Chapter 034 Chapter 34
After Zhao Xian and his sister delivered the engagement letter to the Shen family, Lord Zhao brought them to visit. Normally, Yan Yingqi did not meet outsiders casually, but seeing that Zhao Xian was a first-rate writer, he called Yan Jingzhao to the side and invited his own students to come over, and the few of them sat down and talked.
At lunch, Xie prepared a fine banquet and sent it over. Xie couldn't help but say to Guan: "The master appreciates talented people. If you become the head of the family in the future, you must do the same."
Guan thought to herself, don't I know this? Afraid that her mother-in-law would say more, she quickly said, "Yes, Madam, I know, I know."
Seeing her like this, Xie was too lazy to say anything more. She rolled her eyes in her heart and went on with her arrangements. After instructing the servants, she asked Guan to go back first, and she said to Mother Song, "I'm really scared of her."
"Ma'am, don't worry. Grandma is much more well-behaved now." Mother Song tried to persuade them to do things in a positive way.
Conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have existed since ancient times. Xie has a mild temper and is not the type who likes to conflict with others. However, Guan seems to be too disregarding of her elders. Even if Xie is a concubine, she is still Yan Jingzhao's biological mother and needs to be respected.
Xie was upset after hearing what Song's mother said: "The Guan family is from a unique family of scholars. They look like they can hold up the front, but in fact they are all smart and thrifty. It's better for me to save ten taels of silver by saving ten taels of silver at the end of summer and earn a hundred taels of silver from the lotus roots, fish and shrimps in the lotus pond, and give twenty taels to the first wife."
"How can she compare with you?" said Mother Song.
Xie shook her head and said, "Forget it. She is already a grown-up person when she came to our house. I can't change her. When I get older, I won't have to see her anymore."
After saying this, she added that Yao Niang had returned from school. Xie put on a smiling face and asked someone to set the table in the inner room.
"Mom, I want to tell you that my fourth sister was sick today and didn't come to school. My eldest sister had a happy event and didn't come either. The school was too quiet, so I wrote two more pieces of calligraphy." Before anyone arrived, the little mouth was already chattering.
Xie asked someone to rub a handkerchief for her to wipe her hands, and then asked with concern: "What happened to the fourth girl? I thought she was always in good health, how come she is sick again? These few days are the time when she can sleep well."
Yao Niang whispered in Xie's ear: "I suspect that Fourth Sister likes Shen Linfeng. Now Shen Linfeng is likely to become our eldest brother-in-law. Isn't she depressed?"
Xie was incredulous: "Is this true or false? How do you know?"
"Mom, you always treat us like children. In fact, we know everything. I even know that my second sister likes Zhao Xian." Yao Niang was determined to shock people today.
Xie's eyes widened: "How do you know everything?"
Yao Niang spread her hands, "Second sister is restrained by nature, while Master Zhao is free and open-minded. Mother, you always said that father appreciates talented people, so is there any possibility for them?"
Xie shook her head: "It's hard to say. Who knows whether Zhao Xian is married or not? Besides, although our two families are somewhat related, we are from different nationalities and traditions. Your second sister's marriage will definitely be after your eldest sister's. By next year, Zhao Xian will probably have been taken advantage of by someone else. The key is the Zhao family, which is nothing in your father's eyes."
"That's right." Yao Niang felt that she had a lot of worries as she grew up. It was clearly about choosing a husband, but it seemed like she was choosing the employer for her life for the next few decades.
After the mother and daughter finished their meal, Xie said to her, "Mother Gu is very good at tailoring. She made all your clothes when you were little. She is very skillful. Let her teach you now. Don't act like a lady. Be humble. Do you understand?"
Yao Niang smiled and said, "Don't worry."
In Xie's view, housework is work for servants, and there is no need to work as hard as Qianniang to learn it. But there is one thing: you don't have to do it day and night, but you must know how to do it.
Of course, Mother Gu was happy to teach Yao Niang, but she had to be humble and said, "My sister is very good at embroidering flowers and painting. Your humble skills are nothing."
