Chapter 040 Chapter 40
The Yan family is now in mourning. Yao Niang came to Xie's place early, and Xie's eyes were red. She did not expect Yan Ningxin to be so ignorant of the consequences and harm so many people.
"Mom, I heard that Dad and brother went to the Shen family. They must be fine." Although Yao Niang was uneasy, she also wanted to say something to comfort herself.
Xie shook his head and said, "I always have a bad feeling."
Yao Niang analyzed, "It's nothing, as long as the emperor doesn't punish dad for not teaching his daughter well. After all, this is a private matter between the two families. Now that my elder sister has caused such a big scandal for the Shen family, she should pay whatever she deserves. I'm afraid this won't make it up to Master Shen. But things will eventually fade away with time. If dad can keep his official position, things will slowly get better."
"Can your father afford the delay? What about you?" Xie was extremely anxious.
Yao Niang was helpless, and she couldn't help asking Xie: "What if the elder sister wants to go ahead with this marriage?"
Xie shook her head: "Impossible, if the Shen family is really like this, I would suspect that the Shen family has some leverage over your father."
After she finished speaking, Xie was afraid that her daughter would be worried about her, so she couldn't help but calm her down and said, "Didn't you say you would sew a dress for the baby? Go quickly, and I'll go see your grandfather too."
Grandpa Xie was a mediocre official, serving for about twenty years and barely making it to the position of prefect. This time he went to the capital to report on his duties, and the Ministry of Personnel was selecting officials. Because he had a good son-in-law, Yan Yingqi, who was said to have run a good government, he wouldn't have to put in much effort. If he could be promoted to the third rank and retire in the future, that would be the end of his career for Grandpa Xie Xie.
In officialdom, the third rank is at the bottom of the upper echelons, while the fourth rank is at the top of the middle echelons.
It was a big hurdle to move from a middle-level official to a senior official, but everything had to wait until Yan Yingqi started working in the Ministry of Personnel and obtained all the official credentials.
Yao Niang understood, so she went back to her room. As soon as she got back, she saw Qian Niang and Ying Niang coming over. She asked them to sit down again and asked, "What are you doing here at this time?"
"Third sister, my mother is in a state of mental confusion due to phlegm. The doctor just gave her an injection and she woke up. She told us to come over and stay with Second Mother." Ying Niang also felt uneasy.
In the past, I always felt that my father and brother were successful in their careers, and my mother, Zhen, was the most powerful mistress. But now, once something happened and my mother fell, Yingniang was like a young bird.
"Is the Madam okay?" Yao Niang asked.
Qianniang shook her head: "I'm much better now. It's all because of my eldest sister's matter that I'm angry about."
The three sisters usually don't get along with each other. Yingniang was even elbowed by Yaoniang a few days ago, but today the three of them were angry about the same thing.
Yao Niang couldn't help but curse: "Big sister is really something, I don't know if she will harm us when she comes back in the future?"
"Third sister, don't say that. Big sister still doesn't know why. Let's not talk about this. She is pitiful. Although the Prince of Qi is good to her, the Prince of Qi's Mansion treats her like that." Qianniang was still feeling compassionate.
If Qianniang acted like this normally, Yaoniang would have ignored her. But she was still acting like this today. Yaoniang couldn't help but retort, "Second sister, don't pretend to be a good person. Commander Liu's wife said this herself. So many people watching the ceremony saw it. It's really boring to talk about it now."
Ying Niang also said, "Yes, second sister, it's obviously the eldest sister who is wrong. Our family took her back and didn't treat her badly at all. It was her mother who insisted on marrying her to father for the title of King of Qi. The whole family is evil."
Yao Niang complained a few words and looked at the sky again: "Father and big brother have been out for half an hour, they should be at the Shen family by now."
Qianniang and Yingniang were silent.
**
Shen Family
Yan Ningxin knelt in the hall, like a young chicken in the water, she kept saying sorry, it was all her fault, it had nothing to do with the Yan family. But the people from the Shen family came and went, and they didn't seem to listen to her.
At that time, the Shen family was also waiting for the Yan family to come. Even if the engagement was to be canceled, the Yan family had to agree so that both parties could remain respectable.
