Chapter 042 Chapter 42
Prefect Xie is over 60 years old this year, but he still doesn't dare to put on airs in front of his son-in-law. Yan Yingqi, on the other hand, seems very respectful, even observing the etiquette of a disciple, and speaks very sincerely. He hopes that the mother and daughter of the Xie family can follow Prefect Xie to work outside for a year, which can be regarded as a way to relax and be filial to their parents-in-law.
For Prefect Jie, the reason he was able to become the prefect of Kaifeng this time was of course thanks to his son-in-law. His own ability was limited. If he was transferred to Su and Yang to be the prefect, although the local areas were rich, those places were all fat meat that was being eyed, and there was a risk of complaints from the people, which could cause civil unrest if he was not careful.
Furthermore, the third old lady of the Yan family was the governor of the river, which was an additional layer of protection for him.
This is a public matter, but from a private point of view, Xie is the apple of his eye, he has held her in his lap since she was a child and raised her to study. Now that his daughter needs to hide away and needs a place, of course he feels obliged to help her without hesitation.
Therefore, Yao Niang and Jie Shi, who had originally planned to return to Jinling by sea, now had to travel by land to Kaifeng, Henan.
This trip also made Yao Niang discover something new. She had always thought that Xie had a good temper, because at home, her father, her brother, and even herself did not have good tempers. But now that she was with Grandpa Xie, she discovered that her mother actually had a bit of a temper as well.
Most of the time, in front of their parents, even the oldest adults will become children.
Prefect Xie had been a county magistrate in Huguang and other places. Due to the humidity in the area, he became an old smoker. Yan Yingqi gave him a lot of high-quality tobacco. Now on the road, it was full of smoke.
It seems that the prefect Jie still has a good temper. He just smiled bitterly and said, "You kid, be careful what your son-in-law says about you."
Prefect Xie is old, and Xie's stepmother passed away a few years ago. Now it is Xie's biological mother, Aunt Xu, and two younger maids who serve Prefect Xie.
Having said that, the relationship between Xie and the old concubine seemed a little unfamiliar. She said that when she was a child, she didn't even know that the old concubine was her mother. Moreover, the old concubine had many rules and was afraid that Xie would be looked down upon because of her background. Therefore, even when the two met, she was strict with Xie, not allowing her to be picky about food or slack off. Xie was good at needlework, and it was the old concubine who forced her to learn it.
Even now, the old concubine treats Yao Niang very well, but Xie Shi can never get close to her.
From the capital, passing through Hebei, it is about 800 miles from Hebei to Kaifeng. A horse carriage can only travel 150 miles a day at most. If you don't drive as fast as you can, it can only travel 50 miles a day, which will take about half a month.
In the past, Yao Niang had mostly seen places full of flowers and splendor. Whether in Jinling or the capital, this kind of place was rarely seen, with low villages, ragged passers-by, and even passers-by whose faces could not be seen clearly.
These were actually still considered good. Prefect Xie had a classmate who was also the co-prefect of Baoding Prefecture. According to this person, there were even refugees on the road, so he warned Prefect Xie to be careful.
After hearing this, Prefect Xie couldn't help but ask, "I don't know why the refugees are now coming to Baoding Prefecture when the emperor said he had already sent people to provide disaster relief? What if they attack the capital? What should we do?"
"The Yellow River has flooded this year, otherwise Henan Left Governor Yan Gong would not have been promoted to the position of River Governor. He is a famous cruel official. He just wants to dredge the river. The water here is very deep." The co-magistrate said privately.
Prefect Xie couldn't help but ask, "Does this mean that we need to rectify the administration of officials this year?"
The deputy governor refused to say anything more and instead advised: "You and his family are relatives, what are you afraid of?"
Otherwise, why did the Yan family members become more and more powerful? It was because each of them had his own talents. For example, Yan Yingqi was very good at guessing the intentions of his superiors and was able to build a good relationship with the ruling party, thus maintaining a good relationship with the scholars in the opposition. The third old lady Yan was a person who was strict in ruling, fearless of power, and dared to make suggestions.