Yao Niang laughed and said, "That's not the way to say it. Tailoring is not an easy job. Xuanyuan, Leizu, Huangdi, and Youchao are all masters of tailoring. Even in the palace, there is an official position called Shangyi who is in charge of clothes. Mom, don't underestimate yourself."
Gu's mother loved and feared the third daughter, who was raised by her own breasts. She loved her because she was sweet-mouthed and eloquent, but she was afraid because she was sensible and dared to manage them directly, unlike some other daughters of noble families who were timid or became confused after getting married.
She is always reasonable and doesn't handle things in a stubborn way. She is very opinionated.
Servants often think that if they know something, they can control their masters to submit. Xie had suffered many losses in the past, and now she understands this truth. She originally planned to teach Yao Niang, but Yao Niang was obviously smarter than she thought, so she did not teach her.
You start with learning to tailor tops, then learn to tailor skirts, and finally learn to tailor pants or long gowns. Once you have learned these, you can tailor an ordinary piece of clothing. Then you can learn to make patterns on the clothing, such as making horizontal slits, pleats, and pleats. It takes a lot of effort to learn this.
It just so happens that Yao Niang and her classmates are about to disband this year, so naturally they have time.
However, Yao Niang asked Mother Gu: "Do you think that the wedding banquet of my eldest sister can be held this year?"
Mother Gu thought for a moment and said, "Not so soon. Even if we officially discuss the marriage, it will take until next year. Now both sides have to match their horoscopes first. Also, will anything bad happen during this period? We even have to prepare the dowry and betrothal gifts before announcing it to the public. After the announcement, the whole family will prepare for the wedding. The dowry, marriage, and etiquette of the eldest daughter are not things that can be done in a short time."
"No wonder mother said we can't announce it to the public now." Yao Niang also understood.
After studying for a while in the afternoon, Yao Niang said to Qing Dai, "I see the fruits are fresh today, you can take a plate to the fourth young lady for me, and then see how her illness is. If it is serious, come back and tell me, if it is normal, tell me that I sent a plate of fresh fruits to her to moisten her throat."
The fourth girl, Yingniang, was sulking. She was no longer the person she was when she was little who could curse at others at will. Her mother had even told her several times to pay attention to her speaking habits, otherwise she would be the one to suffer.
Especially when it comes to other people's feelings, she originally just liked Shen Linfeng at first sight, but later, her elder brother invited him over several times and everyone praised him, so she quietly fell in love with Master Shen.
It would be fine if Shen Linfeng married the third sister, but the eldest sister is like a straw bag to my brother. She is like a flower stuck in cow dung, and she wants her mother to run around for her. Is she so blessed?
She couldn't show it yet, but she hated Yan Ningxin more and more in her heart.
Because she just realized now that there was actually no point of contention between her and Yao Niang. After all, Yao Niang was from the third wife's family. Just imagine, if there was no Yan Ningxin, Shen Linfeng would definitely be her future husband.
"Fourth Miss, Third Miss heard that you had caught a cold, and said this fruit is warm, sweet and moist, so she asked me to bring it to you."
Yingniang was not ill at all, she was just feeling upset. Seeing the fruit sent by Yaoniang looked tender and crisp, she smiled and said, "I was feeling a little uncomfortable, but I am much better now. Thank you, Third Sister, for caring about me."
Qing Dai smiled and said, "I'm glad you're okay. The third lady was very worried."
"I can go to school with you tomorrow, so please don't worry, Third Sister."
Qingdai then bowed and left.
Yingniang was a little worried, but she was not worried about her future. She was the legitimate daughter, and with her mother as the mistress, her future would definitely be better.
But Aunt Yin was worried, but she couldn't say anything about the second young lady's marriage, and she couldn't even ask too many questions, for fear that the eldest lady would be angry with her for talking too much.
But seeing her daughter in a daze, she couldn't help but ask, "What is the second young lady thinking about?"