Mrs. Shen looked at Yan Ningxin and suddenly felt very regretful. It was her daughter Shen Mo who said that Shen Linfeng loved the eldest daughter of the Yan family, so she came to propose marriage. Because Linfeng has always been very indifferent to matters between men and women, she didn't expect the result to be like this.
I really regret it.
"Mrs. Shen, please, this is all my fault." Yan Ningxin continued.
Yan Yingqi, who had just entered the room, was almost fainted by hearing this. He took two steps at a time and slapped Yan Ningxin in the face. This slap not only stunned Yan Ningxin, but also Mr. Shen and Mrs. Shen.
Why do I say this? Because Shen Zongxian once saw the usually arrogant Minister Yan buying paint for his daughter in a calligraphy and painting shop. He picked the paint very carefully, and it was obvious that he doted on his daughter. In addition, the Yan family asked the Wucheng Military Department to search for him, and even went to Shuntian Prefecture to sue Wei Wuji. Minister Yan did not even attend the court in the past few days, which was enough to show that the Yan family suffered a great blow.
Yan Ningxin covered her face and felt it was burning.
Then she heard her father Yan Yingqi say, "You evil girl, you still have the nerve to come back. If I were you, I would have hung myself with a rope long ago."
Yan Ningxin looked at Yan Yingqi in disbelief: "Dad, I just..."
"You just what? Don't talk about your own grievances. If you don't follow others, can others pull you away? I am surprised, a son of the governor of Ziqing, enters the Shen family as if he were in a deserted place? This guy and I are sworn enemies. And you, although we haven't married yet, you have done such a pig-dog thing, I can't control you anymore." Yan Yingqi cursed angrily.
After he finished speaking, he said to the Shen family couple, "I will no longer recognize this evil girl. Her life and death will be decided by your family."
Yan Ningxin never thought that Yan Yingqi would be so cruel, but Yan Jingzhao immediately understood what Yan Yingqi meant. He was clearly trying to save Yan Ningxin. If Yan Yingqi showed that he cared about Yan Ningxin and kept speaking for her, the Shen family might take advantage of him.
The Shen family is certainly not an ordinary family. Mr. Shen said nothing, while Mrs. Shen turned away and said, "Minister Yan, there is really no need to be like this. We are all sensible people. We in the Shen family have always been the most sincere. How could we know that the bride ran away with another man at the wedding? We in Linfeng have now become the laughing stock of the entire capital and the entire family. My son has no future."
"Yes, yes, when the Shen family came to propose marriage, I saw that Lin Feng was a person of elegant character, and I liked him very much. But my eldest daughter was difficult to raise since she was a child, so her grandmother, the old concubine of Prince Qi, took her to the Prince Qi's Mansion to be raised since she was a cradle. Her temperament was not well-cultivated. But your family wanted to marry my eldest daughter, so my wife and I hired four or five nurses and gave five hundred people as a dowry, just because we were afraid that she would not be able to succeed. But this..." Yan Yingqi bent down.
Yan Jingzhao immediately got to the point: "Mr. Shen, Mrs. Shen, father, it has been three days since the incident. Since dad and I are here in person, why don't we see how to resolve it so that the damage is minimized. To be honest, my eldest sister has caused this incident, not to mention the Shen family, even our family has suffered greatly."
"Break off the engagement." Mrs. Shen said it very clearly.
Yan Yingqi had been a minister of rites and was very familiar with the etiquette. He said, "The six ceremonies have not been completed, not to mention the ceremony of meeting in the temple in March. They are not husband and wife. Why not ask a matchmaker to come and write a letter of annulment? Our Yan family will return the betrothal gift, and I will keep half of the dowry as compensation."
"The laws of this dynasty stipulate that 'if a man has promised to marry his daughter and has reported the marriage certificate, or if he has a private agreement and then regrets it, he will be flogged fifty times.'" Shen Zongxian said.
If Yan Ningxin hadn't come to admit her mistake, Yan Yingqi could have said that his daughter was abducted by Wei Wuji, and even wondered why the Shen family didn't stop it. But this daughter had tricked him so badly that she admitted everything.
Yan Yingqi swore that he had never felt so aggrieved before, so he said: "Everything should be done according to the law. I have no objection."
