Chapter 035 Chapter 35
Originally Xi Que had been serving Guan, but now she was promoted to a lady, and her hair and clothes had changed. When delivering gifts to Guan, Yao Niang smiled and said, "I forgot to congratulate you. I prepared a few feet of silk and a pair of rings. I'll give them to you now that you're here, so I don't have to send anyone over again."
"Thank you, Third Miss." Magpie was very happy.
In fact, it was only after Xi Que was promoted to be a maid that she realized that the third branch of the Yan family was actually very easy to get along with. Madam Xie never made the eldest grandmother follow the rules and never bothered her daughter-in-law. Whenever there was a big event, she would let the eldest grandmother take the lead in handling it. As for the third lady, she was very kind to all of them.
Seeing that the magpie had left, Mother Gu came in with some ginseng soup: "Girl, it's too cold. Drink some ginseng soup to warm yourself up."
Yao Niang drank the hot ginseng soup and felt drowsy. She sniffed again and said, "I can't go out tomorrow, or my nose will really be blown off."
"Girl, that person who just went out was a magpie, right?" asked Mother Gu.
Yao Niang nodded: "It's her. You didn't recognize her just because she changed her hairstyle and clothes?" In fact, she felt that her sister-in-law was really desperate and making a hasty decision. Her brother originally had two roommates given by their grandmother, and he didn't want to promote anyone else. Her position was very stable, but she was in a hurry to push Magpie out.
Who in this world is without selfishness? Magpie was originally a loyal woman, but she became a concubine so quickly. Does that mean she doesn't want to be pampered at all?
Originally, there were only two concubines who were not even considered concubines, and now there is one more magpie. What's the point of this?
But Yao Niang would not talk about the gossip in her brother's room. This was not something a girl like her could discuss. From her selfish point of view, although she did not like Guan, she still hoped that a man and a woman could only have each other for their whole life. However, that also requires them to be in love with each other.
But nowadays, when it comes to marriage, being in love with each other is the most easily overlooked factor. As long as there is a man and a woman who are of similar age, appearance and status, they seem to be a match made in heaven.
Forget it, this is her brother's room's business, and she can't carry someone else's coffin into her room and cry.
In the evening, they lit the hot pot and Yan Yingqi enjoyed the meal very much.
Xie smiled and said, "Yao Niang asked me to order the kitchen to make this. She said she had eaten a pickled cabbage and pork hot pot at someone else's house and she loved it so much that she even asked the person for some pickled cabbage. It looks like it suits your taste too."
"It's light, refreshing and warming, really good." Yan Yingqi really likes it.
Compared to the Zhen family, Xie and Yao Niang would not only eat southern food, nor would they only eat northern food. If they ate anything delicious outside, they would ask people to find a recipe to cook it.
While eating dinner, it was snowing heavily outside. Yao Niang sighed and said, "It would be great if the snow could indicate a good harvest."
Unfortunately, there was no auspicious snow to indicate a good harvest. Instead, I heard early in the morning that the house where Yan Ningxin lived had collapsed. There were big trees planted in front of and behind her house, and the snow broke the branches, which fell on the tiles on the roof.
Yao Niang was surprised: "The horoscopes were just right at the end of this year, and this happened. This marriage..."
But the Shen family and the Yan family are both big families. Not to mention some minor incidents in the middle, even if the horoscopes are incompatible, they can still get along. It's all up to others to decide.
Yan Ningxin went to Qianniang's room during the day because she needed to repair the house. She and Yingniang had an average relationship, but fortunately Qianniang had a mild temper. Qianniang was embroidering on the embroidery. She was good at painting and usually did needlework. When she saw Yan Ningxin coming over, she didn't stop working and even advised, "Big sister, we have all heard about your happy event. I have something to say but I don't know whether I should say it or not."
"What?" Yan Ningxin asked. She and Qianniang didn't actually have much in common.
"Big sister, actually, we women value needlework the most. Whether you give it to elders or embroider something for yourself, it is always better than asking people around you to do it for you. Look at my third sister, she has already started learning tailoring at the age of twelve. Of course, this is just a small suggestion from me. It is up to you whether you listen to it or not." Qianniang said.
But Yan Ningxin suddenly burst into tears. She said, "I have grown up so big, but no one has taught me like this, for my own good."
Seeing her true feelings, Qianniang sighed and said, "Since you said so, I don't dare to be your teacher. If you don't mind, just come and talk to me often. If you don't understand something, just ask me."
