Chapter 052 Chapter 52
Because they were frightened by Yan Ningxin's incident, Yan Yingqi and Zhen Shi just wanted a stable marriage for Qianniang. Qianniang had been in contact with Zhao Fang by letter, but she had no idea that Zhao Xian had married the daughter of a local tribute scholar, which made her very disappointed. Fortunately, she had a good harvest after a loss. Now that the haze in her family has passed, she has arranged a good marriage.
When Yingniang came to Yaoniang, she asked, "Do you think Sister Zhao will marry into our family after all?"
"What do you mean?" Yao Niang stopped sewing.
Yingniang smiled and said, "Mrs. Junsan has never had a son, so this is just a way to adopt a son from the family, and it's just right for Sister Zhao to marry him."
Yao Niang nodded: "They are cousins, which is a close relationship." After they came back, they didn't know how the Shen family would react, so except Yan Yingqi and Yan Jingzhao, no one in the family knew about their relationship with the Shen family. What's more, Shen Linfeng hasn't passed the imperial examination yet, so no one knows what will happen in the future.
Yingniang had a lot to say. Although she and Zhenli were cousins, they were not biological sisters after all. There were some things that even if she was told them, she would not have the courage to tell them to her. But it was different with Yaoniang. To some extent, their identities and status were equal.
So, Yingniang laughed and said, "Do you know that the second sister secretly wrote to sister Zhao? But the Zhao family only wants to marry their daughter here. The rich family marries the daughter and the poor family marries the wife. They have figured it out."
"Is there such a saying?" Yao Niang said with a smile.
Yingniang snorted coldly: "Why not? Besides, it is almost impossible for the Zhao family to marry the second sister, but marrying Zhao Fang is the most likely."
"That's right." Yao Niang naturally knew that Qian Niang's feelings towards Zhao Xian were not what she showed, so she thought it was a failure. She just asked, "I don't know which family Second Sister is talking about. Do we know them?"
Yingniang said, "There are some clues. It's the Wen family who will be appointed as prime minister again."
Yao Niang nodded: "So it's the Prime Minister's family, it's really a very good match."
"Wen Shoufu has seven sons and three daughters. The one you are talking about is the seventh, and the older brothers are not much behind him." Ying Niang mentioned.
This marriage seems to be a good one, but there are hidden concerns. Even if he is the Prime Minister, how many years can he be appointed Prime Minister again? Three to five years is considered the most. There are so many sons, and the difference between them is not that big. Even if he is favored, will the youngest son get his turn?
But Yao Niang still said, "The prime minister's family is better than anyone else's."
Yingniang thought of Shen Linfeng and couldn't help but say, "Although the family background is high, it is still better to strive for it on your own. If you can pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi, that would be great."
"What you said is true. As the saying goes, the influence of a gentleman will be cut off after five generations. Even if my father is good but my son is not, so what? It is common for a family to decline." Yao Niang is not so worried about the future now because even if her father is gone, she still has her brother and grandfather, who are both high-ranking officials.
Yingniang liked to hear these words. She sat down again and watched Yaoniang embroidering. She couldn't help asking, "What are you embroidering?"
"Summer is coming and the weather is going to get hot again. I'm going to embroider a few handkerchiefs for myself." Yao Niang usually painted and played the piano, and did some needlework in her spare time.
Yingniang sighed: "I have to go to Gong's house again tomorrow. I don't like going out anymore."
Yao Niang said, "Let's go. The adults told us to go, so why shouldn't we go?"
In Yingniang's opinion, Qianniang's marriage was settled, and if Shen Linfeng passed the imperial examination, her marriage would be put on the agenda immediately, so it was inappropriate for her to go out and socialize. It was said that her father originally intended to let her second sister marry Wang Mian, but Wang Mian had already been removed from the list of candidates, and it was not easy to find a young Jinshi now.
"Hey, fourth sister, is your cousin going with us?" Yao Niang tied a knot and asked Zhen Li again.
Ying Niang said: "That's for sure, she is also our cousin."