Yan Jingzhao did raise some doubts: "Master Zongxian, I would like to ask how Wei Wuji came into your house? And how did your house allow this person to enter your house in the first place? This..."
Of course, Mr. Shen knew why. Wei Wuji was a friend of the second wife Shen Bangyan, so he was invited to the wedding, but no one thought he would snatch the bride. Even so, Mr. Shen said, "He is a friend of my nephew, and it just so happens that he is getting married. To be honest, let alone such a son of an official, even ordinary people can come to the Shen family to host a buffet."
"Okay, Jing Zhao, we were wrong about this. The eldest sister should also get the punishment she deserves. This is what we should do." Yan Yingqi thought to himself, who let him raise such a person? He doesn't know the importance of anything he does.
When Yan Ningxin heard that she was going to be whipped times, she felt dizzy ashamed, hungry, and slapped fifty times by her father.
At this moment, Shen Linfeng came out. It was obvious that he was feeling very uncomfortable as he had suffered great humiliation in the past few days, but he still maintained his composure.
Yan Jingzhao also felt ashamed of his colleagues and was the first to salute. The Shen family couple were quite shrewd, but seeing their son like this, they were concerned: "Feng Ge'er, just leave the things here to us."
At one point, Shen Linfeng was unwilling to face Yan Ningxin, nor did he want to go out and let others laugh at him. Everyone loves to watch people rise to great heights and fall from great heights.
But he knew very well that he had an agenda when he married Yan Ningxin. Now the fault lies with Yan Ningxin alone, and the Yan family is still the victim. Indeed, when he was angry at first, Shen Linfeng also had some bad thoughts, but he thought that setbacks were not necessarily bad things for him.
"Minister Yan, Brother Boying, as the saying goes, it is better to resolve a feud than to create one. Our two families never had any grudge against each other. In this case, let's just return to the original state. You should take the Yan family's dowry back and cancel the engagement normally. Just say that the horoscopes show that the two of you are incompatible. This is reasonable and no one will say anything." Yes, it would be satisfying to accuse Yan Ningxin of breaking off the engagement and running away with someone else, but this matter would tie him to his life from now on, and he would have to bear this name for the rest of his life, even though it had nothing to do with him.
Yan Yingqi has always been a man who would fight if he could, unless it was beyond redemption. Therefore, after this incident happened, he knew it was irreversible and had already made plans.
I didn't expect Shen Linfeng to be so kind and be able to endure his anger for a while. He has such a long-term vision. Such a person will definitely go far in officialdom. On the contrary, my son is decisive and good at adaptability, but his character is too rigid. With this kind of character, he will either become a famous general or a famous minister, but his ending may not be good.
"Gong Ding (Shen Linfeng's courtesy name), what you said makes me feel ashamed. I am now in my forties and I really regret missing out on a good son-in-law. If you don't mind, my beloved daughter Sanniang grew up by my side since she was a child. She is a beauty that can conquer a country or a city. She is comparable to Xie Daoyun and is Jing Zhao's biological sister. What's more, my uncle has just been promoted to the governor of the river. If this is the right way to marry us, our two families can become relatives as usual." Yan Yingqi couldn't help but think about it.
"After I deal with this eldest girl, I will send her to our Jinling family temple. She will be a devotee of the Buddha for the rest of her life and I will never see her again."
Yan Yingqi said this for a reason. Yan Ningxin ran away from marriage. Although the problem has been solved now, those who covet his position will make a fuss. I don't know if he can keep his official position. What's more, the third old lady is not generous to Xie's mother and daughter.
If Yao Niang had been allowed to marry after she came of age, then after another two or three years, a new group of people in the capital would have witnessed this. After all, the official position had changed every three years, so Lan Yu wouldn't even have to prepare dowry. Of course, the most important thing was that he admired Shen Linfeng very much. He was able to turn hostility into friendship, had a broad mind, and was not controlled by emotions in his dealings with others. He would definitely have a bright future.
It was simply the best of both worlds. The Shen couple looked at each other. Mrs. Shen had been to the Yan family and had seen the third daughter. The girl was very pretty and was good at needlework and playing the piano. Besides, Yan Jingzhao was her biological brother, which was better than the Prince of Qi. Although that person was the prince of a vassal king, he was far away from the emperor and had no real power. However, Yan Jingzhao's academic reputation was better than her own son.
