Chapter 063 Leaving the Pavilion (Part 1)
Yan Jingzhao and Li lived in the east wing. Yan Jingzhao's concubines were still just girls in title. Baohua and Xique were the ones who served him the most on weekdays. Although Li felt a little sad when she saw them, she remembered that Yan Jingzhao did not seem to be fake to her, so she gave each of them rewards.
In Yan Jingzhao's opinion, he was already 21 years old but had no children. After Li came into the family, he was determined to have legitimate sons and daughters with Li, so he spent most of the first few days of his marriage by Li's side.
At dinner, Yan Jingzhao was still eating with Li. He asked, "Are you used to eating the meals at home?"
Upon hearing this, Li nodded heavily: "They are all delicious."
She really liked the Yan family's food. She originally thought that since she was from the northwest and Xie was from the south of the Yangtze River, their tastes should be very different. However, the Yan family's dishes were all light but fresh and sweet. They would also make some sweet and sour pork tenderloin as a side dish every time, and there were even several kinds of side dishes. She wanted to have a second bowl at every meal.
When Yan Jingzhao heard her answer, he thought that she was really a simple person. He couldn't help but smiled and said, "That's good. I was just worried that you wouldn't be used to it."
"No, I wouldn't. I had lunch today with my mother-in-law and sister. They took good care of me, fearing that I wouldn't be used to it. In fact, I'm used to it." Li was still a little spoiled. She didn't expect that the Yan family she married into, not only did she have a high-class husband for a long time, but even her mother-in-law and sister-in-law took such good care of her.
Yan Jingzhao was also very happy to hear her say this. His previous wife, Guan, did not get along well with Jie Yaoniang when she married into the family. She never said anything good about her mother and sister, and seemed to have a lot of complaints about marrying him. The bigger problem was that Guan was not wholeheartedly loyal to him, and always wanted to collude with the third old lady.
Looking at Li again, he couldn't figure out whether this girl was simple in nature or was just pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger. But now seeing her like this, Yan Jingzhao didn't mind expressing his attitude: "My sister is going to marry into the Shen family soon. She is young, so you can give her some advice. When she gets married in the future, my mother will be the only one at home. I would like to trouble you to be filial to her on my behalf."
Seeing his sincere attitude, Li said seriously, "Don't worry, my husband. I will definitely be filial to my mother-in-law and be friendly to my sister-in-law."
Seeing her so nervous, Yan Jingzhao laughed again: "I just told you in vain. Even if I didn't tell you, you would definitely do the same thing."
But Li really liked talking to Yan Jingzhao. She looked up at Yan Jingzhao again. Yan Jingzhao seemed to sense something and also looked over. Li's cheeks flushed instantly.
When Xie heard that Yan Jingzhao had been staying in Li's room for the past half month, she could not help but nod her head and said to Song's mother, "After Li gives birth to the baby, we can stop giving his two concubines the medicine."
Mother Song said, "Madam, please be merciful."
"They have been with Jing Zhao for so many years. Li is the legal wife, so I naturally love them more. But those two were also born by my father and raised by their parents. Contraceptives are not good things. If a concubine or a maid has a child, they will have someone to take care of for the rest of their lives without worries." Xie was not a kind-hearted person, but she also knew how to put herself in others' shoes.
After that, she said to Mother Song, "Li looks pretty good. She comes to my place every morning and evening to visit me. Her tone of voice and appearance are also good. But whether she is really good or not can't be judged by just one glance."
Mother Song thought that almost everyone in the third room was a smart person, but once they recognized you, they would truly treat you as a family member.
Li's life in the Yan family was still very good, because Xie told her that she should behave properly as a newlywed, and after a month, she would not have to come to pay respects every day, and could do whatever she wanted in her own yard. She also introduced her to the wives of Yan Jingzhao's colleagues so that she could start interacting with them.
"There are many more. I will tell you after your sister gets married." Xie said with a smile.
Although Li had just arrived in Beijing, she had heard about the marriage between the Yan and Shen families. She heard that the eldest daughter of the Yan family was originally going to marry Shen Linfeng, but was kidnapped halfway through. Naturally, some people also said that the eldest daughter of the Yan family ran away with someone, so the two families formed a new alliance.
