Chapter 117 Chapter 117
"Bi lent money at interest, deceived his superiors and deceived his subordinates, and harmed his descendants. This is intolerable under the national law and the family law. The clan members have decided to let your uncle divorce her, but the family shame cannot be made public, so she was sent to the family temple to become a nun. No servants are allowed to serve her, and she is not allowed to take away any thread. Wang also violated the national law and was imprisoned in the nunnery for ten years to serve as a warning to others..."
Shen Linfeng read to Yao Niang that the letter was brought by Shen Mo, who accompanied her husband to the capital.
Yao Niang was about to give birth, and she felt relieved when she heard about the fate of Mrs. Shen Er: "I think for someone like her who has enjoyed a life of luxury, being bullied and humiliated is the life she least wants to live."
Shen Linfeng nodded: "Yes, I think so too. As the saying goes, those who do too much evil will eventually perish. Yao Niang, you are about to give birth, so don't worry so much and just take care of the present."
"Well, speaking of which, your sister is coming to the capital, and we haven't held a welcoming party yet. I plan to prepare two tables of banquets to invite Aunt Pang and Auntie to join us." Although Yao Niang didn't like Shen Mo very much, she had to be polite and courteous enough so that no one could find fault with her.
If nothing else, it was because Shen Linfeng had nothing to say about the Yan family and treated his own parents like his own parents. No matter what she thought about Shen Mo in her heart, she had to be considerate on the surface.
Shen Linfeng said: "Why bother coming here? I still need you to take care of it."
"It's just a matter of giving orders. You should also find out the character of Aunt Pang. We can see if we can get along with this person." Yao Niang said with a smile.
Shen Linfeng nodded: "Then I'll trouble you, madam."
Yao Niang shook her head: "I still have to add makeup for my sister, how can it be considered as trouble? You are so filial to my mother and father, this is what I should do."
It is also said that when the news of the second wife's experience reached the first wife, she did not think it was a big deal, as Yao Niang was not the kind of person who liked to take advantage, but the third wife had already started to act. Grandma Qing used the excuse that the second wife asked her to look after the second wife's former residence before she left, and at night, she and Shen Linqing and his wife transported out many valuables that the second wife had not yet taken away, and locked them up well.
They were very brave in this matter, but Yao Niang had bribed several servants in the second house, and Zhou Wang's wife often inquired about it, so they naturally knew all this.
Zhou Wang's wife said, "Grandma, you don't know that Grandma Qing packed all her treasures in the big gold-painted box. She also took 10 of the 18 beds that belonged to Second Madam Yan and Second Madam, and gave the other eight to Second Madam Jiang and Third Madam Yun."
This Qingda grandmother is quite a person. If she moved all by herself, it would cause a big commotion, and I'm afraid that the Shao family and Han Ruohua would have gossip. If the three families divide it equally, who will say anything? Everyone keeps a secret together, and no one will reveal it.
"Let them divide it. I don't care about it anyway. Even though the second wife committed a crime, she took advantage of the misfortune and got a fortune. I don't know if she will be able to enjoy it in her life." Yao Niang put down the honey water and said lightly.
Zhou Wang's wife felt very sorry. It was obvious that the second wife would never come back. What was the harm in giving her some of her wealth? Even the former servants of the second wife were running away with their valuables.
But since the master had said so, Zhou Wang's wife did not dare to disobey and just said, "You have nothing. You have too much dowry to get involved. In the past few years, our family has made a lot of money. Why should we compare ourselves with those poor families?"
"Even if you don't have money, there's no need to take advantage of it." Yao Niang shook her head.
Among the people in the third house, the first three sons were born to the same mother. Although Grandma Qing was wary of her two younger siblings, she would still share the benefits with them.
Shao said to Shen Linjiang, "That's good. I'm pregnant again. If it's a girl, then we don't even need to prepare a wedding bed. My eldest sister-in-law said that the servants were reselling the second wife's things like locusts, so we kept them first. If the second wife comes back, we can return them. If not, it won't be a bad deal for those servants."
"It's really unexpected that my second uncle collapsed overnight." Shen Linfeng sighed.
Shao smiled and said, "The good news is that Dalang has been promoted to imperial lecturer. It seems that the emperor has shown some leniency towards our Shen family."
