Chapter 069 Chapter 69
Although Yan Yingqi had an absolute advantage, he actually announced before leaving Beijing that the position of Minister of Rites could only be held by Master Du because Ding You was eliminated.
By saying this he actually offended a large group of people including Gong Ci-fu and Wen Shou-fu, because they each had candidates that they wanted Yan Yingqi to recommend, but Yan Yingqi did not play by the rules at all.
You have to know that Du Hongchen and he are from different hometowns, not in the same list, and they have no contact with each other on a daily basis.
Shen Linfeng secretly tapped the table and heard Old Master Shen say, "Your father-in-law doesn't care about his children's lives at all. How could the Gong family let Yan Jingzhao go if he was like this? Gong Cifu did a lot for your father-in-law, but in the end he wanted Ding You, and he should have nominated someone from our faction, but he nominated Du Hongchen instead."
"I think my father-in-law is quite conceited. He may think that he will come back after his troubles, so he chose Mr. Du who has no faction." Shen Linfeng said.
In Shen Zongxian's opinion, this further proves that Yan Yingqi only cares about himself. Most of his sons and daughters are married to Gong Ci Fu, but now Yan Yingqi doesn't care about the Gong family. What a waste of time.
He looked at his son and said, "We treat the bride very well in our family, but other families may not be so kind."
Shen Linfeng nodded: "Father, no matter what, Yan's grandfather is still the governor of the river, and her brother is also my colleague. The bride is virtuous and dignified, and she has always been sincere to her son."
Shen Zongxian glanced at his son and said, "Of course, our family is not the kind of people who flatter the powerful and look down on the weak, and we would never do anything to bully a woman."
Shen Linfeng nodded his head.
At this time, Shen Linfeng came out of his father's study and returned to his room. He was originally thinking that he might have to comfort Yao Niang, but he didn't expect that Yao Niang was doing needlework under the lamp. He didn't expect that Yao Niang's needlework was so fast and looked so skillful.
Looking at a beauty under the light is naturally a different experience.
Yao Niang looked up and saw that he had returned. She put down her needlework and said, "I heard that you went to see your father, so I had dinner first. How is it? Are you hungry?"
"I'm not hungry. When I went to your house today, my mother-in-law said that you passed away first. Please accept my condolences." Shen Linfeng sat down and looked at her.
Yao Niang took out a handkerchief and tapped her eyes: "I just got well, and you're scolding me again. My father said that my grandfather was seriously ill and it was beyond human power to save him, so we shouldn't be too sad."
Shen Linfeng sat down and took her hand and said, "It's all my fault."
"Although I don't have to go back to Nanjing to attend the funeral, I still have to observe the minor mourning period. I want to wear this dress inside and something simpler outside, as a way of showing my filial piety." Yao Niang and Yan Jingzhao were both adopted sons, and they had to observe the minor mourning period for five months.
The minor merit is to wear fine linen, and you can wear ordinary shoes, just remove the laces. Originally, Yao Niang wanted not to attend the second room's wedding, but Madam Shen refused. She probably thought she would collapse, but she didn't know that Yao Niang didn't care about these things at all. If you don't care about it, then she will be even less so.
Shen Linfeng said: "Then you can make one for me and I will wear it inside too."
"Are you willing?" Yao Niang looked at him in disbelief. After all, if he didn't follow suit, no one would say anything.
Shen Linfeng smiled and said, "I am already your husband, isn't this what I should do?"
Yao Niang nodded heavily: "Then I will also cut one for you to wear inside."
Soon it was the day for the second wife Shen Bangyan to get married. Yao Niang, Shen Linqing and Shen Linjiang's wife were all in the front yard entertaining guests. Within a day, the Yan family's influence was no longer as strong as before.
Mrs. Gong was the matchmaker between Shen Linfeng and her. Mrs. Quanfu was replaced by Mrs. Liu. Mrs. Gong was quite dissatisfied when she heard about it, but Yan Yingqi also said: "Everything has a beginning and an end."
Mrs. Liu had failed in the marriage between the Yan and Shen families before, but if things can go smoothly for both families now, wouldn't that be a good thing?
