly. Your brother is obviously a great man. No matter whether she can have children or not, as long as she is in this position, she is the first wife. And if she has a bright future with you, she will also be a wife with a high status because of her husband. She takes tonic medicine carelessly and tries to take it even when she is not sick. She is not very old. If she doesn't take care of herself now, I am afraid that even if she is pregnant, she will take more tonic medicine in the future. She is so smart. I am too lazy to say anything to her."
Somehow Yao Niang heard a hint of mystery from it.
Sure enough, Guan was complaining to Madam Guan: "It's just because I'm not pregnant, and I'm thinking about my husband. I never thought that my mother-in-law would complain that I eat too many tonics. Mother, you always say that the Yan family is good, but I, your concubine mother-in-law..."
"Be careful with what you say. No matter if people outside think she is your mother-in-law or not, she is now. You should make sure that no one can find fault with you, in front of others or behind their backs. I came from Jinling, and the third old lady is still in Jinling. She looks a lot older, and can't take care of many things. To be precise, your father-in-law is not her biological son, but your mother-in-law is very much loved by your father-in-law. You shouldn't dream of becoming a housekeeper as soon as you enter the house." Mrs. Guan quickly clarified the truth for her daughter.
Guan was surprised: "Mother, are you asking me to surrender?"
When Mrs. Guan was young, her family only taught her "Female Training" and "Female Rules", and she always put her husband first. However, this did not bring about a good relationship with her husband, so she raised her daughter to have a strong character and not to be really weak in front of him. She even chose the Yan family because of the embarrassing status of Yan Jingzhao's mother, and she could not really act like a mother-in-law.
But when she arrived at her husband's house, problems arose. The grandmother-in-law who was friendly to her daughter and had a lot of say lost her power, and instead the embarrassed mother-in-law was in charge. However, the daughter still thought the same as before, which was absolutely wrong.
"You are a daughter-in-law. It is your duty to serve your elders. What are you talking about submission or not? If you keep doing this, the people in the first house will laugh at you, and your mother-in-law will vent her anger on you. A daughter who is married off is like water spilled. How are you going to live in someone else's home if you are labeled as unfilial? Don't think that all your servants are on your side. Their monthly allowance and share of allowance are paid by the Yan family." Mrs. Guan hit on the point.
Guan originally thought that her situation would be much better after her mother came back, but after hearing what her mother said, she suddenly felt that she actually had no one to rely on.
Therefore, Guan family stopped its activities immediately.
Mrs. Guan couldn't bear to see her daughter like this: "I also brought a lot of supplements with me this time. You should take good care of yourself and don't let your mother-in-law gossip about you."
Guan had no choice but to agree.
Apparently, Mrs. Guan did not go crazy and beat Mrs. Xie, but instead beat her own daughter. Mrs. Guan had no one to rely on, so she began to visit her father every morning and evening.
Xie also knew that her daughter-in-law was a person who could not change her nature, so she did not say much about her kindness, nor did she pay attention to the supplements she took privately. After all, they were sent by her family, and she had no say in how she ate them.
After the first exam results came out, Yan Jingzhao was very disgusted with himself. He went home and took a bath with hot water, then had a meal, took a nap, and then rushed to the exam room.
Xie whispered to Yao Niang, "Your brother's clothes were all torn. I asked someone to wash them, but your brother said he didn't want to wear them anymore. He didn't want to wear them even after they were washed."
"There are still two games left, and I don't know how brother will make it through. However, if he really wins, brother will be the master of the house, so it's worth it." Yao Niang said with a smile.
Xie had an even better idea: "If your brother wins the imperial examination, with your father's current reputation, he will definitely attend the Lu Ming Banquet. By then, all the students and candidates will be in our third room."
If there are any young talents, they can also be examined.
For example, her daughter-in-law gave Mrs. Li a great lesson. She did not choose the one she wanted, so except for Mrs. Guan's good family background, she was not compatible with her in any other aspects. Therefore, when choosing a son-in-law for her daughter, she must choose carefully and not be careless.
Family background is secondary, but talent and character must be suitable.
Yao Niang looked at Xie and said, "Mom, you finally made it through."