Yao Niang smiled and said, "Speaking of cousins, I think of cousin Xin. She is not young anymore, I wonder what her family says about her."
When Xin Wan was mentioned, Ying Niang was stunned for a long time: "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten it."
While Yingniang was talking nonsense here, Yaoniang was thinking about other things. Daddy has always had a good relationship with Gong Cifu, but now the second sister is going to marry the son of the first assistant. Does this mean that father is also leaning towards the first assistant?
No wonder Dad didn’t take the Shen family’s marriage very seriously this time when he came back.
But this is a taboo in the officialdom. If you can betray this person, how can you guarantee that you will not betray another person? This is a question of integrity.
The three-year term is coming to an end. Whether my father will be promoted or retained depends on the court recommendation, or my second sister's marriage is a token of his loyalty.
She was thinking a lot, and Yingniang saw that she was still embroidering, and she would feel drowsy and fall into a deep sleep from time to time.
When Yaoniang finished embroidering the handkerchief, she saw Yingniang sleeping inside, so she told people not to make any noise and covered her with a quilt. Qingdai whispered, "The fourth lady is sleeping so soundly."
"She has always been like this. She can fall asleep as soon as she lies down. I admire her." Yao Niang smiled and shook her head.
The next day, she accompanied Xie, Zhen, and Yingniang to the Gong family. Xie was now a married woman, no longer a concubine who could not go out and was not presentable.
Of course, the Gong family also knew that no matter what Zhen said, Yan Jingzhao was Xie's son. It was not convenient for them to visit and interact with Xie before, but now that Xie was settled, the Gong family would not care what Zhen thought.
"Mom, I'm so happy to be out with you." Yao Niang was the happiest.
Xie touched her daughter's head and said, "But you have to get along with so many people. It's better to be alone."
In fact, Xie came out to find another wife for Yan Jingzhao. She has no idea now. Madam Guan has come to her house three times, and Sima Zhao's intentions are obvious.
But I didn't expect to meet Madam Shen and Shen Mo as well as Madam Li, the wife of the Minister of Revenue, and their daughter at Gong's house. These families were originally close friends, and the ones they met here were no exception.
Mrs. Shen had seen Yao Niang once before, it seemed to be two years ago. Now seeing Xie's mother and daughter come in, she looked at them secretly. Although Xie was a step younger than Zhen, she looked to be in her twenties, very young, and seemed to be inexperienced. She was surprisingly lively and compelling. Then she looked at the third daughter of the Yan family. She wore the same skirt as her sisters, but she stood out from the crowd.
Her appearance was more beautiful than her mother's. Even in her orange-red dress, she looked elegant and refined, with a bit of the naivety and loveliness of a young girl. But she was not completely a little girl. Her figure was exquisite and beautiful, and she had all the qualities that would make a man fall in love with her.
Of course Yao Niang also saw Shen Mo and her daughter. After she thought of Shen Linfeng, she felt more and more that she could not reveal any traces.
"Greetings to Madam Gong and Madam Gong." Yao Niang bowed immediately.
When Mrs. Gong saw Yao Niang again, she couldn't help but said happily, "I haven't seen you for a long time. You have become more and more outstanding." In Mrs. Gong's view, Yao Niang was a daughter of heaven to some extent. Her grandfather was a governor of the first rank, her father was an assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and her brother was a scholar in the Hanlin Academy. She herself was both talented and beautiful.
Yao Niang said, "You're kind, I'm just a weak girl." After saying this, her fair cheeks turned pink, and she seemed a little shy.
"Tsk tsk tsk, Second Madam, I don't know how you raised this girl. She's so pretty and charming. Anyone who sees her will be happy." Madam Gong held Yao Niang's hand tightly.
Xie waved her hands: "She is naughty at home too. Her second sister is quiet, and her fourth sister is better than her."
It was rare for Xie to say such things. Madam Gong and Madam Shen thought that it was no wonder that Yan Yingqi loved her. Such a character was better than Zhen's. Zhen felt sad. She didn't expect that the third girl would find a new way. Maybe her husband helped her, but he kept it a secret and didn't let her know.