Shen Linfeng was a very famous person, as handsome as Pan An and as talented as Zijian. Li thought that her sister-in-law and Shen Linfeng were a perfect match.
As the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were talking, they saw Yao Niang coming over with flowers in her hands. Xie said hurriedly, "Did you go to the garden just now? Don't let the branches scratch your face."
"Don't worry, I didn't break it myself. I asked someone to break it for me. I was tired from sewing, so I wanted to go out and walk around for a while, so that I wouldn't feel any pain." Yao Niang smiled.
In fact, she was also observing how Li acted as a new bride. Li was more diligent than Guan in paying her respects in the morning and evening, and it was obvious that her mother enjoyed it. Her mother was not the kind of person who would bother her daughter-in-law, and usually never let the new bride stand, but always let her sit.
But I'm afraid she will be treated differently when she goes to the Shen family. Li meets her mother and brother. Her mother never makes things difficult for others, and her brother is a person who values etiquette. But she went there with the debt owed by Yan Ningxin, and Mrs. Shen seemed difficult to deal with, but she didn't have time to contact other people in the Shen family.
The only person I've met who I thought was good was Shen Xunfu, who was serving in Henan.
Xie intended to let Yao Niang and Li have more contact because she went home with Yan Yingqi to attend the funeral. Since Yan Jingzhao was from the third house, the third old lady had written down her grandson's name in the family tree, so the couple did not have to go back to worry.
This dynasty has a regulation that, except for those who are in mourning for their parents and grandparents, others are not allowed to rush to the funeral.
Li didn't have many friends, but she and Yaoniang were only three years younger than each other, so they got along very well. She envied Yaoniang for her fair complexion, even though she didn't wear any makeup.
Yao Niang couldn't help but give her some advice while Jie was away. After all, she was her sister-in-law, and Li was much more sincere than Guan, otherwise she would have been too lazy to say it.
"Sister-in-law, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. Our third room is very quiet, but the first room is not like that. In your opinion, what about the second sister-in-law?" Yao Niang said.
Li and Yu were from different families, so they had few opportunities to interact with each other, but she often heard people say that Yu was a warm-hearted and kind person. But when her sister-in-law mentioned her, she thought there must be some secret. She also thought: "I don't understand these, please teach me, sister."
Yao Niang said, "When our second sister-in-law first came into our family, she was so kind to us. We were very nice to her and praised her. Later, we realized that she was just building up her reputation. People like her are not bad people, but you have to be careful."
"I see." Li nodded.
Yao Niang smiled and said, "I really envy my sister-in-law, you are such a good cook, but I can't cook at all."
Li had heard that the Yan family was afraid that she would get hurt, so she never went into the kitchen. She usually painted and wrote, and at most played the piano and arranged flowers. So, Li was a little anxious: "Sister, do you want me to teach you?"
"Of course I want to learn, but I have too much needlework to do now, and the Shen family is too anxious to come and ask for marriage." Yao Niang held her chin with her hand, and seemed to have her own troubles.
All the men and women in the Shen family can play polo. Shen Bangyan's wife came into the family shortly after her. I heard that the woman was also a virtuous person.
Even if she had the means, would Shen Linfeng really listen to him completely in the future? For example, she would not allow other women to be concubines, and she would not like other women to cook.
Li could also understand: "You are too hasty to finalize this marriage." Even she had been preparing for more than half a year, but still felt that something was not done well.
But it is said that after Yao Niang had lunch with Li, she went to Qian Niang's place. Qian Niang, as the elder sister, left the pavilion first. Yao Niang, as the younger sister, also did some needlework as a gift.
Qianniang's marriage was arranged according to plan. Because she was marrying the son of a prime minister, she received 10,000 taels from the public inheritance. Together with the betrothal gift from the Wen family and the 1,000 taels that Yan Yingqi gave her for her dowry, it was considered a very generous sum.