Naturally, Madam Gong would not exclude Yao Niang with such direct words, or ridicule her directly, but as long as she did not respond to Yao Niang when she was speaking, the people below would know what the Gong family meant. Therefore, no one paid attention to Yao Niang, and everyone was happy to watch the joke.
If she was really a proud person, she would naturally not be able to bear it, but Yao Niang had been treated coldly countless times in the Yan family. Since she was a child, Ying Niang had pulled Qian Niang to isolate her, and Zhen never wanted to take her out to socialize. Even if she did, no one would introduce her to them. So this kind of thing was considered a humiliation to her by Mrs. Shen and Mrs. Gong, but Yao Niang was able to keep her composure.
When she turned around to take her seat, Grandma Qingda and Grandma Jiang Er in the back looked at each other.
In the evening, after the bride and groom worshiped heaven and earth, they came out together. Shen Bangyan was very handsome, and the bride, Wang, was worthy of being a descendant of a noble family. She looked quite dignified and had a beautiful appearance.
Shen Linfeng and Yao Niang stood together. She had prepared a pair of dragon and phoenix jade pendants, symbolizing the harmony of the phoenix and the dragon. They were placed in a small-leaf red sandalwood box inlaid with various treasures and inlaid with flowers, which looked extremely exquisite.
"Second Madam, this is our Grandma." Mother Wu beside Mrs. Shen introduced.
Wang Shen Bangyan in paying respects and called him brother and sister-in-law. Yao Niang smiled at Wang. She heard that Wang was seventeen years old this year, but was actually two years older than her.
When Shen Bangyan got married, no relatives of the Shen family made trouble, and no one said anything strange. Yao Niang glanced at the second aunt, who was talking to the second wife of Shen and the first wife of Shen.
Yao Niang thought that if the second aunt only attacked her once, it meant that it was still because of Yan Ningxin, and she could still tolerate it, because Yan Ningxin did have a lot of influence on the Shen family. But if she attacked her again, she would definitely not let her off.
After the bride and groom greet their relatives and friends, the bride, Wang, will go to the bridal chamber, while the rest of the people will have a feast.
Wang was the legitimate daughter of Marquis Xinning. Her mother was very strict with her subordinates. The Shen family was also a noble family, but she was not a daring girl. Instead, like her mother, she pursued feminine virtues. In simple terms, she hoped to be a good daughter-in-law praised by everyone.
Therefore, Yao Niang thought that the bride and groom were in perfect harmony, but she never expected that Wang would get up early before dawn to prepare a large table of breakfast, and even sent a portion to Mrs. Shen.
"This is hand-rolled noodles, the soup is good and the taste is good." Mrs. Shen took a bite and actually sweated in the hot weather. She felt much better.
Mother Zhou glanced at Yao Niang and smiled, "Yes, the noodles were rolled by Second Madam herself. I heard that she is very skilled. It's hard for someone of that status to roll the noodles herself. Her skills are so good. No one would believe it if I told them."
Madam Shen said: "This is a rare good woman. Since ancient times, women with good morals, good words and good appearance are a blessing to the family."
Originally Yao Niang was thinking about whether she should learn to cook a few dishes in the future, but seeing that Mrs. Shen started saying these weird things to her just a few days after her marriage, she decided that even if she learned a few dishes, she would definitely not cook them for her.
In another three years, if her father can return to officialdom, she will have nothing to fear from the people in the Shen family.
After serving Mrs. Shen and Shen Mo Ren their meal, she went back to her room.
As soon as she left, Shen Mo raised his lips and said, "She is really shameless. When you praised the second sister-in-law just now, she didn't even say anything."
"I think she doesn't take the words I said to heart at all, and still thinks that she is the eldest daughter of the Yan family who married into our family." Mrs. Shen shook her head. Look at the daughter of the marquis's family who has given up her job to cook. How could she be as filial as others?
Shen Mo snorted coldly: "If you want to blame someone, blame her father for leaving the family with nowhere to go. The Gong family hates the Yan family so much that even Yan Jingzhao's selection may be in trouble."
Mrs. Shen even suspected that the Yan family knew that they might have Ding You, so they married their daughter off early. But then she thought it was not right, and she wanted to arrange the marriage in advance.
The more the mother and daughter thought about it, the more they felt that this marriage was not worth it. They were like the ones being taken advantage of, falling into the same trap twice in a row.