Yan Ningxin nodded with emotion.
In her eyes, Yao Niang rarely communicates with others, is arrogant, and changes her temper quickly. It is difficult to get along with Ying Niang, not to mention that she is rude and willful, and has a narrow mind. Only Qian Niang is unexpectedly so good. "
Qianniang embroidered for a while, and then took Yan Ningxin to see Yu. Yu's face was slightly rounder because she was pregnant. Yu had always been kind to her sisters-in-law, and Yan Ningxin would soon marry into the Shen family as the mistress, so she didn't want to offend her, so she invited the two of them to have lunch.
This made Yan Ningxin feel warm and happy, and she felt that the Yan family also had its warmth.
During the Chinese New Year, the two families were often together, and Yaoniang discovered that Yan Ningxin and Qianniang had become much closer. She knew why in her heart. It was indeed the world that was bustling with people for profit.
Yan Ningxin was of course unaware of all this. She even received rouge and powder from Shen Mo before the New Year, saying that they were newly produced by Anxiang Pavilion and had a rich fragrance.
"Second sister, what gift do you think I should give in return?" she asked Qianniang directly.
Qianniang did not answer first, but just asked: "Big sister, what do you think?"
Yan Ningxin simply said a few things: "The plum blossoms in our home are in great bloom. It would be nice if we could put some flowers in a vase and send them over." Then Qianniang said, "The Shen family has a plum garden, which is very famous in Beijing. I'm afraid the plum blossoms in our home can't compare to it."
"Or maybe a jade pendant?" Yan Ningxin thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out.
The Prince of Qi had indeed given her a lot of valuables, including silks, satins, and other high-quality treasures. It would be great if she chose a jade pendant.
Qianniang said, "Miss Shen only gave you rouge and powder, but you gave her a jade pendant in return? That seems too formal."
So, Yan Ningxin said: "Please teach me, second sister."
"Big sister, if you don't mind, I have a shawl here. I've never worn it before, and it has a rosy complexion. The Chu Ci says that when a beautiful woman is drunk, her face becomes rosy and she looks charming. Miss Shen has a graceful figure, and she will definitely look good in this shawl." Qianniang said with a smile.
Yan Ningxin felt relieved when she saw Qianniang come up with a solution.
Yao Niang, who was standing by, lowered her eyes and took a sip of tea. In fact, the eldest sister didn't expect the prince to give her so many treasures. She just gave a small and exquisite thing for Miss Shen to play with. That was a return gift and made Shen Mo look up to her. The second sister did this. On the surface, it seemed selfless, but in fact it only highlighted herself. Everyone knew that it was the second girl who took out the shawl to return the thing gift to the eldest girl.
Both she and Yingniang have conflicts with Yan Ningxin. Even Yaoniang thinks that Yan Ningxin is not necessarily a bad person, but definitely someone with some problems. She thinks differently from others, so they should try to have as little contact with her as possible.
Although Qianniang doesn't have a close relationship with anyone and doesn't offend anyone, she is very good at taking advantage of the situation. Now she cares more about Yingniang than Yan Ningxin.
Thinking of this, she put down the teacup, not wanting to watch the fool being fooled, and said with a smile: "My two sisters, I will go back first. I slept too late yesterday, and my eyes are too sleepy to open now."
Yan Ningxin and Qianniang both smiled and said, "Go ahead."
Yao Niang went out from here and met Yan Jingzhao outside. He was tall and was wearing a black fox cloak, looking handsome and elegant.
"Brother." Yao Niang said happily.
Yan Jingzhao saw his sister coming out alone and couldn't help asking, "What's wrong?"
Yao Niang shook her head: "No, nothing."
"Are they crowding you out? Then can I go play with you? I remember there are red plum blossoms in the garden, so why don't we go and enjoy them?"
Yao Niang suddenly looked at Yan Jingzhao and remembered that she had talked to Yan Jingzhao about the discord between sisters. It turned out that he had kept it in mind for so many years.
"elder brother..."
"Let's go, let's go. You are a little girl and you can't drink. I'll have someone bring some hot drinks over. It's much better for us to enjoy the snow and play the piano together than to talk to those idle people."
Yao Niang nodded heavily: "Okay."