After he passed the imperial examination, he was originally appointed as a clerk in the Ministry of Rites, and later was promoted to the position of Kedao. In the same year, he impeached the first and second assistants, which was a jaw-dropping act.
Later, he was sent to Yunnan, Guizhou and other places where ethnic minorities lived, but he still had considerable achievements as an official and was considered a capable minister.
Prefect Xie originally had a teacher from the King of Shaoxing, and now he also had a teacher from his son-in-law, so he asked these two people for their opinions first.
Master Wang was very conservative: "Dong Weng has not yet taken office. Even the previous matters have nothing to do with Dong Weng. When he takes office, the first thing he should do is to finish the work."
It means to protect yourself. If your predecessor suffers a loss, it is none of your business.
Prefect Xie nodded: "I think so too."
Master Xu smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Dong. The most important thing this year is probably to repair the river. As the capital, Kaifeng can comfort the people more than anything else."
Prefect Xie nodded.
When the group was on their way from Hebei to Henan, Yao Niang saw refugees along the way. She and Jie took out their money and asked someone to buy a lot of food to distribute to the refugees along the way. Although it was a drop in the bucket, it was still a way to help.
"Mother, if we hadn't come out, even if we knew there were such refugees, we would have never seen them. They are so pitiful. Some of them clearly still have a few acres of land at home to make a living, but natural disasters and man-made disasters have become so serious. The local county magistrate did not provide disaster relief or rescue people, but actually abandoned the city and ran away." Yao Niang couldn't help shaking her head.
Xie also nodded and asked, "Should we buy some more steamed buns and dry grains to share with them?"
Yao Niang shook her head and said, "Mom, although we are a large group following Grandfather, the refugees are already starving. What if a leader calls for them to come and rob us? Instead of that, we should get to Kaifeng as soon as possible and tell Dad what we have seen along the way."
"Okay." Xie listened to her daughter.
Yao Niang explained, "Five years ago, when my daughter, grandfather, and grandmother returned to Nanjing, we witnessed with our own eyes a wealthy man who was very sympathetic to the refugees and distributed food along the way. In the end, his money was robbed and his wife and daughter were killed. Mother, we are not officials after all. The deeper we go, the more refugees there are and the fewer officials there are. If we are not careful, we will easily get ourselves into trouble."
In Yao Niang's mind, she is born strong and her mother is thin and weak, so she should protect her mother.
Because Yao Niang Xie stopped providing relief to the disaster victims, Prefect Xie also breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as Yao Niang expected, they saw a luxurious carriage collapsed on the side of the road. All the expensive ornaments in the carriage had been seized, and there were even people lying naked on the ground. Someone must have divided up their food, money and clothes. It was shocking to see.
While Xie and Yao Niang were on their journey, Yan Yingqi had a hard time. He had been with Xie all these years and they were rarely apart. When Xie suddenly left, he really didn't know where to find peace and security.
Zhen originally thought that Xie was going back to Nanjing, but she unexpectedly went back to Henan. Yan Yingqi said at the table: "They went to Luoyang to see the peonies and relax. Now the eldest girl is sent back to Nanjing. After this year, everything will return to normal."
Yingniang was full of envy: "Dad, why don't you want me to go see the peonies too?"
Yan Yingqi smiled and said, "If you want, you can go with your mother."
Yingniang does have an uncle who was the county magistrate in Pengze six years ago and is now the magistrate of Jiangzhou. Unlike Yaoniang, she is not happy wherever she goes. She likes to complain. Yan Yingqi knows his daughter well, so he said it directly.
"Fourth girl, stop talking nonsense." Zhen came out to smooth things over.
No matter how angry Xie was when she left, many opportunities had to be won by one's own efforts. Therefore, Zhen was thinking about what she should do next year to arrange the marriage between her daughter and the Shen family. As for Qianniang, she was not within her control at all. As far as she was concerned, she had already been very good to Qianniang.
All her clothes and jewelry are exactly the same as her own daughter's. Even when she goes out socializing, Qianniang has more advantages than Yaoniang. It is good enough for a stepmother to be able to do this.
Who in the world is not selfish? It's okay for her to be nicer to her own daughter.
Zhen would not tell her daughter about her plan until it was accomplished. Her daughter was young and outspoken, and it would probably be bad if she revealed even a little bit of it.