Now her room was all red. Qianniang was lying on the kang doing needlework. Seeing Yaoniang coming over, she was very happy: "Third sister, pull me up quickly, let's go over there and talk."
The two sisters sat separately, and Qianniang said with a smile: "Third sister, I have been looking forward to your coming, but I didn't expect that your wedding date and mine are a few days apart."
"Yes, the Shen family came to ask for someone, and father had no choice but to agree. Second sister, this is my wedding gift to you. I won't be able to come when you get married." Yao Niang said.
Qianniang also gave her a gourd-shaped box inlaid with gold and sapphires. They didn't know whether they were going to get married, but they felt the same way.
"You are better off than me. After all, brother-in-law Shen has only one son in his family. Miss Shen is older than you and will be married in one or two years. It won't be a big deal. But my husband has six older brothers. I don't know what to do when I think about it." The closer it got to her marriage, the more Qianniang's dreams of marrying into a prime minister's family became a reality, and she became worried.
Yao Niang sighed, "Sister, please don't say that. Although he is the only son of the Shen family's eldest branch, the three branches all live together. Madam Shen has a prejudice against my eldest sister. If it weren't for my grandfather's re-arrangement of marriage, the Shen family might not have married me."
In fact, Shen Linfeng treated her very well. Although Mrs. Shen had some resentment, she certainly didn't dare to do anything too excessive. To put it bluntly, that was her status.
But even if you are proud, don't show it. This will make others feel better and you will receive more goodwill.
Thinking of Yan Ningxin, Qianniang was naturally filled with anger. Although she and her sisters seemed to be fine on the surface, there were still many people gossiping about them behind their backs. She might even be ridiculed if she entered the Wen family.
"Third sister, we will all get married in the future, so we must keep in touch more often. Our family has only been in Beijing for a short time, and something like that happened. Only if we sisters support each other can we go a long way." Qianniang said while holding Yaoniang's hand. She said this sincerely. No matter how the three sisters fought among themselves, they were united outside.
Although Qianniang was once jealous of her father for giving all Yan Ningxin's dowry to the Shen family, there was no point in being jealous. She saw things more clearly than Zhen's Yingniang and others. Her brother's official career has failed and he has no willpower. Now he only enjoys himself among women. Although the third brother Jingwen is elegant in character, he is not made to be an official at all. He is still a child at heart. The next generation of the Yan family still depends on Yan Jingzhao. This is why the Shen family still agrees to the Yan family's marriage.
Because the temptation was so great: her grandfather was a first-rank official, her father was a high-ranking official in the ministry, her brother was a Hanlin, and Yao Niang was even both talented and beautiful.
How can you compare yourself with others?
Yao Niang nodded: "Second sister has always been the eldest sister among us sisters. When you and I get married in the future, we should be of one mind and one heart."
After getting married, they changed from being a young lady to being someone's daughter-in-law, and had to rely on themselves to socialize. Especially since they knew their father might die soon, their status would be lowered.
It was also said that Qianniang would leave the palace in a few days. Zhen heard that she was so tired that she almost collapsed. She was old now and felt that everything was not going well. Her son finally passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, not even a student of the imperial academy. Moreover, he was not young anymore and could not be compared with Yan Jingzhao at all.
Xie had just finished arranging her son's marriage, and now she started to get busy with her daughter's wedding. She was very busy and exhausted.
Qianniang looked worried before, but when she returned home three days later, she was a smart and strong young lady again, and she didn't have the calm aura of a lady from the family. She was also asked by Xie to teach Yaoniang the fire avoidance map. Seeing that Yaoniang was shy, she twisted her shoulders and said, "My dear sister, the Shen family and our family love you, so they let you consummate the marriage when you are a little older, but you must understand these."
Yao Niang was forced to listen for a long time, and finally concluded: "This kind of thing is too terrible, but fortunately it's ugly. Does it have to be like this?"
Qianniang smiled meaningfully: "Good sister, I have said everything I need to say. You will know the taste of it in the future."
Yao Niang felt that as her wedding date approached, her life was passing by like a revolving lantern.