But now she still suppressed her unhappy emotions, and treated Jie as if they were real sisters. She also introduced them to Madam Gong: "My sister-in-law is the most quiet and simple-minded, and so is the third girl. To be honest, I wish the third girl was my daughter. Look, the purse I am wearing was embroidered by our third girl."
One must behave magnanimously in public, Zhen thought, and she must do her best in everything Xie could do.
Otherwise, the family tradition is not good, and the victims are all the unmarried girls in the family. The Yan family cannot afford to cause any more trouble now.
Mrs. Shen nodded when she saw this. Except for Yan Ningxin, everyone else in the Yan family was quite normal.
When a person like Mrs. Gong reached this point, of course she would praise everyone to her satisfaction and she would not put on any effort to show it. The girls had all come out with their mothers and now they all sat obediently beside them, listening to what the adults said.
Yao Niang glanced at Miss Li who was sitting opposite her. It was said that her mother came to see this girl today. Miss Li had been in mourning at home for three years. She was already seventeen years old this year. She was very pretty, but looked a little thin.
Thinking of the fact that Yan Jingzhao liked plump and charming women, Yao Niang thought that her mother always followed her and her brother's ideas, so she might give up. However, when choosing a wife, one cannot just look at her appearance, but also her temperament.
"This is black tea, not the tea we usually drink. How does it taste?" Mrs. Gong said with a smile.
Mrs. Shen has always loved tea, and she nodded: "It tastes good to me, but I can't get used to the Enshi Yu Lu. Someone gave me some a few days ago, and it tastes like water."
"It seems that you like strong tea. I have some Pu'er tea, which is new. You can try it. Even our old lady thinks it tastes good." Mrs. Gong said with a smile.