But Shen Mo was smarter than Madam Shen. When she saw Shen Linfeng, she said, "Sister-in-law has lost a relative at home. Don't worry, brother. I will definitely comfort you."
Shen Linfeng was quite grateful: "Thank you very much."
"My brother has always treated me very well. Why are we talking about these things as siblings?" Shen Mo knew that Shen Linfeng had always been very good to her, and they had a very strong brother-sister relationship.
Shen Linfeng didn't know the details, and Yao Niang wouldn't tell him about it. Since ancient times, the estranged family members have never been separated. She is now a wife in the Shen family according to the patriarchal system. As long as she can endure this period, it will be fine. As a daughter-in-law, it takes time to get along with the in-laws. She hasn't established her footing yet, so she has to endure some hardships silently.
But these were just minor disturbances for Yao Niang. She thought about how her mother had lived in obscurity for so many years, and how the third old lady was even worse than Madam Shen, who was only a few sarcastic remarks. Thinking in this way, she could adjust her mentality every time she faced Shen Linfeng.
In the evening, when the two of them were having dinner, Shen Linfeng asked her, "Are you getting along well with your new sister-in-law?"
"I just know that she is good at cooking. She cooked in the morning and sent a portion to my mother-in-law. She can also make hand-rolled noodles. She is so amazing. I can't do that." Yao Niang praised sincerely.
Shen Linfeng's thinking is different from many people. If he is an ordinary man, he will definitely think that other people's wives can cook, so why don't you do it? But Shen Linfeng glanced at Yao Niang, held her hand and said, "She may not be able to cook even if you can. Besides, I cook in our family, so I can cook."
Yao Niang smiled and said, "I will also learn to cook, but I will only cook for you."
The two smiled at each other. Among Yao Niang's dowry were people she had brought with her, so she imitated the four departments and six bureaus and brought over the people on the stove. However, now that she had no small kitchen, these people had no place to show their skills.
"Are you making it just for me? Why?" Shen Linfeng touched his nose.
Yao Niang smiled and said, "Of course, because you are the one I love the most, I don't want to do the dirty work for other people." She really couldn't do things like degumming fish gills, killing fish, and making that sticky flour.
Beloved, she said he was her beloved? Shen Linfeng felt a little bit dazzled and even made a request: "I like to eat oyster pancakes, can you make them for me in the future?"
Yao Niang glanced at him and thought, I was just saying that, but you really took it seriously and dared to ask me for something? Are you so brave? She shook his hand: "I have never eaten oyster pancakes before. Can you make it for me first and then I will learn, okay?"
Shen Linfeng actually didn't really go too far. Seeing Yao Niang shaking his hand, he was already blinded by lust and immediately agreed, "Okay."
Today Yao Niang took off her usual nightgown and changed into another plain white lingerie. She was originally a flower-like person, but now with her hair loose and plain white clothes, her face looked a little more pitiful. Moreover, this lingerie was very close to her body, and Hun Yuan could see it clearly. He was tormented and happy in his heart, but he couldn't tell anyone.
Yao Niang gathered her quilt, threw her hair out onto the pillowcase, and asked Shen Linfeng, "I haven't asked you yet? How are you doing in the Hanlin Academy?"
"Compiling history books and writing imperial edicts. The Hanlin Academy is different from other places. There aren't many factional struggles and everyone is relatively peaceful." Shen Linfeng came closer and seemed to be able to smell the fragrance of Yao Niang's hair.
Yao Niang thought of Yan Jingzhao. Her brother would be appointed as an official next year. He was indeed a man of great courage and debate ability. He always supported the principle of "destruction before construction", but he was unruly and easily offended people. She wanted Shen Linfeng to help look after her brother, but she felt that it was not possible. In politics, there was only a difference of interests. Even brothers might not be on the same side, not to mention that the Shen family had previously squeezed out Dad's most proud student.
To be honest, at this stage, she believes that her father will make a comeback in three years, and she doesn't believe that the Shen family will help her brother.
So Yao Niang held her mouth and said nothing more.
Shen Linfeng obviously noticed that Yao Niang had something to say, but she didn't say it in the end. He also felt that Yao Niang was less than fifteen years old and her mind was not that of an ordinary person.