"Where are you from, Auntie?" Qianniang raised her head.
Aunt Yin smiled and said, "I made two pairs of shoes for Madam and sent them to her."
In fact, Yin Yi Niang rose to power by playing both sides. When she first entered the palace, Yan Yingqi would not go to her room. Whenever Yan Yingqi and Princess Linzi were at odds, or when Xie was stubborn, she would always find a way in between.
But even so, Yan Yingqi still didn't like her very much.
Zhen was also quite wary of Aunt Yin. Although she accepted her kindness, she didn't actually say much to her.
Qianniang glanced at Aunt Yin and said, "Aunt, you don't have to be like this. The eldest lady always has shoes like yours. I still have a few feet of black satin left over from this spring. If you like it, take it."
Because Yan Yingqi seldom went to Aunt Yin's place, some of her good materials were not easy to obtain.
"I'm sorry to say that. At your age, you should wear brighter clothes. The young lady here might be from the Shen family. Even if it's not, the master will definitely find a good marriage for her. It's just that men and women have different perspectives..." Aunt Yin said with a smile.
Qianniang didn't understand: "What do you mean by that?"
Aunt Yin glanced outside and said, "I heard that the old master originally had his eyes on a nobleman from Henan named Wang Mian. How can Wang's family background compare with that of Mr. Shen? The old master was attracted by this man's talent, but women want to rely on a lifetime of wealth and honor. You are now the daughter of the Minister of Personnel, but in the future you will become the wife of a minor official. The gap is too big, and not everyone can bear it."
Qianniang smiled and said, "Aunt, that Prince Wang is also the descendant of a famous official, his family is also quite wealthy, and he is also the top scholar in Henan. If you still don't want to give up on him, when the time comes to select a son-in-law, others will be too late to snatch him away."