The brother and sister chatted about everything and walked towards the plum forest. Along the way, they talked about the present and the past, picked plums and put them in vases. They were very happy. Originally, Yan Jingzhao wanted to stay here for a while, but Yao Niang knew that her brother was going to take the imperial examination, so she asked him to go back and rest.
After the Lantern Festival, the days to the imperial examination passed in a flash. This time, Yao Niang prepared a pair of knee pads for her brother and had someone send them to the East Cross Courtyard. Pian Guan's menstrual cycle was irregular today. In addition, she took tonics and ate too much fish and meat during the New Year holidays, and sat for a long time, so that she had boils in her private parts. She was in a bad mood, and she had to prepare things for her husband for the imperial examination. Seeing Yao Niang sent someone to send things over, she couldn't help but say, "We have enough in our room, why did she send it over? It's unnecessary. Humph, I'm complaining about eating some tonics, but her daughter often drinks ginseng soup, petty..."
In the past, Xi Que often sent her servants to keep watch for her. Now that Xi Que has become a concubine, although she also comes to the room to serve, she is very considerate and is liked by Yan Jingzhao. Yesterday, Yan Jingzhao also rested at her place, and she rested in her own room.
These words happened to be heard by Yan Jingzhao. As the saying goes, if you walk on the road often, your shoes will get wet. This is what happened.
Yan Jingzhao thought that what he had thought had really come true. No matter whether it was the people his grandmother placed around him or the wife she married for him, they all looked down on them from the bottom of their hearts.
He was really glad that the other party had no children, otherwise he would probably have been kicked out by the third old lady.
That's why his father wanted him to study hard to get a good degree. Only if he did, he wouldn't be controlled by others. It was said that the third old lady treated his father better than the first old lady, his biological mother. So what?
He did not go up to argue with Guan, but just walked away. It was not until the maid who came in said that she had just seen the master leave that Guan's legs went weak and she could hardly stand up.
Because Yan Jingzhao didn't tell anyone, Guan naturally didn't dare to tell others that she was heard by her husband saying bad things about her in-laws. So Guan pretended to be sick, and even Xie thought she was really unwell.
Everyone's attention is now focused on the scholars taking the imperial examinations in the mansion. Yan Jingzhao has restrained his ostentatious attitude this time and is a little more calm.
Xie was not nervous at all. She just said to Yan Jingzhao, "You are already very good to have an erection at the age of 19. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. You are a smart child. More haste, less speed. Don't make yourself sick."
Yan Jingzhao smiled and said, "Okay, my son understands."
"Brother, I have limited knowledge, so I will give you Li Shangyin's poem: I am always happy to hear the bells of Shangyuan from afar, and the colorful clothes celebrate the rich fragrance of osmanthus.
Lu Ji was just about to write a poem to praise his talent, but he didn't realize that there was a dragon among the clouds. I am watching my brother win the first prize in the imperial examination and rise straight up." Yao Niang said with a smile.
Yan Jingzhao said: "Then I will accept your good words."
After saying this, seeing the servants urging him, Yan Jingzhao bowed and got on the carriage.
As soon as Yan Jingzhao left, Guan became even more nervous. She didn't know what she would face in the future. Of course, her husband would not really divorce her. Divorce would not only be bad for her, but also damage Yan Jingzhao's own reputation.
But he will torture you slowly. In this mansion, even the legal wife has to live under the man's wishes. With Zhen's background, she has to be kind to her father-in-law and dare not turn against him.
Thinking of this, Guan couldn't eat anymore and even vomited continuously.
Xie asked a doctor to come over, only to find out that Guan was pregnant. Guan was happy again. Since she was pregnant, she should consider the Buddha's feelings. Yan Jingzhao should not do anything to her, right?
She was pregnant, and Xie said to her, "You don't have to come here to pay respects in the future. Just take good care of yourself. I've also told your mother that she might come here tomorrow. If you need anything, just tell the steward. The doctor just prescribed some medicine to keep the pregnancy going. The pregnancy may not be stable at first, so you don't have to take medicine often in the future. After all, medicine is poisonous. I want to build a small kitchen in your east courtyard so that you don't have to eat in the big kitchen in the future. This way it will be cheaper for you."
"Yes, you are very right." Seeing that Jie was now polite to her and even wanted to build a small kitchen for her, Guan gradually felt more confident.
Xie smiled and said, "If Jing Zhao knew that you were pregnant, I wonder how happy he would be."
Guan said with a guilty conscience: "He will know when he comes back in a few days."