On the day of sending the dowry, Mrs. Liu came again. When she saw Yao Niang, she asked hurriedly, "Miss San, why do I see that you have become white again?"
"It's because I don't go out. I'm not even allowed to go out to visit my family. I stay at home every day, so my hair may have turned white." Yao Niang said with a smile.
Mrs. Liu scratched her nose and said, "She's really pretty. Not only would I like her if she were a man, but I'd also like her if she were a woman."
Yao Niang was a little embarrassed: "How about the Danshen sheep fat cream I gave you the other day?"
"It works well. The scar on my sister's knee has disappeared a lot. I mentioned it that day. I didn't know you had prepared it." Madam Liu had a pair of twins, a boy and a girl. Her daughter, Shan Jie'er, was injured while learning polo with her father. A girl couldn't be left with scars. When she was anxious, Yao Niang heard about it and prepared some medicine for her, asking her to give it to the servants to try first. If it works, she would let Shan Jie'er use it. Unexpectedly, it really worked.
Yao Niang said with relief: "I'm glad I can help you."
Mrs. Liu looked at Yao Niang's dowry again. It weighed more than two hundred liang, and it was specially compressed. For example, the usual camphorwood boxes were not used. Instead, the deepest boxes were used. One box held twice as much as others.
Madam Liu said to Xie: "I have to say one more thing, the Shen family is really blessed."
Xie smiled and said, "Ms. Shen is also very nice."
Madam Liu thought about it and nodded, "Yes, he is indeed young and handsome, quite like Wei Jin. I have inquired for you, and he does not have a single concubine."
Xie thought to himself, you are the wife of the commander of the Jinyiwei, we trust you.
In fact, Mrs. Liu once said that when the Shen and Yan families remarried, she heard her husband say, "They have been together for a long time." Only then did she sigh that this boy Shen Linfeng was so quick to act.
The Shen family didn't expect the Yan family to give twice as much dowry as before. Madam Liu had a good relationship with Yao Niang, so she praised Yao Niang in front of Madam Shen and Mr. Shen: "The Yan family attaches great importance to this marriage and loves their daughter. It's just like the saying that the dowry is worth the money. Mr. Shen, Madam Shen, you are so lucky. I watched the child grow up, and everyone loves her."
Mrs. Shen forced a smile and said, "You are right."
Mrs. Liu glanced at Mrs. Shen and felt that she was not as enthusiastic as she was in the previous marriage. After all, the third girl was obviously better. I don't know what she was thinking.
After the dowry was delivered, Madam Liu took people to make the bed. She also happened to see Shen Linfeng. Compared to the last time when Shen Linfeng was just a hands-off manager, he was different now.
Mother Gu and Shen Linfeng, who came with them, were very familiar with each other. After all, they came back from Kaifeng together. "Aunt."
"Mother Gu, how is your third sister?" Shen Linfeng hadn't seen Yao Niang for two months and still missed her a little.
Mother Gu smiled and said, "Everything is fine. She will be married tomorrow. She is reluctant to leave our old man and his wife at home today."
"Is her head okay?" Shen Linfeng asked.
Mother Gu shook her head and said, "My daughter is always afraid of seeing doctors. She has never liked seeing a doctor since she was a child. You will have to persuade her when the time comes."
Perhaps it was because Shen Linfeng had a cheerful personality and Mother Gu felt no distance between him and her. Mrs. Liu listened to their conversation and couldn't help nodding. It was obvious that Shen Linfeng cared very much about Miss Yan San.
Shen Linfeng saw that the wedding ceremony was almost over, and he couldn't stay here any longer, so he went outside. Because the wedding was held by both families at the same time, many relatives from Wu Xing's hometown came, and his cousin Shen Bangyan also asked for leave from the Imperial College to come back.
"Brother." Shen Bangyan came up to him with a smile.
Shen Linfeng patted his shoulder: "Erlang."
"My sister-in-law's dowry is so huge, congratulations, brother." Shen Bangyan bowed and congratulated.
Shen Linfeng smiled and said, "Hey, Erlang, please don't say that. In my opinion, you married the daughter of a duke, a noblewoman, and she is also a rich and powerful person. Not everyone can compare to her."