This kind of situation is actually very boring, as people mostly talk about food, clothing and daily necessities. But every time you have to pretend to listen carefully and even know how to strike up a conversation, which requires a considerable level of skill.
互相寒暄幾句，龔夫人道：“今年成國公府馬球會說是要開，到時候你們都能去玩玩，我們年輕的時候倒是不興這個，還是年輕人玩好。”
李夫人則道：“我家女兒也是不會，正想請龔夫人幫我們介紹一個師傅呢。”
“好說好說，我倒是真的認得一個。”龔夫人說道。
此時，只見沈陌突然問起窈娘：“三姑娘，你現下馬球學的如何了？”
窈娘搖頭：“我也是不太會呢。”
“若妹妹不嫌棄，我可以教你。”沈陌道。
沈夫人暗自點頭，不管成與不成，她們家也算是做出樣子來了，免得龔閣輔指責兩邊不和。所以，沈夫人也笑吟吟的道：“是啊，你們姊妹都來我們家裏，我們家有個馬場，你沈姐姐的馬球打的雖然算不得很好，但是教你們都可。”
窈娘看向解氏，解氏可不會真的和之前顏寧馨那麽高調，沈家并沒有上門提親，她怎麽可能讓女兒去沈家，此事成了倒也罷了，若不成，過往種種煙消雲散。
故而，解氏道：“多謝沈夫人的好意，日後有空一定讓她上門請教。”
沒說同意也沒說不同意，日後上門請教也許就是不會再請教，龔夫人一貫行走在這幾家，比別人知道的多一些。解氏是顏應祁的枕邊人，她是最了解顏應祁的，看來顏景昭的親事沈陌無緣了。
解氏的确也沒考慮過沈陌，因為她很清楚沈陌和齊王世子的事情，據說齊王世子已經在藩地開始選親，沈陌肯定不會再嫁過去，但沈陌這姑娘之前和顏家人的關系就一般，自然也不大可能了。
沈夫人面上一僵，很快恢複常态，甄氏倒是松了一口氣，但見對面的李夫人就莫名心情好起來了，甄氏又看了這位李小姐一眼，難道是她？
李小姐倒是有些自卑，她眼看對面坐着的三位顏家姑娘衣飾華麗，做派都頗驕矜，尤其是那位三姑娘的的确确是個大美人，再想起自己花了兩年才瘦下來的，也不及人家的容貌身段，還有些灰心。
“這糕點好吃。”窈娘吃了一口綠豆糕，居然比以往的清甜，她小聲對瑩娘道。
瑩娘則是因為沈夫人在這裏，裝的一幅大家閨秀的樣子，倒是李小姐道：“這綠豆是去了皮之後做的，裏面加了點紅豆沙，但不是放的糖霜，而是放的清甜的桂花蜜。”
“哦，李姐姐對吃食很了解嘛。”窈娘笑道。
李小姐則有些不好意思的笑了，她就是因為貪嘴，所以一直瘦不下來，自然，她廚藝也一直很好。
李夫人見窈娘在問，頗有些得意道：“我這女兒別的不說，就喜歡造湯水做糕品，不管去哪兒都讓人給她搜羅食譜。原本我是不讓她下廚的，大家小姐，若是油皮破了如何是好？她偏偏這樣。”
“那我日後可要多向李姐姐請教了。”窈娘眼睛亮晶晶的。
李小姐臉微微紅，人倒是十分實誠：“顏三妹妹，你若愛吃綠豆糕，我過兩天就做了送給你吧。”
因為說起吃食，解氏和另外幾位夫人都是大家主母也都頗有見教，窈娘見話題幫娘引出來，也悄悄的松了一口氣。
就是沒想到兩日後，李姑娘還真的送了幾盒綠豆糕過來，那味道和龔家吃到的一模一樣，甚至還細心送來了方子。
“這李姐姐倒是個實誠人，還真的送了綠豆糕來了。”窈娘放了一塊到解氏嘴裏。
解氏笑道：“還真的不錯。”
“娘，這位李姑娘會不會成為我未來嫂嫂呢？”窈娘問起。
解氏笑而不語。
這次挑媳婦兒，可不能馬虎了，一定要認真考察才行。
窈娘則包了一種洛神花茶送到李家，李小姐見這一盒洛神花茶十分精美，當日就用自己心愛的小壺泡着喝了，還拿去給她娘喝。
李夫人哭笑不得：“你看看你，還跟小孩子似的，你可都十七歲了。”
“那又如何？顏三姑娘送來的這茶真的好喝，您就嘗一口吧。”李小姐還是要喂給她娘喝。
李夫人戳了一下自己女兒的頭：“都恁大的人了，還跟小孩子似的。得想想如何找一個婆家才好，雖然你是戶部侍郎的女兒，可是要找一位年輕俊才可不容易。”
李小姐當然清楚了，她又想起那日驚鴻一瞥，似乎是顏家大公子來接顏家女眷，心裏撲通撲通直跳。
可她不能說出來，因為她和沈陌沒法比，她家雖然屬于隴西李氏出身，可是前幾代不過是壽官這樣的小官，到她父親這一代才發跡，且她母親還是繼室，兄弟們和她都不同母。
其實能不能嫁給顏景昭便也罷了，她覺得顏小姐很漂亮很可愛，一點兒也沒有門第之見。
解氏看人算不得很準，但是顏應祁則是做過數年吏部侍郎，自诩看人一流，因此在解氏把李小姐列入範圍之內，就給解氏出了個主意：“其實人要僞裝一時很容易，長期僞裝很難，如此不如讓窈娘把人請到家裏玩兒。”
“這倒是個好主意。”解氏贊許。