"Well, you should have a good rest." Xie said and stood up to leave.
This was supposed to be a very happy thing. As an aunt, Yao Niang also sent people to greet the couple and planned to make some bellybands and shoes for the unborn baby after the weather got warmer.
Mother Gu said, "That's good. Grandma is pregnant, which is better than anything else."
"Mom, the last time I met Xi Que, she said that my sister-in-law donated 100 taels of silver to buy sesame oil. She lives a frugal life on weekdays, but she is diligent in this matter." Yao Niang said.
Mother Gu was not surprised: "This woman has been married for more than a year and has not gotten pregnant. Some of them even tried folk remedies." Thinking that the girl in front of her was an unmarried girl, Mother Gu refused to say more.
It is said that after Guan became pregnant, her treatment improved immediately, and Yan Yingqi was also very happy. After all, if Guan gave birth to a child, it would be Jing Zhao's first child.
"Master, there's no need to be so anxious. Let's wait until the pregnancy is stable. My wife will be here tomorrow. Let's all be calm. It won't be too late to celebrate after the baby is born." After giving birth to Yan Jingzhao, Xie gave birth to another pair of children. How could she not be looking forward to them? However, they all died in infancy.
Yan Yingqi also thought of this and felt sorry for Xie: "Yes, that's how it should be."
Xie hugged his arm, looked him in the eye and said, "Wear plum blossoms with me today. I want to hang some by my bed as flower bells."
"Okay." Yan Yingqi thought that Xie was still so girlish.
The next day, Madam Guan came over from the scholar's residence. Seeing her own mother, Guan felt embarrassed to say anything bad about herself, saying bad things about her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, even involving Yan Jingzhao, because her husband heard it all.
She just said, "Mother, my period has not come, and I feel sick. I originally thought it was because I ate too much at the New Year banquet, but the doctor said that although it is early in the pregnancy, the symptoms look like pregnancy. My mother-in-law has prepared a small kitchen for me. You can see that all the supplements sent by each room are placed here. There is also a shad for lunch, which was a gift from the emperor to my father-in-law."
Mrs. Guan put her hands together and kept chanting, "Amitabha, your father-in-law is very favored now, your aunt is promising, and now you are pregnant, I don't have to worry about anything anymore."
"Mom, it seems that this magic water is really effective." Guan was very happy as she touched her belly which was not protruding yet.
Madam Guan said, "I also got a prescription for having a baby. Did you take it? Those magic waters are said to be effective, but you can't believe them completely."
"Don't worry, my daughter knows her limits," said Guan.
Mrs. Guan felt very sad when she saw her daughter like this: "You are good in every way, but giving birth to a child is just like me. I also had to wait until I got married to my mother before giving birth to a child. I don't know how much humiliation I suffered during that time. Now that you are pregnant, I don't expect anything else."
The mother and daughter talked about many things to do and avoid during pregnancy. Mrs. Guan thanked Xie Shi for the first time, but Xie Shi didn't say anything. Because she knew that Guan Shi would not listen to others, so Xie Shi was eager for Mrs. Guan to come over and teach Guan Shi more.
…
When Yan Jingzhao was taking the imperial examination, Shen Linfeng and Su Xian were both participating this year. The Yan family was paying close attention. Even Jin Li beside Yan Ningxin joked, "If Mr. Shen passes this year, you will be the first one."
Yan Ningxin smiled and shook her head. She felt very lonely again. Although Qianniang had a good relationship with her, she had to pay her respects to Zhen and visit her sister-in-law Yu. She also had to do needlework on weekdays and was not the kind of person who liked to have fun, so Yan Ningxin couldn't bother her all the time.
For a moment, she thought of Wei Wuji, the man who seemed to dislike her but actually saved her many times. Although he had a strange temper, he was still very good to her, unlike Shen Linfeng, who had no romantic feelings for her.
Yan Ningxin was even scared for a moment. Shen Linfeng thought that he was marrying the eldest daughter of the Yan family, who had a noble bloodline and must be a noble lady like Qianniang and Yaoniang, but she was not.
The Shen family is not an ordinary family. Not only is Shen Linfeng's father the Zuodu Yushi, his uncle is said to have ranked first in the imperial examination and is currently serving as the director of the Imperial College.
Even Shen Mo is such a first-class noble lady, otherwise the Prince of Qi would not have begged Miss Shen to marry him so earnestly.