Seeing that the Shen couple's expressions relaxed, Yan Yingqi also felt a little bit of a chance of winning. Shen Linfeng saw that the matter was over and simply avoided it.
Yan Jingzhao, who was standing by, asked Yan Yingqi after getting on the carriage: "Dad, do you really want to marry Yao Niang to Shen Linfeng?"
"Nowadays, there are not many ambitious children of officials, but many of them are idlers. Most of them are the sons of tiger fathers and are not capable of doing important things. Shen Linfeng is a rare talent with a kind personality. You have seen him today. He is no less than you." Yan Yingqi explained.
Yan Jingzhao wanted to ask: "Where is my elder sister?"
"Since the Shen family is willing to resolve the issue peacefully, she will be spared the pain of being whipped. Once the divorce letter is obtained, I will have someone send her back to the family temple in Jinling, where she can rest in peace for a few years. After her sisters are married, I will find a family for her." This was the only option Yan Yingqi could offer.
Yan Jingzhao nodded: "It should be so, but we can't let Wei Wuji go."
Yan Yingqi closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
After Yan's father and son brought Yan Ningxin back, Yan Yingqi hired someone to look after Yan Ningxin. In order to prevent such a thing from happening again at home, he specially called all his children together.
Xie came with Yao Niang, and Zhen came out dragging her sick body. She hadn't been seen for a few days and her face had turned pale and she looked sick.
In order to prevent any of his sons and daughters from doing such an indecent act again, Yan Yingqi gave them a beating. Yao Niang was shocked when she heard that Yan Ningxin was almost beaten with fifty lashes. Originally, a woman would be punished like this for regretting the marriage privately? However, since the eldest sister ran away, why did she go to the Shen family again and want to marry Shen Linfeng?
Finally, Yan Yingqi said, "With all the noise these days, I'm afraid people in Beijing will have some criticisms about our family. I think we should stay at home if we can. You can read more books at home and understand some truths."
"Yes." No one dared to say anything.
Yao Niang could not help but sigh when she saw her father showing a rare sign of fatigue. Unfortunately, at this moment, bad news came. It turned out that Yan Jingzhao had sent someone to pick up Guan, but unexpectedly, Guan fell into a well and died. Everyone was very surprised.
As if it weren't bad enough, Xie and Yao Niang hurried back to the third room to prepare for her funeral. Guan died young and had no children, but she was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Yan family and died so suddenly that funeral clothes and supplies had to be prepared. In addition, Xie planned to return Guan's dowry.
"Mom, how could my sister-in-law fall and die? She was so young." Yao Niang was a little bit incredulous.
Xie sighed, "Your brother knew that your sister-in-law valued her reputation more than anything else, so he sent her to the mountains to recuperate and to prevent others from asking about her fake pregnancy. After your elder sister got married and the family returned to peace, he would bring her back. But she is still like this, Yao Niang, just like what your elder sister is facing now, you sisters will definitely encounter different opinions from others when you go out in the future, so you should try your best to learn not to care."
Yao Niang nodded: "Mom, don't worry, my daughter will learn to swallow her anger."
"That's good. You have to be strong, you know? Your mother gave birth to a son and a daughter between you and your older brother, but unfortunately they both died young. I don't know who said I was a jinx at that time, and I don't know how I managed to get through it, but I know I had to insist on living." Xie thought to herself that she had finally made it through.
The mother and daughter encouraged each other. Yan Jingzhao personally went up the mountain and sent people to pick up Guan's body. Then he went to Guan's house to report the news and had to ask for leave from the Hanlin Academy. His colleagues in the Hanlin Academy also sympathized with him very much.
Mrs. Guan had never imagined that her young daughter would die so quickly. She cried so hard in front of the mourning hall that she almost fainted. Yao Niang, on the other hand, had refused to accompany Guan when she was asked to do so. Now she was crying so hard.
Xie knew that Guan died young, and the Guan family would definitely gossip about her, so she spoke first, "In the past two years since my eldest brother's daughter-in-law got married, she has been running around with us, and she has been sick for a long time. It's because we didn't take good care of her. Now she has no children, so I want to return her dowry to the Guan family, so that you can have a memory."