But the mother and daughter only said a few words to each other at home. Outside, even if the servants were a little proud, Xie would immediately say: "The young master hasn't even finished the exam yet, what are you proud of? Even if the eldest young master really passed the exam, you should keep calm. You must know that there are always people better than you."
When Yan Jingzhao came out of the second round, Yan Jingzhang and Yan Jingwen personally met him. Yan Jingzhao had finished the test ahead of time. He was so confident that Yan Jingzhang admired him very much: "Brother, how did you do in the test this time?"
"I have achieved the best and achieved the best. I am the top scholar in Shuntian Prefecture." Yan Jingzhao waved his folding fan lightly, feeling indescribably proud. He even invited his two younger brothers to have a drink at Chunfeng Manyue Tower and did not return until the evening.
Guan asked the maid to help Yan Jingzhao wash and dress, and she found that there was the scent of powder on Yan Jingzhao's clothes. Guan was a little unhappy for a moment, but she couldn't even control Yan Jingzhao. Yan Jingzhao was not as gentle as Xie, a reasonable person, and she was not close to her.
Even if you see it, you have to pretend you didn’t see it.
Yan Jingzhao was very energetic. He passed the third exam. When he heard Yao Niang playing the piano, he gave her a few pointers. He even made some "inappropriate" remarks after knowing that Yan Ningxin had conveyed Yao Niang's words to the Prince of Qi.
This shocked Yao Niang: "Brother, are you really the top scorer this time? Do you want to wait until the list is posted?"
"It can't be wrong. I started learning at the age of three, knew a thousand words at the age of five, could recite them backwards at the age of seven, and took part in the county examination at the age of nine. If I hadn't been sick at the age of twelve, I would not have waited until I was fourteen to enter school. Maybe I am a little tired after the first test today, but my feeling gets better and better with each test, so I have to be the winner." Yan Jingzhao is different from Xie Yaoniang. He is indeed very confident.
Yao Niang still advised: "Brother, let's wait until the list is published. After all, if you announce it now, what if there is a deviation at that time? Wouldn't it be like holding a graduation banquet at halftime? It would be easy to be laughed at. I know that brother is very talented, so everything should be settled after the dust settles, and then we can celebrate openly."
Yan Jingzhao poked Yao Niang with his fan and said, "So you don't believe your brother?"
Yao Niang rolled her eyes at him, "If I didn't believe in you, would I still make you shoes that would help you rise to higher positions? This is the first time I've made shoes. I just thought that things are unpredictable, and you can only climb high and fall hard. Even Tang Yin was a great man, and he was the top scorer in our Yingtian Prefecture, but what happened to him in the end? You want to be a famous prime minister like Yao Chong and Song Jing, so why don't you learn from them to be good at changing your ways? The eldest lady has always been jealous of you and me, and if you behave like this at home, won't you just cause resentment?"
After being scolded by his sister, Yan Jingzhao calmed down a little.
On the day when the results were announced, almost the entire family went out. Even Zhen went, and she and Jie stood aside arm in arm. Yan Jingzhao stood aside, confident in his decision.
The place was crowded with people looking at the list, and the noise was deafening. Yao Niang and her sisters stood on tiptoe to look at the list.
"It's coming out, it's coming out..."
Hundreds of people were looking at the list. Yao Niang felt her legs trembling and she couldn't stand steadily. Fortunately, she saw her brother's name on the list.
Yan Jingzhao was a native of Jianye, Nanjing Prefecture, and was a scholar of classics. His courtesy name was Boying, and he was 19 years old. His great-grandfather was a captain of the Jinyi Guard, his grandfather was the governor of Henan, his father was the vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel, his mother was the Princess of Linzi, his mother was Zhen, and his biological mother was Xie. He ranked second in the Shuntianfu provincial examination.
"Brother, you won the Asian Yuan." Yao Niang was extremely happy.
Yan Jingzhao was unhappy: "Why am I only the runner-up? The first place winner is unknown, and the famous talent Shen Linfeng is not even the top five classics. I want to check the test paper."
Zhen, who was standing by, almost fainted. She was still not satisfied with getting second place.
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