The reason why his father wanted to pick Wang Mian was because he thought that he might not be able to match Shen Linfeng. Because they were well matched, there was no need for his wife's family to help him out.
Just like when my eldest brother's wife, Guan, was getting married, my father was only the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing, and the two sides were considered a good match. But later, as my father's official position became higher and higher, the Guan family became slightly worse off. This is the change in Mrs. Guan's attitude towards the second wife of the Xie family from before to now.
After the examination, Yan Jingzhao came back from outside. Although he was still handsome and imposing, it was said that this examination was quite difficult, so he was worried that he would not be able to rank high.
After returning, Xie told him that Guan was pregnant.
Yan Jingzhao's eyelids jumped: "She is pregnant?"
Xie smiled and said, "Yes, she is still a bitch. I specially built a small kitchen in your yard so that I can make some soup. If she wants to eat snacks on weekdays, she doesn't have to send people to my place."
"Got it." Yan Jingzhao said with a smile.
Xie saw that her son's expression seemed calm and did not ask him the reason.
At this time, Yu gave birth to a son. The third day bath ceremony at home was very lively. Zhen even taught Yan Ningxin how to do it. This made Yan Yingqi look at Zhen with admiration.
Some biological mothers may not be so thoughtful.
Zhen was angry at her daughter Yingniang for not living up to her expectations: "You, look at the second girl. How did I know that your elder sister is not good at these things? I took the time to teach her, but you always act like a young lady."
"Mom, I know she married into a good family. You all are trying to curry favor with her, but I won't. Even someone like her can marry into a wealthy family. Could it be that my daughter is worse than her?" Ying Niang felt that Yan Ningxin and Shen Linfeng were not a good match at all.
Speaking of which, Yingniang looked down on Yan Ningxin. She looked down on Yan Ningxin simply because she felt that Yan Ningxin had no ability but could get all this. Although she didn't have a biological brother, she had a man like the Prince of Qi who was better than her biological brother, and she grew up in the palace. After she came back, she obviously didn't know anything about music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, and she couldn't speak or behave at all, but she was still able to marry a talented man like Shen Linfeng.
Zhen couldn't do anything with her daughter, and besides, Yingniang was only eleven years old now, so she was no longer harsh on her daughter.
Yu was originally very happy to have given birth to a child. Although she was a concubine's daughter-in-law in the Yan family, she was more likable than Guan and gave birth to a son earlier than Guan. But...
It happened to be the day when the examination results were announced.
"Nian'er, the results will be announced today. Do you think the master will pass?"
Nian'er didn't expect that the Second Mistress was asking about the eldest master, so she just shook her head and said, "I don't know either."
Yu looked out and held the window frame tightly.
Yao Niang did not go to the main room for the third day bath either. She and Xie were waiting in the flower hall. Xie had someone exchange a lot of loose change for her at home. If she won, she would give it as a reward. If not, she would keep it for future use.
If my brother passed the examination, even if his ranking in the palace examination was not good, he would still be a Jinshi.
Waiting is the most anxious thing. When Yao Niang saw Jie's pale face, she knew that although her mother appeared calm in front of her brother, it was because she was afraid that her brother would be under pressure. In fact, she was still very nervous.
Therefore, she comforted him, "Mom, even if my brother doesn't get pregnant, my sister-in-law might give birth to a nephew."
It was rare to see Xie scolding with a fierce face: "Don't talk nonsense."
Yao Niang was startled, and when she heard the housekeeper coming in from the second door, she almost fell to the ground in joy: "Congratulations, Madam. Congratulations, Madam. Our eldest son ranked 28th in this year's examination."
Xie and Yaoniang were instantly delighted, and then they heard the steward say, "The eldest son specially sent someone to say that Mr. Shen also passed the examination and ranked eleventh."
"What about Master Zhao?" Yao Niang suddenly remembered Zhao Xian.
Obviously, he missed the target. The steward was quite eloquent: "I don't think I heard Mr. Zhao's name."
Xie asked, "When will the eldest master come back? Should I prepare for others to come and congratulate him? He can't be away, can he?"
The steward said with a smile, "Today, Master Shen is treating everyone at Fanlou to rose wine. Our Master is also at Fanlou and won't be back for a while."
Rose wine is a top-grade wine, and a small jar costs tens of taels. Yao Niang exclaimed, "Master Shen is really rich."
The manager was not surprised: "That's Wu Xing Shen's family, they are very rich!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