Qianniang was still completely unaware of her stepmother's intentions at this time. She was just feeling depressed, thinking about how much she had paid to get the title of a talented woman, but now everything was gone because of her elder sister. She couldn't help feeling discouraged.
After the meal, she went to the room to rest. Fortunately, Aunt Yin came over. Aunt Yin had just come over after helping Zhen take a nap. Now that Xie from the third room had left, the concubines from the first room would of course be the cheap ones.
The Madam has always been generous. Today, she specially asked An'er to bring midnight snacks to the study, or asked Aunt Feng to serve the dishes. Even Le'er, who is by her side, has been wearing much lighter clothes these days.
She had no one to talk to, and it was not appropriate to discuss the fight for favor with her daughter. She just vented her anger by scolding Yan Ningxin: "That guy is really harmful. If she had married into the Shen family properly, then there would be nothing to worry about. Dog meat cannot be served at the main table. I heard that the guy surnamed Wei was also exiled. They are a perfect couple."
"Aunt, stop talking. I don't want to hear it." Qianniang covered her ears, not knowing what to do next.
The third sister followed her grandfather to Henan, and the third uncle was the governor of the river. Maybe he could find another way to find a good marriage for her. She had a way out, but what about herself? Was she going to drag it on like this? She was already fourteen years old, and this year should have been the age for her to find a marriage. She was the most involved with Yan Ningxin, so how could she not be upset?
Aunt Yin said, "This is the most disturbing thing right now. Your elder brother is not affected much. Madam Guan came to our house yesterday and seemed to want to marry her niece. I don't know if Madam also seems to have that intention? I saw that Madam has already told the old master that she wants to bring her niece from Jiangzhou. She said she loves her niece. Is this for the sake of the old master? Who knows?"
"You mean the eldest lady wants to marry her niece to my eldest brother?" Qianniang was a little surprised.
Aunt Yin curled her lips and said, "Now that the Second Madam has left, the opportunity has come. The eldest brother is a very opinionated person. If he likes her, the old master and the lady will definitely agree."
Qianniang thought that living in the rear house was truly a blessing in disguise.
The first lady was angry for several days because of Yan Ningxin's fault. As a result, because of the eldest sister's matter, the second lady and the third sister left the capital, which unfortunately gave the first lady another opportunity.
I can't keep being so depressed. She has always had high standards. With her father's current official position, it won't be difficult for her to marry a good man. I have to think of a way. Otherwise, she will be fifteen next year. It will take at least two or three years to prepare for marriage. When a girl is old, she will be rejected even if she has a good family background.
By the way, the Zhao family, the Zhao family is a way out.
Although Zhao Xian did not pass the imperial examination last time, his father appreciated him very much and recommended him to be the Tongzhi of Shuzhou. It would be better for him to contact more people in the name of Zhao Fang.
If the Zhao family is interested in her, they will naturally come to propose marriage. If she has a good family by then, she will certainly not marry into the Zhao family. But if she continues to be affected by her elder sister's affairs, the Zhao family may not be a bad choice. One has to be prepared for both situations.
She is not like Yao Niang, who has her mother, brother and prominent background to rely on in everything, nor is she like Ying Niang, who has the eldest lady to rely on.
She kept these calculations in mind and would not tell Aunt Yin about them. She just counted the days and said, "I heard that it would take more than half a month to get from the capital to Henan at the fastest and more than a month at the slowest. After calculating the time, my third sister and the others should be here by now."
**
Kaifeng Prefecture Government Office
Yao Niang was leading the servants to make the bed. This time she came from the capital, she only brought half of her clothes. Because the Xie family was not an ordinary family. Even when Xie married Yan Yingqi, she was given a large boat of dowry as a gift, not to mention that the two uncles of the Xie family had been running the business for many years, and Xie's grandfather had been an official for more than 20 years.
"Don't reveal that I am the daughter of the Minister of Personnel in the future, do you hear me?" Yao Niang ordered.
Mother Gu folded her clothes and asked in confusion, "Why is this happening, young lady?"