There are two brothers, one is the son of Zuodu Yushi, and the other's father is now the director of the Imperial College and will soon be promoted to the chief academic officer of the Imperial College. The age difference between them is not much. Now one of them has married the daughter of the Minister of Personnel, and the other has married the daughter of a noble, which can be considered to complement each other.
The two brothers exchanged a few words, and then Shen Mo came over and pulled Shen Linfeng to the front. Shen Linfeng then asked her, "What's going on in front?"
"Brother, mother said that my aunt and her family are here, and asked you to go over and meet them."
Shen Linfeng was surprised: "Didn't my aunt say she couldn't come? Why did she come anyway?"
Shen Mo glanced at him sideways: "I didn't come before because I felt sorry for you. Why did you wade into the Yan family? Now she is still concerned about you. She has always been sharp-tongued but kind-hearted. Don't you know that?"
"Sharp tongue but a soft heart? It's okay to say that to me, but it would be bad if he said anything to my sister, the Goddess..." Shen Linfeng was also worried, because the relatives were also very angry about the shadow cast by Yan Ningxin last time.
Shen Mo held up his hands: "Brother, is Concubine Yan your sister, or am I your sister? Didn't the third lady's brother also get married? We even went to watch the ceremony, and he didn't do what you did."
Shen Linfeng said self-deprecatingly: "Yan Jingzhao has always been a romantic man. I am not interested in matters between men and women. Now, I just treat the Divine Concubine's sister as my own sister. She is young, so I should have taken better care of her."
"Brother, do you really think so?"
"Yes, Brother Boying and I have always been very good friends, and I treat him as my sister as well."
Shen Mo looked at him suspiciously, not sure if what he said was true? Although his brother rejected the beautiful girl, he didn't care about matters between men and women.
…
This was the last meal at home. Everyone gathered around the big table to eat. The atmosphere was very tense and not as cheerful as before. Even Yan Yingqi, who was always very proud, lowered his head and took a sip of wine.
"Tomorrow, you have to get up early, so go to bed early today." Yan Yingqi looked at his daughter's face and finally swallowed the many words he was about to tell her.
Xie was originally smiling, and even said, "This fried chicken head rice is delicious, try it."
"Okay, my daughter, have a try." Yao Niang lowered her head to eat rice, but tears unconsciously dripped into the bowl.
Xie also saw it. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and trembled with tears. She couldn't bear to leave her daughter. Even though Shen Linfeng was a very good candidate for son-in-law, she burst into tears when she thought of her daughter leaving her.
Yan Yingqi looked at the mother and daughter crying wildly, and was deciding whether to cry or not, because for him this was a good thing for his daughter. If she missed this opportunity, she would never have it again. She passed the imperial examination at the age of nineteen, and she would definitely have a bright future. Moreover, Shen Linfeng used to play polo and was in good health. It would be great if she could grab such a husband quickly.
"Yao Niang, come and eat. Here is your favorite jellyfish and quail eggs. The kitchen also added dried shreds and your favorite crushed peanuts. If you don't eat it, daddy will eat it all, right?" Yan Yingqi said.
Yao Niang's eyes were red, and she picked up a large portion of food with her chopsticks: "I'll eat first."
Yan Yingqi smiled and said, "That's right. Live a good life in the Shen family. Your mother and I are happy for you. This means that you will grow from a little girl to an adult. You don't have to listen to the elders' arrangements in the future. You can make your own decisions. Isn't that good?"
"Dad, I know all these reasons, but I just want to cry." What Yao Niang couldn't bear to leave was not her parents, but her girlhood that she might never be able to return to.
She felt lonely every time she slept in her bed at night, but no one could understand this melancholy feeling.
On the contrary, Shen Linfeng rested in the study today because the wedding bed was laid in the new room and he could not sleep until the bride came tomorrow. He was in a very good mood. Tomorrow he would be able to see his sister, the Goddess Consort, and they would soon become real husband and wife. The thought was very beautiful. In less than a cup of tea, he fell asleep with a smile on his face.
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