He had also met many women who spoke without caring about what they said when they were in a good mood or when they were angry, but she was very sensible and never complained to him. The two of them got along very easily.
When he turned around, he saw that Yao Niang had fallen asleep before him today.
It was late at night. Shen Linfeng had turned off the lights and the servants had gone to bed. However, the couple in the second room were getting married. As they had just gotten married, Shen Bangyan naturally wanted to rest in the main room.
Wang's mother taught her many skills to survive, and she was good at both the living room and the kitchen, so before Wang got married, she asked the concubine who was good at romance to teach her many sexual techniques, but she was a lady from a wealthy family, so she was still a little restrained. Shen Bangyan already had a concubine who was skilled in sex, and although he and Wang were harmonious in sex, he was not as open as the maids.
Moreover, Wang was the legitimate daughter at home all year round. Although the concubines were sisters to her, they mostly avoided her in their words. Therefore, what she wanted was to be praised by others and could not stand the slightest cold treatment.
Shen Bangyan was also the only son of the second wife. Mrs. Shen doted on her son very much. His father might be promoted to the chief academic officer of the Imperial College soon, so the two of them chatted casually for a few sentences and felt that they were not getting along well.
Even the two of them were somewhat arrogant. Shen Bangyan himself was quite beautiful, and he did not think Wang was so stunningly beautiful. Wang was praised by the Marquis of Xinning as the smartest of the girls at home, and she was also very beautiful, so she was unwilling to please him.
When the two of them slept, they each turned their backs to rest.
But it is said that when Yao Niang went out in the morning, she happened to meet Wang, and the two smiled at each other and greeted each other.
"Sister-in-law, you just got married, so it's not convenient for me to go. We will live close to each other in the future. If you are free and bored, just come to me." Yao Niang smiled.
Wang nodded: "Sister-in-law is right, that's exactly what I meant."
The two were originally from different families, and were not direct sisters-in-law, just like the relationship between Yu and Li, and they just needed to keep things peaceful. But Yao Niang was similar to Shen Bangyan, and the people she was willing to worry about were mostly Shen Linfeng or her own parents, and at most her parents-in-law and other elders, so she didn't need to please her peers.
Therefore, today when everyone was playing cards together, Yao Niang had learned it specially in Kaifeng, so she won very smoothly when she came on the stage. At most, she would give a penny to Madam Shen, and she would not give in to the rest of the people.
Among them, Mrs. Shen Er was also a good player who often wiped the cards. Although she didn't win very often, she seldom gave others the chance to win.
Madam Shen took a card from Yao Niang and won a lot of money. She was in a good mood. Yao Niang immediately asked for money and said with a smile: "Madam, you are so lucky today."
"I got the better hand, but you seem to have good luck today? Do you often play cards at home?" Mrs. Shen asked.
Yao Niang shook her head and said, "This is only my second time to swipe the cards. When we were at home, our father would not allow us to swipe the cards and would often check our homework."
Mrs. Shen had also heard about how Yao Niang helped her mother obtain the imperial edict by solving the case through painting. It was said that the portraits she painted looked as if the real people were in front of her.
It is also said that after Yao Niang finished speaking, she won three consecutive hands in the next round. When she looked up, Wang's face looked a little unhappy. She was the one who lost the most at the table.
Even though Mrs. Shen didn't like Yao Niang very much, she saw that she was indeed very lucky. Even though they gave her the cold shoulder, she was always in a very stable mood and smiled sweetly. Sometimes when they gave her the cold shoulder, she would not show any displeasure.
Even after the cards were cleared, when Madam Shen and Second Madam Shen had dinner together, she followed them and served them the dishes. She was afraid that she would be cold, so she asked Madam Zhou to bring her a cloak to put on.
All in all, can't fault it.
Wang lost a lot of money, but when she was serving the dishes, she somehow spilled the soup because it was too hot, and she was very angry.
In fact, these things are very small, but she cares about them the most. She even thinks that she is much better than Yao Niang in terms of family background and housewife skills. However, she heard from people around Mrs. Shen that Yan is not good at cooking.
Now she felt extremely ashamed.
What's more, Yan even received an invitation to a flower banquet at the Marquis of Jinghai's Mansion. You have to know that when Yan Ningxin ran away from her marriage, it was heard that Madam Liu scolded Yan Ningxin for several days and nights without taking a breath, but she really valued her.