"It's not a bad thing to be a little low-key. Besides, I don't know if my grandfather has offended anyone during his years as the governor. Generally speaking, it's hard to succeed if you are too high-profile." Do you think that because you have a high status, others won't play tricks on you? Status should only be used when it is needed. It is not necessary to do so at any time and place on weekdays.
Mother Gu and Qingdai Hongxiu agreed deeply after hearing this.
There is also a welcoming banquet tonight. All the government offices in the mansion, as well as the associate magistrates and deputy magistrates will attend. Naturally, this is the business of the men in the front yard, while Xie is helping to take care of the back yard. Her current identity is either the wife of the Minister of Personnel, or a simple aunt who takes care of her parents with her daughter.
Yao Niang also went out with Xie to meet the guests. Among these ladies, most were wives of Tongzhi and Tongpan. The three Tongpans' wives were all over 40 years old. However, the wife of Tongzhi Chen seemed to be the same age as Xie. She also had a daughter named Chen Shuyi, who was one year older than Yao Niang, but she was very shy.
Mrs. Chen was helpless when she told Mrs. Xie about her daughter: "My daughter is just too sensible and too shy. I am sorry to embarrass you."
Everyone saw that Xie had elegant manners, spoke elegantly, and wore a soft light blue silk skirt. She had an extraordinary temperament and was amiable. Xie also introduced her daughters and said, "Our daughter is very naughty and often gives me a headache. If you don't mind, let them play together."
Yao Niang also immediately stepped forward to greet Chen Shuyi. Chen Shuyi was always a little scared when in crowded places, especially places like this where there were many beautiful women. When she saw Yao Niang again, it was like Chang'e descending to earth, and her voice became even quieter than a mosquito.
Mrs. Chen had never thought that this girl was so beautiful, and she quickly praised her, "She is really a beauty, just like you."
Yao Niang took Chen Shuyi to sit at a small table nearby and introduced herself, "I don't know your name, sister?"
Perhaps it was because there were not enough people, Chen Shuyi could not help but smile when she saw Yao Niang smiling. The fate between people is very wonderful. For example, the other sisters of the Yan family live together every day, but they may not have any feelings for each other. However, some people, after only meeting a few times, feel like they have known each other for a long time.
"My last name is Chen, my given name is Shuyi, and I'm the only daughter in the family." Chen Shuyi said.
Yao Niang smiled and said, "My last name is Yan, and I am the third child in my family. I only have one brother. You can just call me Yao Niang."
Chen Shuyi readily followed suit: "Yao Niang."
The two talked about their ages again. It turned out that Chen's father passed the imperial examination eight years ago, served as a county magistrate for six years, and was now promoted to the Tongpan of Kaifeng Prefecture. It was obvious that he had certain connections.
But Yao Niang would not ask about the background of others rashly. She just said, "Jie Futai is my grandfather. I came here with my mother to visit my grandfather's family. If you have nowhere to go in the future, just come to me."
Although Chen Shuyi was shy, she was a careful person. When she heard that Yao Niang had a father and a brother but only mentioned her grandfather, she assumed that Yao Niang and her mother must have come here for refuge, so she did not ask any more questions.
Both of them spoke Mandarin well, and they were talking about the books they read every day. It turned out that Chen Shuyi had been in school for a total of three years. She originally wanted to go to the neighbor's library to borrow books, but Chen Shuyi was shy, so she had to ask a teacher to come to her home to teach her.
"I'm always like this. When I see a lot of people, I get a little nervous and don't want to deal with them." Chen Shuyi said this with some embarrassment.
Yao Niang smiled and said, "It's nothing. Women who rarely go out are naturally shy. You don't know that I used to hide behind my mother when I saw a lot of people. No matter how my mother pulled me, I refused to come out."
"Is your sister like this too? Then how do you look now..." Chen Shuyi was surprised.
Yao Niang smiled and said, "Sister Chen, have you ever thought that when you are nervous, others are also nervous? When you see others being calm, maybe they are just pretending. After pretending for a while, people will become more generous. In the future, Sister Chen, when you talk to others, you have to think like this, and slowly you will become like me."