Shen Linjiang was a little worried: "My father is now a man who is looking forward to his fifth year. My eldest brother has not been in office for a long time, and so am I, not to mention Sanlang. When my father retires in the future, do we still have to look at the face of the first wife?"
"I think you don't have to rush. If you are able to take up a government post, it's not a bad idea. But I'm afraid that the benefits will be taken by my elder brother, and there will be nothing left for you. Let's see if we can follow my brother-in-law's path." Shao said.
Shen Linjiang thought that Shao's uncle was born in a poor family, and being the Minister of the Ministry of Rites was already the best he could do, and it would be impossible for him to go any further. Besides, he had his own son, so how could he help him?
Shao didn't want to think too much about these things that were too far-fetched. She just thought that Qing's eldest sister-in-law was smart. Yan from the first wife had a smart face but a stupid mind. The second wife had become like that, but she was completely unaware of it.
Compared to Shao who thought it was natural, Han Ruohua had someone hide it first, and then she saw that Grandma Qing had sent a pile of cloth, all of which were extremely high-quality cloth, two pieces each of Lu silk, Yun silk, and Peng silk, and three pieces each of Goryeo cloth, Japanese silk, and Zhuang silk. Han Ruohua accepted them all.
These were probably things that the Concubine Chang Guifei had once appreciated, but the Second Lady had no time to take them away. After all, there were too many pieces of furniture, so she could only take the expensive ones back. The remaining cloths were heavy and took up space, so they only picked some, and the rest were now all given to the Third Lady at a discount.
Han Ruohua hid it herself, and then said to her chambermaid Xu Mama: "Since we have benefited from this matter, I think we should also thank the eldest sister-in-law. It just so happens that I have a set of flowered dress that I haven't worn yet. Please give it to the eldest sister-in-law for me, and don't let the second sister-in-law know."
Mother Xu thought that Third Grandma was really calculating. She had never worn this floral dress because she thought it was too flowery. It was Madam Shen who had it made by a tailor when she got married. Now she was just giving it to her as a favor.
But this is better than Shaw Brothers. Small favors are still some favors after all. Shaw Brothers may not behave like human beings even if they spend money.
When Han Ruohua's flowered dress was handed over, Grandma Qing saw that it was woven with dense gold thread, but when she put it under her nose and sniffed it, she smelled a scent of camphor.
"I'm afraid this dress has been kept at the bottom of the box for a long time. My third brother's wife is used to being like this. When it comes to being generous, she's actually not as generous as Yan from the first house." Grandma Qing smiled and shook her head.
"Forget it, put your things away. Tomorrow our aunt and Aunt Pang will be back, and we still have to go."
In fact, Grandma Qing was indeed more flexible than Shao, Wang, and even Han Ruohua. She came the earliest on the second day, and had a lively look in her eyes. She also said, "Daughter-in-law Dalang, you are heavy, just let us do whatever you need."
Yao Niang smiled and said, "Sister-in-law Qing, just sit down and talk. Why are you busy?"
Qing Dai said quickly: "Don't worry, we are here."
Grandma Qing saw several plates of snacks and fresh fruits on her table, but she naturally refused to eat them, as it would be unsightly, so she just drank tea and chatted casually: "This time, Aunt Pang is here officially. The last time she came, we were not there."
"We will meet today. Last time, I just talked to my elder sister for a few words. I saw that she looked well." Yao Niang said with a smile.
The grandmother of Qingda University actually told the truth: "Everyone goes through this after they are newly married."
As they were talking, Han Ruohua came over. She asked, "Why don't you see Sister Fu? She usually sits next to you when I come."
"She can't get up today. I'm asking the wet nurse to wake her up." Yao Niang said.
Han Ruohua said: "Children sleep a lot, so it won't hurt if they sleep a little longer."
After Second Madam Shen left, the people in the Third House became much more obedient, and Shao brought her own son over. She now felt superior to all the sisters-in-law because she gave birth to the eldest grandson of the Shen family.
A few people were talking in a nonsensical way when they heard outside that Shen Mo and his wife were coming together. This time, Yao Niang and others went out the second gate to welcome the couple in, and they actually saw the son-in-law of the Pang family.
Surprisingly, Pang Qian was not the Jiangnan talent that one had imagined. He had a round face, two dimples, and was of medium height. He looked like a very friendly person.