“那是那些寒門商戶才如此，咱們家中哪裏需要這般。咦，你怎麽心不在焉的？”殷姨娘見女兒出神，怕她有了什麽心思。
倩娘搖頭：“我只是想着過幾日我和大姐要去佟家老大人的壽宴上，為何三妹妹和四妹妹倒是不必去？”
殷姨娘笑道：“好姑娘，這可是好機會。三姑娘和四姑娘還小呢，如今最重要的就是大姑娘和你了，多出去總沒壞事。”
倩娘敷衍的笑了笑。
哪裏知道這次出去回來，倩娘和窈娘她們提起沈陌來有些微妙：“之前打馬球的時候，她對大姐姐挺不客氣的，現在可不一樣了，對大姐姐好的和親姐妹似的，還約大姐姐明日去香粉店，和以前完全不同了。”
猶記當時馬球之後，沈陌對顏寧馨可是看不順眼的。
窈娘攤手：“她們好總比不好強。”
姑嫂親才好，她還羨慕倩娘和于氏關系很好，不像自己和關氏非常一般。
倩娘也不再糾結了：“也是。”
不知怎麽倩娘又問起趙家的事情：“趙姑娘沒跟着上京嗎？”
“我聽說她上京了，但大抵不想和我們這些老朋友們再見了吧，爹說趙公子學已有成，指不定今年會試會中。”窈娘覺得倩娘有些過度關心趙家了，也不知道能不能在一起，居然這般上心？之前倩娘還積極跟着甄氏出門，現在卻這般都無法遮掩了。
倩娘笑道：“以前在金陵時，我就知道趙公子才學一流，我們女兒家作詩，總是兒女情長，他的詩總是豪氣萬千，令人十分佩服。”
窈娘看向她，還是試探的問出了這句話：“二姐姐，你這是心裏有他嗎？”
倩娘有一瞬間的堂皇，又閉口不言，但窈娘已經什麽都明白了。
即便是姐妹，也并非無話不談，她們這樣大家族出身的姑娘，有許多話并不能直接和對方說起，否則哪一天出事，都不知道怎麽出事兒的。
于是，窈娘又岔開話題說裁剪衣裳的事情真難，倩娘則道：“一開始難，熟能生巧罷了。”
二人言語了幾句，便又散了。
倩娘想起當年顏家恁是炎熱的天，趙顯卻曬着毒太陽到顏家的藏書樓借書，見到她們也從不逾矩。
這樣上進守禮又舒朗的年輕人，明明寄人籬下卻從來都能交一幫好朋友，和她完全不同。
等到明年會試，她還會聽到他的消息，那時候大姐成婚，她的婚事父親興許也開始考慮了。若是不能，她只覺得有些苦澀。
忽然，窈娘覺得姐妹們都不一樣了，都不是那麽純粹了，她們似乎都有了喜歡的人，二姐姐會因為聽到趙顯過來都激動不已，四妹妹愛慕沈臨風，可她似乎對別人根本沒有什麽愛慕之情？
有些男子的确生的很俊朗，可也只是欣賞罷了，但一想起有喜歡的人就失魂落魄的，她還不如這樣正好。
秋去冬來，窈娘也終于能縫一件簡單的裏衣，年底餘先生要準備會試，不再教導她們，窈娘等人也就散學了，她現下除了依舊畫畫彈琴，就是學女紅裁剪。
冬日也有宴飲，窈娘和瑩娘跟着甄氏出去了一趟，甄氏現下往往如此，每次出去都是各帶兩人。
這日是宣平侯府的宴飲，瑩娘比之對顏寧馨越發惡劣無視的态度，相反和窈娘關系倒是比之前和緩了許多，甚至上了馬車還主動道：“你不知道吧，這宣平侯府可是很不一般吶，宣平侯爺任五軍都督府中軍都督，他弟弟原本是錦衣衛指揮使。”
“這個我知道，也是我們金陵人，只是我聽說宣平侯府雖好，可早已不如往年了。”
上面的人退下來，人走茶涼。
瑩娘笑道：“不管怎麽不如當年，好歹那也是侯府。”
宣平侯府的老家也在金陵，兩邊說起來都有鄉誼，在這裏窈娘還碰到了沈陌，沈陌顯然非常擅長交際，見到窈娘她們連忙過來見禮。
“沈姐姐。”窈娘和瑩娘一起問好。
沈陌笑道：“你大姐姐如何沒來？她和我素來投契，我還以為今日能夠見到她呢。”
窈娘道：“大姐姐今日在家中有事，沈姐姐若有什麽要找她的，可以讓我們轉告。”
“倒也沒什麽，你看那邊成國公府的夫人過來了，她是最熱情不過的，她家的馬球會很好玩兒的，我見你大姐姐馬球打的好，想請她明年出來玩兒呢。”沈陌如是道。
她現在是齊王世子那邊想抓着，同時哥哥若是能娶到吏部侍郎的千金，也于前途大有裨益。
窈娘聽她這麽說，客氣的點頭：“你放心，我肯定會回去告訴大姐姐的。”
沈陌也不好冷落其餘兩位顏家姑娘，又和她們拉近距離道：“說起來我母親娘家也是金陵人？我小時候在外祖家中長到八歲才回我自己家呢。”
“是嗎？不知是金陵哪一家？”窈娘和瑩娘都好奇。
沈陌則問起：“金陵韓氏你們可知曉？”
窈娘聞言一笑：“本地士族志韓家排第一，我如何不知？聽聞自戰國時期秦國丞相、秦上卿、東吳時期的将軍、東晉時期封侯拜相者均出自韓氏家族。當年我哥哥成婚，韓家老夫人還親自過來過。”
“那便是我的外祖母。”沈陌臉上閃過一絲欣喜。
到現在窈娘當然也不會相信什麽老鄉了，上次有個順天府尹的女兒還是孫女，也是說自己外家金陵的，她過生辰的時候給窈娘下帖子，窈娘還親自挑選了貴重的禮物送過去，還真的真誠以對，沒想到這人收了她的禮背後還說她的壞話，不僅如此，等到花宴請她來，她送的她自己做的什麽簪子，不值當一兩銀子的破銅爛鐵。