"Madam, can I come over that day?" Yao Niang was also very happy when she received the invitation from Mrs. Liu.
Madam Liu is not only the wife of the Marquis of Jinghai, she is also the niece of the Marquis of Xuanping and the daughter of the current Minister of Rites. It seems that my efforts to make friends with her have paid off.
Mrs. Shen certainly didn't say anything, she just said, "Go ahead and ask the stable staff to prepare it."
Yao Niang nodded: "Thank you very much, mother."
Madam Shen Er said, "Feng's wife, you can take Mo Jie'er with you. She is very lively and the Duke Cheng's Mansion often invited her there before."
In fact, the Mansion of Duke Chengguo and the Mansion of Marquis Jinghai are from the same family. They each opened their own mansions later, but they lived as neighbors and had a good relationship.
Yao Niang, however, could sense something unusual. This post was only given to her, and it would not be good for her to take Shen Mo with her. If she did not take Shen Mo with her, she was afraid that her mother-in-law would have something against her.
It seems that Second Madam Shen dug a hole so easily. I wonder if it was accidental or intentional?
She smiled and said, "I was just thinking that. My aunt was a very famous woman of both talent and beauty in the capital. I'm afraid that if she goes out, many men will come to visit us. However, it's not fun to go there in winter. I heard that the Peach Blossom Banquet of the Marquis of Jinghai is very famous. Originally, it was only for the wives of officials, but later on, they wanted to meet each other. Why don't I go there this time and ask Madam Liu for an invitation?"
Mrs. Shen agreed immediately: "I took Mo'er there once before, but later I was not feeling well and was too lazy to go out. Brother Feng's daughter-in-law, I will leave your sister's affairs to you in the future."
"What are you talking about, mother? My husband often told me that he and my aunt are from the same mother, and he asked me to be nice to my aunt." Sometimes Yao Niang really felt that she was lying without blinking an eye.
Mrs. Shen was in a good mood after hearing this, and even followed Yao Niang's thoughts. For example, when Yao Niang talked about Shen Linfeng, she said, "I heard from my brother that the food in the Hanlin Academy is very ordinary, and my husband often has to go out to eat with his peers. Today, the weather is cold, and I don't know how to help him recover. I want to ask you for advice."
Mrs. Shen had a lot of experience in health preservation, so she talked non-stop for more than an hour. Yao Niang pretended to listen carefully to delay the time. Anyway, when dealing with people like Mrs. Shen, one should not talk too much about core topics. This young girl likes to be a teacher to others. She just wants Mrs. Shen to get used to talking to her like this. In the future, when she is with others, if they can't listen, she will definitely feel uncomfortable, and then they can't leave her.
Some people don't realize that God's companionship is actually the most important thing.
Even Mrs. Shen admired Yao Niang. It was not easy for a woman of her age to listen to an older person for so long. But she could not stay any longer, so she naturally took Wang Shi with her and left first.
But seeing all this, Wang felt that her sister-in-law seemed to be more proud than herself.
During dinner, Shen Linfeng sent someone to tell her that he was going to a colleague's house to attend a wedding banquet. Yao Niang then served Mrs. Shen dinner. When she returned to her room, she found that it was snowing heavily.
When she reached the gate of her yard, the snow had already fallen to her knees. She saw Shen Linfeng and immediately called him sweetly, "Husband."
Shen Linfeng also walked over quickly: "Why are you outside now and not in the house?"
"I just came back from my mother-in-law." Yao Niang looked very weak.
Shen Linfeng immediately thought that she must not have eaten yet, so she was so weak, so he made a gesture to support her, but Yao Niang whispered, "I can't walk anymore."
"Then I'll carry you in?" Shen Linfeng asked quickly.
Mother Gu was staring at the scene, wondering where her sister had learned all this.
But Yao Niang said, "It's snowing so hard. If you insist on hugging me, I have no objection, but you have to be careful!"
Shen Linfeng always felt that Yao Niang was very polite before and did everything by herself. Now that she relied on him a little, he was very happy. He immediately bent down, picked up Yao Niang and walked into the house.
Although the servants did not dare to look, they understood the position of the eldest lady in the eldest master's mind, and they dared not underestimate her in the future.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