Eunuch Shen Mo is now the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture. Although she became a monk at an old age, she comes from an aristocratic family. Her brother is a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy, her dowry is generous, and she herself is eloquent, so she almost took charge of the family business as soon as she entered the house.
"Sister, you have mastered the art of feeding me so quickly. You are truly capable." Yao Niang praised.
Shen Mo still didn't like Yan very much, because these days she found that her brother completely obeyed Yan's words. As a sister-in-law, she couldn't get used to it. Her brother didn't even take a concubine, so it was really too much for her sister-in-law.
But now she is married, so it is impossible for her to say anything directly.
In order to gain face in her parents' home, she even had several carts of gifts brought over by horse-drawn carriages. Seeing this, Yao Niang said, "You got married in Wuxing, and we haven't given you any dowry yet. It's just right that you're here today. Your brother and I have prepared a few loads of dowry for you. You can take them back later."
Grandma Qing didn't expect that Yao Niang had prepared makeup, so she also agreed and privately ordered someone to pack two boxes with crabapple-painted gold patterns.
Now Grandma Qingda has a lot of money in her hands, and she will have to persuade her relatives to speak for her in the future. It is much better to give it to Shen Mo than to Han Ruhua and others.
Shen Mo had never been able to get married before, and her sister-in-law had been alone for many years, and had suffered a lot of rumors. Now that she has returned to her parents' home, she is not willing to go out at night in luxurious clothes. Seeing Sister Fu buy two top-quality jade rings, such rings are worn on the hands of a little fat boy who is just over one year old. Yao Niang can only laugh secretly that her daughter is about to become a female millionaire.
"I wanted to stay at home and spend more time with my parents, but the Pang family insisted on looking for me and sent matchmakers to our house three times. My parents saw that the Pang family was sincere and your aunt was a real person, so they let me marry into their family." Shen Mo said it as if it were true.
In fact, although Wu Xing also has some aristocratic families, those who stayed in their hometown are all side branches or retired bureaucrats. Pang Qian returned to his hometown to celebrate his grandmother's birthday. Madam Shen and Madam Pang have a good relationship, so the two families were brought together. Now saying this is just Shen Mo's self-esteem.
The people present were not unaware of what was going on, but they were all listening attentively, as if that was the case.
Shen Linfeng and several cousins from the third room were entertaining Pang Qian. Pang Qian naturally had extraordinary eyesight, and he could tell that almost all the next generation of the Shen family bowed to Shen Linfeng.
And he was indeed as the legend said, Wu Xing Shen Lang had the talent of Zi Jian, the looks of Song Yu, and the temperament of Ji Kang.
"My uncle is truly someone you have never seen before." Pang Qian said.
Shen Linfeng smiled and said, "Our two families are very close. If you have any problems in the future, just come and visit us."
Pang Qian then talked about his recent experience in the capital: "When my wife and I were in Nanjing, we went to visit my third great-uncle, and he asked me to ask you for more advice."
"I'm not worthy of your advice, but I think you have great talent. In time, you will surely be honored by Donghua University." Shen Linfeng raised his glass again and drank together.
After the banquet, Pang Qian took Shen Mo home first, and agreed to invite them to visit him later. After Shen Linfeng saw them off, he immediately went to the study.
Shen Linqing and Shen Linjiang also asked: "Aren't you taking a day off today?"
"I've been learning to write Qingci recently. I'm busy with official duties on weekdays, but I have some time to practice during my days off. If my two brothers have nothing to do, I'll go to the study first." When Shen Linfeng was following Yan Yingqi, it was Yan Yingqi who told him that the emperor liked officials who were good at writing Qingci. He was an expert in this field, so he was deeply trusted by the emperor.
At first Shen Linfeng was naturally a little embarrassed after hearing this, but what his father-in-law said was not unreasonable. If you want the emperor to support your opinion in the future, you must first be able to speak in front of the emperor. If you can't speak, no matter how talented you are, it will be useless.
Therefore, Shen Linfeng has been studying Qingci whenever he has free time these days. He is smart and willing to work hard, so he didn't go out for several days even though his friends wanted to see him. If his brother-in-law hadn't come to visit, he would not have come out for a drink.
When Shen Linjiang returned to Qingyi Garden from the main room, he could not help but say, "No wonder Dalang was so successful in his studies. Now that he is an official, he is still very hardworking. It makes us feel ashamed."