但面上她還要吹捧一番：“沈姐姐你真的是名門中的名門。”
沈陌一幅把她們當自己人的模樣，還套起話來：“我才羨慕你大姐姐呢，母親是龍子鳳孫，父親又是金陵名門，那才是名門中的名門。”
即便內裏再多不和，當着人家未來親家的面，連瑩娘都說了幾句顏寧馨的好話：“我大姐姐正因為出身好，所以反而不太在意那些，在我們家最是好相處不過的人了。”
這就是顏家姐妹，回程的路上，窈娘還誇了瑩娘幾句：“真沒想到你會幫大姐姐說話，現下你也算是長大了。”
“我可不會像毛姐姐妹那樣，原本姐姐幫妹妹說話，結果妹妹卻只想和姐姐一較高下，到處說自己姐姐的壞話，連帶她的名聲也一起臭了。”瑩娘現在也不完全是小孩子了，甄氏私下也提點她不少。
瑩娘說的事情，窈娘也知道，毛家大姑娘人不錯，即便和二姑娘只是堂姐妹，兩邊關系不是很和睦，但在外還是幫二姑娘說話，畢竟這位二姑娘帶着未婚夫走親訪友也算獨一份了。但這位毛二姑娘呢，卻是在外到處說自己堂姐嫁不出去不受歡迎。
因此兩邊聽聞鬧的很僵硬，毛家姑娘徹底名聲都臭了，毛大姑娘嫁去外省了。
現在瑩娘能夠這般，窈娘也松了一口氣：“這就好，這就好。今年的年肯定過不好了，明年二月大哥哥下場，三哥哥也要縣試，四月份二哥哥府試。”
“還好咱們都是女子，不必科考。”瑩娘聽着都頭皮發麻，原本她也不是那麽喜歡讀書，尤其是什麽制藝。
窈娘卻不認同：“可是男子可以通過科舉升晉升之路啊，日後出将入相，不必像我們女子這般，只能依附于人。”
“三姐姐，你的高談闊論少說點吧，天天恨不得自己是武則天似的，你的個性也太強了。二娘那般和氣，你也該學學她。”瑩娘沒好氣道。
窈娘道：“你呢，就是紙老虎。”她也不覺得自己的話有絲毫不妥，如果覺得不妥的人，那可能就是那些男的自己沒本事，反而怪女人太有本事。
好在二人已經不是之前那般鬥氣了，自然她們也不可能親密無間，只是普通的同侪一樣，反正一起出去走個過場，互相維護一下顏家，之後就各找各的娘親，平日也幾乎不怎麽往來。
年末，沈臨風上門了一趟，甄氏特地在沈臨風走過的回廊讓顏寧馨看了一眼，雖然知曉二人之前見過，但是現在合了八字，只等他科考完了之後，開春之後，就可以對外公布了。
可實際上顏寧馨私下在去佟家時和沈臨風見過一面，沈臨風十分坦白，他沒有通房沒有妾，只要她嫁給他，那麽顏寧馨絕對是當之無愧的沈家唯一的主母，沒有任何威脅。
Although Yan Ningxin had no feelings for Shen Linfeng, she knew that Shen Linfeng was definitely the most suitable person for her. Shen Linfeng had an outstanding family background, was both talented and handsome, and even had a cleaner private life than her brothers. Her eldest brother, Yan Jingzhao, had two concubines and a female confidant outside, and the family just married a little star. The second brother also had many concubines, and even the third brother, who was not very old, had a concubine.
For these young men from noble families, having women is as easy as drinking water. Shen Linfeng is really rare. It can be seen that although he is surrounded by peach blossoms, he is actually very indifferent to love between men and women.
So be it, she accepted her fate, Yan Ningxin said in her heart.
Her status can help her father to help Shen Linfeng's career go more smoothly, and by supporting the Shen family, the Shen family can make her cousin's path to the throne of the crown prince smoother.