顏應祁又突然來了一句：“沈臨風明日要去考制科了。”
解氏莫名其妙：“你和我說什麽？”
“你不是想把窈娘嫁給他嗎？”顏應祁覺得自己只是提醒一聲罷了。
解氏攤手：“去就去呗。”
顏應祁直接無語：“我告訴你，那小子的五十篇策論交上去，我聽說了，一篇比一篇寫的好，才能入選參加三等，本朝只有一人中三等次。”
“那又怎麽樣呢？我看沈家并沒有那個意思。”解氏甚至覺得自己女兒一點兒也不差。
顏應祁想娶捏一下她的臉，但又怕捏疼她，最後刮了一下她的鼻子：“你傻呀，他若是制科考成功了，那可是本朝最年輕的制科人才，皇帝都會親自見他，日後前途封官做宰不可限量。到時候還有你女兒站的地方嗎？有時候人就要大膽一點，沈夫人看不看的上有什麽關系，沈臨風他認可咱們女兒不就好了。”
說完，他在解氏耳邊說了一長串的吩咐。
解氏難為的看了自己的丈夫一眼，又有些呆呆的道：“應祁，你若是女子，我也鬥不過你。”
顏應祁倒是不生氣，還哈哈大笑：“那說明不管在哪兒我都活的如魚得水，你帶着你那個老實的女兒，明日就聽我的話，知道嗎？”
**
五十篇策論過關，接着就是殿試，一起參加殿試的還有兩個人，那兩人也都是真才實學，沈臨風內心其實還是很緊張的。
沈夫人當然也清楚兒子明日就要考制科，今日晚上還特地過來了。
“風哥兒，明日就要考制科了，娘信你肯定能考好。”
沈臨風點頭：“孩兒一定盡力而為。”
沈夫人又笑：“你爹也說你肯定是可以的，還讓我別讓你太勞累，要不今日早些歇着吧。”
“兒子可睡不着，娘，我還想再看會兒書。”沈臨風道。
沈夫人也不好多說什麽，怕影響兒子的心情。
又說到了次日，窈娘早起梳妝打扮，解氏還在一旁道：“窈娘，要快一點，你哥哥的馬車已經等着了。”
“哥哥不是在翰林院嗎？怎麽也要去。”窈娘拿着唇脂點點自己的嘴唇。
解氏擺手：“已經請好假了，快點兒啊，帷帽要戴這一頂，你爹說你今日打扮的好些。”
窈娘露出難言的表情：“爹爹怎麽連這個都要管。”
解氏打趣道：“你爹可不一般，真的，以前我以為他就是官場上還行，沒想到什麽都懂，的确還是有好幾把刷子的。”
可惜，窈娘天還未亮就起床梳妝，又打了個哈欠：“娘，爹出的馊主意，我還想睡覺呢。”
“乖女兒，快點啊！”解氏還是催起來了。
窈娘這才起身，又看了解氏一眼，解氏揮揮手：“快去吧。”
窈娘重重點頭。
外面是顏景昭正等着她，顏景昭還是頭一次做這種事情，還有點尴尬：“妹妹，等會兒我們的馬車會快一點，你且扶好。”
“好。”窈娘上了馬車。
自诩沒什麽經驗的顏景昭卻在想，爹也真是勢利眼，之前不知道沈臨風能不能參加制科殿試，一直按捺不住，如今卻是風馳電掣，反應實在是太快了。
據說還有人在觀望，爹就已經出手了，還有二妹妹要嫁的文首輔的七公子，爹說此人雖然科舉上天賦很一般，但勝在顧全大局。
二妹妹是庶出，雖然也不影響婚配，但是她要嫁的人須為顏家穩定局面，這樣顏家就能掃去陰霾，再若是三妹妹和沈臨風能成，那更是佳偶天成，說明顏沈兩家依舊和睦如初，顏家是很看中沈臨風的。
若有沈臨風這麽個大舅子，那可就太好了，尤其是他也略有耳聞說這一路上沈臨風送三妹妹回京時，二人相處的還不錯。
As they were thinking, the carriage had already arrived at the destination. Shen Linfeng actually arrived later than them. He stayed up late yesterday and slept in this morning. He drank a bowl of ginseng soup to regain his energy.
Unexpectedly, he saw Yan Jingzhao as soon as he got off the carriage. Yan Jingzhao strode over and congratulated him, "Brother Shen, congratulations on taking the palace examination."
Shen Linfeng smiled and said, "Thank you." But seeing that he had come to see him at this time, he couldn't help but ask, "Bo Ying, what do you want to see me about?"
Yan Jingzhao pointed to the carriage not far away and said, "It's not me who's looking for you. Someone is looking for you."