Shen Linqing said, "Let's not talk about this for now. I think I might be transferred back to Beijing. It will be bad news for you and me in the future."
Although Mr. Shen is usually kind and gentle, he is very strict in educating his sons. Shen Linjiang looked at Shen Linqing and said, "I see that Mr. Yan loves his youngest son the most. We also have a younger brother. I wonder if father will do the same?"
"The emperor loves his eldest son, and the people love their youngest son. It's nothing more than this." Shen Linqing was stunned.
In fact, they all understood in their hearts why Shen Linfeng could often let go of everything. It was because he was successful in his career, which made him better than everyone else. It happened that they had no hope in their careers, so they only grabbed what was in front of them.
In fact, what the Third House was most concerned about was that Lu Shan'er had given birth to a boy. They were afraid that there would be one more person to divide the family property in the future. Even though Third Master Shen was in a high position and had great power, he had too many sons and it would be difficult to divide the family property in the future.
Because of the dangers of usury, Grandma Qing had stopped her business a long time ago. Now she owns 685 acres of land in Fangshan, and earns 250 taels of silver in rent every year. She also rents out 40 houses, and earns 40 taels of silver every month. This is the rent out of the house she bought after selling a manor.
The monthly allowance for the servants in the household is more than forty taels, and there are also expenses for clothes for four seasons and social obligations, so the money is becoming less and less manageable.
Especially when it comes to using charcoal in winter, the big house has 1,000 kilograms of silver-thread charcoal, which is only used by a family of three. Moreover, this charcoal has to be burned from October to March of the following year, a total of five months.
The current ration for each person in the third room is five pounds of silver-thread charcoal every day in winter. There are more than ten people in the family, and more than fifty pounds of silver-thread charcoal are used every day, which can only last for more than twenty days at most.
Therefore, Grandma Qing had no choice but to mix the medium-quality charcoal and the silver-thread charcoal to each room. Han Ruohua said nothing. However, Shao Shi demanded that her son's room must be given a full five kilograms of charcoal, as her son was the eldest grandson of the Shen family.
Aunt Chu also gave birth to a son, but she certainly wouldn't tell Grandma Qing, and only acted coquettishly with Shen Linqing. Shen Linqing thought that how could her son be worse than Shen Linjiang's son, so of course she wanted the same share, so it was impossible for a thousand kilograms to take five months.
Before, Grandma from National Ching Hua University would use the money she earned from loan sharking to buy it, but now that she can’t lend money, it’s definitely impossible for her to use her own money to make up for it.
Besides, the father-in-law used to send money back, but now Lu Shaner didn't ask him to send money back, so how could they get enough? Grandma Qing said in front of Shen Linqing: "My gold headpiece was pawned for 200 taels, and I have already ordered people to buy charcoal to make ends meet. Now that there are more people in the family and the income is less, I think there is no need to invite the opera and wine this year."
"That won't do. If our reputation collapses, what will happen?" Shen Linqing denied it immediately.
Grandma Qing rolled her eyes at him and said, "You talk nicely. Just give me the money and I'll do it. Even a skilled cook cannot cook without rice."
Shen Linqing choked: "If I had money, would Dalang still ask me to pay back my debts? Dalang still owes me more than 200 taels. Don't you have Jiaozi in your hand? Why not sell a few of them so that we can celebrate the New Year."
It's wishful thinking. Of course, Grandma Qingda wouldn't be so stupid as to take out her own private money. She would have her own children sooner or later, and even if she didn't, she wouldn't give it to that pair of bastards.
But she would not refuse directly, she just said: "Now your whole family depends on me for the dowry and you want me to use my private money now. If it really gets out, are you ashamed?"
Now that the second house has collapsed, she has to shrink back and there is no way she is going to take risks for the sake of her whole family.
The Shaws who openly complained now complained to Yao Niang. She brought her son to visit Yao Niang. Of course, one reason was that she hoped Yao Niang could give her some Yurong Powder, and the other was to complain.
"Your place is good, you use silver frost charcoal. We only have two pounds of silver frost charcoal mixed with medium charcoal. I coughed while warming myself by the fire."
Yao Niang smiled and said, "We have a small family, and you have a large family, so it's naturally different. But if you say it's enough, it's just barely enough. Add in the money I bring as a dowry, and it will only last for three months at most."