"This..." Mrs. Guan pretended to hesitate.
Xie said, "She has all her boxes and trunks with her, except for some of her furniture in her old home in Nanjing. We will send them to your old house when the time comes."
"That's not necessary." Mrs. Guan really didn't expect her daughter to die so quickly, to the point where she couldn't even say goodbye.
Xie held Mrs. Guan's hand and said, "A lot of things have happened in our family right now. To be honest, we didn't expect her to pass away so quickly. It is said that she took a walk in the nunnery after dinner that day and didn't let the servants follow her. When we found her, she was gone. Don't worry, we happen to have a coffin at home. Originally, our father-in-law intended to honor our old lady, but now we have moved it over to her. I just hope you can be tolerant."
Mrs. Guan saw that the Yan family had done an impeccable job and did not say anything else.
After all, she still had something to ask of Xie.
Seven days later, Guan's coffin was kept in the Dagu Temple, and would be carried back to the capital the following year. Yan Jingzhao also ended his leave and began to work as a scholar in the Hanlin Academy, because there was no custom for a husband to worry about his wife's marriage.
During these days of funeral preparations, Yao Niang somehow dreamed of Guan. It was when she had just walked in, and she was so proud of herself holding the housekeeper's pair of cards.
It's a pity that everything vanished.
Just after lunch that day, Yao Niang was resting on Xie's bed when she heard that Madam Guan was coming. She muttered to herself that her sister-in-law had already been buried, her dowry had been returned, and even the servants had been sent back, so why was there still something going on now?
Unexpectedly, Mrs. Guan came to talk about remarrying: "I have a niece who is very docile. We can't leave Miss Yan alone all the time, can we? I think she is very good. What do you think?"
His daughter had only been dead for seven days, but he was already thinking about finding a son-in-law to help him.
Yao Niang herself didn't think her brother should find another sister-in-law so soon, and Madam Guan was even more anxious than them.
Of course, Xie was not confused. After what happened to Guan and Yan Ningxin, she would not make a decision about her daughter-in-law so easily. So she just said tactfully, "Well, I won't hide it from you. Because of our eldest daughter's matter, I can't go out to see her now. I know you mean well, so why not tell you later."
Mrs. Guan smiled and said, "What's the big deal? I'll bring her to pay her respects to you."
After she finished speaking, she felt that she was too anxious, and she threw her handkerchief again: "Well, I don't know why my heart is thinking of my poor daughter again. My niece looks so much like her. When I see her, I think of my daughter."
Xie comforted her, "We understand what you said. Don't worry, I will consider it."
Mrs. Guan then left.
Xie was also speechless because of these people. Unexpectedly, she was even more dumbfounded when she heard what Yan Yingqi said that night: "What? Are you crazy?"
Yan Yingqi said: "How could I be crazy? Shen Linfeng is a good person. After such a thing, he did not lose his will or become cynical. Instead, he was as brilliant as a dragon and a phoenix."
"How can this be possible? He is already engaged to the eldest daughter. What does our third daughter matter to him? No matter how good she is, it won't work." Xie subconsciously refused.
Yan Yingqi snorted coldly, "Last time you asked me about Han Jiayi? He is a playboy, you can't see it, you think he is shy. Even so, Shen Linfeng didn't get drunk in brothels, but prepared for the imperial examination. What's more, the dowry of the eldest girl was given directly to Yao Niang, which can be regarded as compensation to Yao Niang. What's wrong with that?"
Xie still felt bad: "I've been married to you and have been living a life of luxury for the rest of my life. Do you think my daughter will be like me?"
"Then how can they be the same? I say that you women often ask why you can't be the same as men. You lose to men in this respect, caring too much about self-esteem and moral flaws. I just know that I have caught the good ones, and that's enough. If I were so hypocritical like you, I wouldn't have to stay in the officialdom. Originally, the Minister of Personnel was someone else, but I snatched it away. That person still sends me curse letters and often writes black letters to the Historian to accuse me. So what? I am the Minister of Personnel now. Even if my daughter breaks off the engagement, I can still protect her. So Yao Niang will be the original wife when she gets married, and the eldest girl will go back to Jinling and may never come back in her life. What impact will it have?" Yan Yingqi felt that he had made it very clear.
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