"Oh, this is a good idea. My sister is so smart. I really don't know how to thank you." For the first time, Chen Shuyi felt that she was saved. She remembered that last time she went with other young ladies from official families, she heard others talking about her being petty behind her back, and she cried bitterly when she came back.
Yao Niang took a sip of tea and said, "If you think this method is good, then it is better than anything else. What else is there to thank me for? If you really want to thank me, then you can take care of me since I am new here."
Chen Shuyi agreed readily.
When Chen Shuyi saw Yaoniang praising her armlet, she even took off her own armlet and gave it to Yaoniang, which surprised Yaoniang. But she was also very happy. She said to Xie: "Although it is too early to say this now, my daughter thinks Kaifeng may really be a blessed place for us. You see, I didn't make any good friends in Beijing, but when I came here, I hit it off with this sister Chen."
"Silly girl, if it's because of our temperament and clothes, maybe people will know that you come from an extraordinary family first?" Xie said with a smile.
Yao Niang curled her lips and said, "Mom, what do I have to lose? Anyway, no matter whether she is really nice to me or just pretending to be nice to me, she is always nice to me. If she turns against me, then I will turn against her too. Mom, it is better to be open-minded. Just like Dad can't do anything to me and my daughter, but he always knows our determination."
Xie nodded: "That's right, you are young, but you think more clearly than me."
"Mom, actually what dad said was right. Why should women have to care about their reputation and abide by the law? They should not just wait for others to give them everything. Facts have proven that no one in this world will speak for anyone else. We have to fight for everything on our own." Yao Niang said with a smile.
But after saying that, he rolled his eyes again: "Look at me, why do you say these things every day? My mother and I came to Henan to escape the disaster, and I just daydream about these things every day."
"No way! My daughter is very knowledgeable." Xie praised her daughter.
The mother and daughter slept together tonight. Yao Niang hugged Xie's arm and said, "My daughter has wanted to sleep with me for a long time."
At the residence of Chen Tongzhi, Mrs. Chen saw her daughter so happy for the first time. She stroked her daughter's hair and said, "It seems that our Shu'er has found a good friend."
Mrs. Chen had only this one daughter. She was very restrained when she was little, and later she became cautious, shy and introverted. Those who were of lower status than them would play with her on purpose to take advantage of her, while those who were of higher status would look down on her. It was rare for Miss Yan to be born like a fairy, and she seemed to have a good character and personality.
Chen Shuyi nodded: "Yes, Yao Niang is very nice. She knows that I love reading. She said she has a few new books in her box and can lend them to me."
"That's good." Mrs. Chen saw that Mrs. Xie's dress and speech were not like those of ordinary officials' wives, but she brought her daughter back to her parents' home alone. She thought that her husband might have died, so she brought her daughter to seek refuge.
Therefore, Mrs. Chen asked again: "Did this Miss Yan you mentioned mention her father and brother?"
"They didn't mention it much. They just said she was the third child in the clan and had an older brother, but they didn't say anything about her brother."
Mrs. Chen imagined a big drama in her mind. Seeing that this Xie was over 20 years old, she should be very young. Because she became someone else's second wife and her husband passed away, she was driven out with her daughter and was forced to return to her parents' home.
Thinking of this, she also felt a little sympathy. She believed that Xie must have married an old man of high status and power before, otherwise it would be impossible for the silk handkerchief she used to be made inside. Although she looked very low-key, she couldn't hide it.
Suddenly, Mrs. Chen thought that Xunfu Shen is now 41 years old. At the age of 38, he was already the Shaoqing of Dali Temple, and now he is the Xunfu of a province. It is said that he has six sons. Mrs. Chen passed away exactly two years ago.
Last time, I heard that the wife of the Fortune Envoy wanted to find a matchmaker for Shen Xunfu, and the girl she was looking for was a pretty sixteen-year-old from the wealthy Peng family in this province. I heard that Shen Xunfu thought she was too young and wanted to find someone more compatible.
Mrs. Chen felt that Xie was just right. If she could arrange this marriage, her husband's career would not have to worry about it. Besides, Xie would also get a good marriage. She saw that although Xie was not young, she had extraordinary charm and was the daughter of an official, so her status was higher than that of the daughter of the Peng family.
Well, I'll go and find out tomorrow.
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