In fact, Yao Niang kept Ruo Fu by her side during the day, and the mother and daughter only consumed five catties of charcoal a day, which was certainly enough. As for Shen Linfeng, she used a mixture of medium-grade charcoal and silver-thread charcoal, because he didn't spend much time at home anyway. The food, clothing, and daily necessities of a large family were not a small amount.
In fact, these are just public funds. Yao Niang and her family don't spend lavishly on a daily basis, and they spend their money wisely. Although Shen Linfeng appears to be very unrestrained, he is very capable of making money. His two pawnshops and one herbal medicine shop are all thriving. He is also quite sensible. He keeps all the writing fees and hands over all the rest.
So sometimes when he was out there, the money he spent was just his monthly salary of five taels plus his pen fee, and Yao Niang would pay for his clothes every year. In short, they were not extravagant at all and were very pragmatic. Many of the clothes at home were made by people around them instead of by the sewing room. Yao Niang and Ruo Fu made their own shoes and socks.
For example, Shaw Brothers often drank bird's nest soup, ginseng stewed chicken and other things. It's not that Yao Niang couldn't afford them, but she always felt that people should just eat a variety of grains and there was no need to have a nourishing meal every time.
On the contrary, the bird's nests given by others can be given away as gifts, which saves money for gifts. Xie Shi also did this at home. Otherwise, she would not have saved more than 100 pieces of dowry for herself. Her dowry and Yan Ningxin's dowry were the same. You should know that Yan Ningxin's dowry was paid by the Prince of Qi's Mansion, while Xie Shi was just the daughter of an ordinary country gentleman.
Now Yao Niang is slowly helping Sister Fu to collect her dowry. She cannot buy more than a hundred pieces at once when the time comes. If something unexpected happens at home by then, it will be too late.
Xie came over and saw that her daughter was managing the household well. She couldn't help but nod her head and said, "Recently, there are still people who come to ask for money. I never thought that person would lose all his huge fortune in gambling. I don't know if your brother will come back next year. He has brought a lot of staff and coroners with him. The master he hired is a famous one. He makes 600 taels a year, not to mention others."
"Mom, so to be an official you need to have money?" Yao Niang said.
Xie smiled and said, "That depends on how you put it. The poor have their own way of living, and the rich have their own way of spending. Now I still have your brother, so I have to save some money for him."
"Yes, mother, how is Xin Wan? It is not convenient for me to visit her. Since you are here today, please take some bird's nests from my house back to give to her." Yao Niang said.
Xie praised, "Relatives all praise you for being the most generous person, and it's true. I think she's better now. But during the New Year, not to mention her, even I'm busy. But what can we do? Just like your sister-in-law and she are both eldest daughters-in-law, they can't just be treated as beauties as soon as they enter the house."
Yao Niang yawned and said, "My daughter is pregnant this year, so we won't have a party or a banquet. I don't care about that."
"That's because your parents-in-law are not around. Not to mention her, even I was almost exhausted when I was pregnant with you. That's how I got through it, so I always say it's good to marry into the Shen family. The man is promising, and you are the only one, which is better than anything else." Xie was very happy to see her daughter living a good life.
As the mother and daughter were talking, they heard a servant come to report that Yingniang had given birth to a son ahead of schedule. Yaoniang smiled and said, "That's great. Mother Gu, please go to the Xu family for me."
Xie sighed, "Speaking of which, Yingniang is clearly marrying down. Why did she have to give birth to two maids for her husband during her pregnancy? And she was afraid that she might get pregnant, so she kept giving her cold medicine. What's the point of that? Even if she doesn't marry him, what's wrong with that?"
"We don't need to worry about these. Just like she boasted in front of me before that she was pregnant, I didn't care at all. You see, our three wives have six or seven sons, but they are not as good as Shen Linfeng. A good child is more about quality than quantity. If she continues like this, the man will sooner or later become daring, and the wives and concubines will fight with each other, and the harem will be in chaos." Yao Niang is very experienced. In fact, if you don't care too much about what others think, you will live a good life.
Xie nodded and continued, "She even came to borrow charcoal. She gave the charcoal from our Yan family to her mother-in-law. I don't know what she was thinking. The old lady in the Xu family is afraid of the cold and needs ten catties of silver frost charcoal every day."
Yao Niang found it unbelievable, but after Xie left, Shen Mo actually came to borrow charcoal.
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